Chapter Twenty
The One With Nicki’s Holiday
Opening the window the next morning, Kate drew in a contented breath. The sea, in a compliment to the sky, was a rich, cloudless blue. No white caps disturbed the surface, other than furrows of white foam flowing like whipped cream behind Hamish’s fishing boat as it headed out to sea.
‘Two days off,’ Kate murmured under her breath, heading downstairs to make some coffee.
Sitting on the terrace a half hour later, on her second dose of caffeine and having eaten two slices of toast so heavily buttered they should have carried a health warning, Kate half-listened to the radio as she mulled on what to do with the time.
She looked around. The Lookout didn’t have much in the way of a formal garden, with a sweeping gravel driveway at the front and some large pots housing small trees and evergreen shrubs. A terrace ran from there down both sides of the property and round to where Kate now sat – beautiful grey slate slabs, and beyond, a small area which had been sown with wild flowers which were emerging with abundant glee from their winter hibernation.
An hour later, Kate pulled into the car park of the local garden centre, where she spent a pleasant hour choosing several pots in various sizes, which she arranged for the garden centre to deliver as they were too heavy for her car, before browsing the selection of plants on offer. Once her boot was too full – even with the rear seats flat – to hold anything more, she set off for Lostwithiel.
It was as she was browsing the eclectic selection outside a large antiques emporium that she had the sensation she was being watched and, glancing over her shoulder, she saw a familiar figure turn away to enter the deli on the opposite side of the street.
‘Stop it,’ she cautioned the recalcitrant flutter as it woke up, trying to focus on deciding between an old iron folding chair or the wooden crates. The crates would surely not be as weather resistant?
A few minutes later, she returned to look between the iron chair and the crates. The sound of voices drew her attention and she saw Dev leaving the deli, a small packet in hand. Had he not looked over, she’d have given the fluttering a sharp slap, but he had and their eyes locked.
‘Hey!’ She waved a hand, expecting Dev to make his escape as fast as possible, but instead he crossed the road and, giving up the battle with the quivering, she smiled at him. ‘Just the person. I need to make a decision, and I’m failing badly.’
Today, he wasn’t wearing the khaki or brown ensemble she’d become accustomed to, but a light blue shirt tucked into narrow-leg jeans. He’d rolled the sleeves of the shirt up to his elbows but even so managed to look smart, despite the usual unruly hair flopping over his forehead.
‘Err… might need a bit more background on that?’
‘Oh!’ Flustered, Kate turned to the two items by her feet. ‘It’s these. I’m putting together some pots, and so on for the back terrace, and I’ve seen these lovely displays. You know, on Pinterest. Anyway, you need things at different heights but I’m not sure the crates will be weatherproof. It’s quite exposed up at The Lookout.’
‘Seems to me the decision’s already made. Happen to agree.’
‘Thank you.’
They both stood awkwardly for a moment and Kate firmly quashed the little voice in the back of her head urging her to invite him for a coffee. Then, he cleared his throat.
‘Look, it’s handy seeing you. I was going to phone later. Now we have a venue, can we do a final run-through of the detail so I can sign-off on the sponsorship?’
Always about the fayre? Damnit!
‘Right then, my lovely. What’s it to be?’ The owner of the reclamation yard had emerged from the doorway.
Kate did the deal over the iron chair, asking the man to hold onto it.
‘My car’s full, so I’ll be back in about an hour?’
Dev stepped in front of her and scooped the folding chair up as though it was a piece of paper.
‘I’m heading home now, I’ll bring it for you.’
Kate was very aware of Dev’s car behind her as she drove back to Polkerran, her attention not as much on the road as it should be and far too often with the rear-view mirror.
‘Stop it,’ she admonished as they crossed the bridge and took the lane running along the far side of the harbour. ‘And don’t offer him a drink he’ll only refuse,’ she further cautioned as they turned up the hill towards The Lookout. ‘All you’ll do for the rest of the day is obsess about why he said no.’
‘You’re going to be busy.’ He nodded towards the bulging back of her car, with its trays and pots as he placed the chair against the shed.
‘I can’t wait. I love gardening. Well, thanks.’ She waved a hand. ‘Oh. That reminds me, how was Theo feeling about starting at the village school?’
‘Excited. He’s certainly happier than he was.’ Dev’s expression darkened, in contrast to his words, and Kate tilted her head.
‘Are you sure about that?’
‘What? Oh, sorry.’ He ran a hand around the back of his neck. ‘Theo assumes he’s going to stay there – here – and that Leigh will come back to live in Polkerran. He’s so used to her coming and going, and dragging him around with her, it’s become almost… normal for him. That was fine until he started prep.’ He sent Kate a rueful smile as he closed the boot of his car. ‘He hated that London school.’
‘Mollie hated her private one, too. She’s so much happier here. I mean, she’s always loved the learning side of things, but she didn’t get on well with the… culture there. I’m stunned at how happy she’s become, so quickly.’
‘Perhaps Theo’s right, then,’ Dev mused as he fished the keys from his pocket.
Kate wasn’t sure what to say to this, but she did her best to ignore a flash of dissatisfaction. This truly was nothing to do with her.
‘See you at the next meeting. I think it’s Anna’s turn to host. Always draws a bigger turnout.’
‘So I’ve noticed,’ Kate added dryly. ‘She bakes better than you or I.’
Kate’s week sped by, with two evening events to supervise, meaning she had a free morning at home on the Friday.
Pouring a coffee, she then picked up a slice of toast and walked over to the full-length windows facing the sea. The aftermath of a storm earlier in the week was evident, with small twigs and the occasional branch scattered across the stone flags of the terrace but at least they looked dry now.
‘I’m late!’
Kate turned around as Mollie breezed into the room, heading for the island and nabbing the last slice of toast. She took a huge bite, wiped her fingers on her skirt and then smirked as Kate rolled her eyes.
‘What about your teeth? And don’t forget your lunch!’ She called as Mollie shrugged into her blazer, scooped up her bag and bent to stroke Podge.
Mollie headed for the fridge as Kate walked over to the island. ‘And don’t forget Anna’s out this afternoon, so head to Nicki’s after school, okay?’
‘Muuum!’ It was Mollie’s turn to roll her eyes. ‘You told me. Twice already.’
‘And if you answered me, I’d know you’d heard,’ Kate responded resignedly.
With a grin, Mollie merely waved a hand and shot out the door, and Kate drained her mug and headed upstairs to get into her gardening gear.
She passed an enjoyable morning with all the plants, arranging the pots into groupings as she’d seen on mood boards on Pinterest, standing back now and again to assess the look, then pulling something forward or swapping its place with another at a different height.
Sitting with a cup of tea when she’d finished, she flicked through her emails, occasionally watching Podge, who was parading up and down, tail aloft and pausing now and then to sniff a leaf, as though doing a royal inspection.
Friday afternoon went smoothly and, although she was still struggling to find back-up volunteers for the actual days of the fayre, Kate almost didn’t mind. As she’d said to Anna only last week, she’d taken it on because she liked to feel pressured, so she could hardly complain.
In between doing her work the following week, she managed to have a meeting with Mrs Tremayne at the manor house to view the available space and the stables, which no longer housed horses but had been cleared and cleaned and lay empty. They would be excellent back-up in the event of any dodgy weather, but would also be perfect for stalls of perishables.
At least now, Phoenix could complete her beautiful artwork for the plan of the fayre. The local crafters were – according to Jean, who’d been put in charge of that aspect – beavering away at their various cottage industries. It was all very Polkerran Point, Kate reflected as she took her sandwich and a coffee out onto the patio at the hotel at lunch time.
‘Hey!’
She looked up, smiling, as Nicki came over to join her, a lunch box clutched in her hands.
‘What time do you finish?’
‘Now. I’ve got a few errands to run before I meet the boys from school and will be back home in good time for Mollie if she decides to call on us.’
Nicki took a seat next to Kate and for a moment they both looked out over the manicured grounds of the Point Hotel to the gap in the rows of evergreens marking the border of the property, where the wide expanse of water could be seen in the distance.
The main part of Polkerran Point wasn’t visible from here, being tucked below at the bottom of the steep hill, but the smaller side, where Anna, Nicki and now Kate lived, could be seen rising up its steeply wooded hill to the outcrop of cliffs where Westerleigh perched, and the rooftop of The Lookout was just visible above the surrounding woodland.
‘It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?’ Kate mused, picking up her wrap. ‘I felt captivated from the first moment I came here, even though it was the depths of winter.’
Nicki made a small sound, then sent Kate an amused look. ‘I was a bit more taken with the “wildlife” when I first came. The male of the species, that is.’ She winked, then scooped up a forkful of salad and munched on it.
Kate laughed before taking a bite of her wrap as Nicki continued.
‘It was, to be fair, more than ten years ago. God, that was a fun summer. Young, free and single.’ She cast an impish smile in Kate’s direction. ‘That’s you right now. I’m a bit jel!’
Almost choking on her next mouthful, Kate reached for a bottle of water. ‘I’m not sure I’d call pushing forty “young”, Nicki!’
‘Don’t be daft. Everyone’s embracing the idea we’re all ten years younger than it says on the tin.’
Kate picked up the last of her wrap. ‘That explains a few things. Mollie acts like a three-year-old sometimes.’
They talked about their children as they finished lunch, but then curiosity got the better of Kate.
‘So, how did you meet Hamish? I assume it was on that fateful visit?’
Nicki stretched out her legs, leaning back in the comfy patio chair, untying her blonde hair and running a well-manicured hand through it.
‘I sort of got roped into it. My cousin, Ellie, had graduated uni, and she and her mates had booked a couple of caravans for the summer on a site up at Polwelyn.’ Nicki waved a hand back towards where the river wound its way down into the bay. ‘One of them dropped out at the last minute, so she asked me if I wanted to come. I wasn’t too sure, to be honest. I knew her best mate, but none of the others. I’d only been on a beauty course at my local college.’ She pulled a face. ‘I wasn’t quite degree material. But Ellie’s the sister I never had so…’ She shrugged.
‘So how was it? Aside from the falling in love bit?’
With a smirk, Nicki nestled back against the cushion. ‘Amazing. It’s hard not to gel quickly when you’re sharing a room with tiny twin beds and an even tinier bathroom! I met Hamish on the second day, fell for him in an instant. At the end of the summer, I chucked in my boring job as a receptionist in a salon and never looked back. My parents were horrified, but they’re over it now they see how happy we are.’ She sighed dreamily. ‘Part of me wishes he had a steadier job, was around more in the evenings when I want some adult company, but I wouldn’t change my life for the world.’
‘I envy you,’ Kate said. ‘Marrying Hugo was the biggest mistake of my life, and I’d wish it never happened if it wasn’t for the fact I wouldn’t have Mollie. The sad thing is, we never had the companionship you have with Hamish, that close bond, yet I miss it so much it hurts. Why is that?’
Nicki said nothing for a moment, then leaned over and laid a comforting hand on Kate’s arm. ‘Maybe it’s because it’s what you now need.’
Kate huffed on a laugh as they stood and gathered their bits and pieces. ‘Well, I hardly think I’m going to find the answer in a tiny place like Polkerran!’
What about the man who’s more on your mind than off it?
‘Ridiculous!’
‘Sorry?’ Nicki looked back over her shoulder as they reached the doors into the hotel.
‘Nothing!’ Kate smiled. ‘Talking out loud when I should be talking to myself.’
‘Hmph,’ Nicki muttered as they walked down the corridor. ‘That’s because you spend too many evenings alone up at The Lookout. Think it’s time you got out more. Leave it with me.’
Kate sent Nicki a warning look. ‘Don’t you dare start enrolling me in any clubs or quiz teams.’
With a grin and wave, Nicki left, and Kate returned to her office, deep in thought. Was she right, though? She was only thirty-nine. Wasn’t it time she started living again?
Nicki clearly thought so, as did Anna. By the end of the week, they’d both sat Kate down at the table by the window in Westerleigh – where she’d deliberately put her back to the view out of the window – as they earnestly set out their idea for a blind date with a mutual friend.
‘Think of it as practice,’ Nicki had reassured Kate.
‘It’s just a date,’ Anna added. ‘It’s not as though you’re stuck sitting by the fire with him for eternity, arguing over the remote.’
‘Or washing his undies,’ Nicki added with a chuckle.
Kate had merely shaken her head at them both, but as her friends started to talk about their plans for the upcoming weekend with their husbands, she couldn’t deny that she almost envied both couples.
Perhaps marital bliss was still on the cards for her. One day. With someone. Against her volition, Dev swept into her mind, and she ushered him on his way.
His life seemed an even bigger mess than hers had been.