Chapter 12
Hannah wrapped her arms around herself. She adored her new dress - it made her feel confident and comfortable… and maybe even beautiful. Unfortunately, it didn’t offer much protection against the chilly breeze blowing off the sea.
‘Here.’
Hannah turned, only to find David had stripped off his jacket and was holding it out for her.
‘But you’ll freeze!’ she said, eyeing the cotton shirt covering his surprisingly solid body. She rubbed her arms in a vain attempt to stop a shiver from running through her.
‘The walk will keep me warm,’ he said with a smile. ‘Besides, I’ve got another layer under this, but you…’
He trailed off, his eyes travelling over her dress.
This time there was no stopping the delicious shiver that ran down her spine… and it had nothing to do with the cold night air.
‘I knew that dress would suit you,’ said David, his eyes finally meeting hers again. He frowned and cleared his throat. ‘Sorry. That sounds so creepy!’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ laughed Hannah, relenting at last and slipping her arms into the waiting warmth of his jacket. ‘But… how did you know?’
‘It’s the same colour as the top you were wearing when I saw you last time you were in town,’ he said with a little shrug. ‘It’s like the colour of the maple leaves. I remember thinking…’ he trailed off and cleared his throat again. ‘Well, it just really suits you.’
‘Thanks,’ said Hannah, glad that darkness had descended on the little town while they’d been stuffing their faces inside Pebble Street. She didn’t know if it was the jacket or David’s words, but she was already warming up nicely!
She snuggled further into the collar. It smelled sweet… like cinnamon and honey. Suddenly, Hannah had the almost irresistible urge to bury her face in David’s neck.
‘You know, I’ve been meaning to apologise,’ she blurted, turning away to stop herself from doing something insane.
‘What on earth for?’ said David, falling onto step beside her as she began to stride along.
‘For how I behaved last time I was in town,’ she said.
‘You don’t have to—’
‘Yes, I do,’ she said, cutting him off. ‘I was in a bad place. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I split with my husband on that trip.’
David nodded. ‘I did hear.’
Hannah flinched. Yep, he’d literally heard it happening, hadn’t he?!
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, his voice gentle.
‘Well, I’m not,’ said Hannah. ‘Don’t get me wrong, it hurt like hell at the time, but it needed to happen.’
David nodded, and for a brief moment, Hannah wondered if that nod meant more than just understanding. Was he agreeing with her?
‘Look… I’m afraid I took it out on you,’ she said. ‘And the bees.’
‘The bees will let you off the hook,’ said David.
‘And you?’
‘You were never on the hook with me,’ he said with a small smile. ‘I know a thing or two about grief. It doesn’t matter what causes it - death, loss, the end of a love story…’ He paused and blew out a long breath. ‘I get it.’
Hannah swallowed and nodded. This man had lost the love of his life. The end of her unhappy marriage was nothing compared to that.
‘I don’t think I deserve that much grace,’ she sighed.
‘You deserve to be happy,’ said David with a little shrug.
Hannah smiled at him. It was such a simple statement, but boy, did it pack an emotional punch. When was the last time she’d felt truly happy?
Right now. All evening.
‘Well… tonight I’m happy, thanks to you and Jason.’
‘Mission accomplished, then,’ said David with a grin.
Hannah felt her breath catch. How had she never noticed how knee-meltingly gorgeous that smile was before today?!
‘While we’re clearing the air, here, I want to say a proper thank you for looking after the gardens. They’re absolutely beautiful.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ said David with a little shrug.
‘But it must have taken you ages!’
David let out a long sigh. ‘Just before Millie passed away, I promised her that I would help you in any way I could if you came back to Seabury.’ He paused and raked a hand through his hair.
‘There’s not been much I’ve been able to do to make your life easier…
but that was one small thing I could do to keep my promise. ’
Hannah tried to swallow a sudden lump in her throat. It was like Millie had just reached out and given her one last hug.
‘Oh?’
‘The bees have always loved your garden,’ said David with a grin. ‘Extra flowers equals extra food and happy bees.’
‘Well, that makes sense,’ laughed Hannah.
‘For the record, I think they missed you.’
‘Really?’ Hannah raised an eyebrow, not convinced. ‘The bees missed me?’
David nodded.
‘Now, how would you know that?’ she said, holding his twinkling gaze.
‘They told me,’ he said simply.
Hannah blinked. It sounded ridiculous… but somehow, she knew it was the truth.
‘Right,’ said David, coming to an abrupt halt. ‘Here we are!
Blimey, how were they already at her garden gate?
Somehow, the pair of them had navigated the winding hill out of town without so much as a second’s pause in their chatter. Hannah glanced around in wonder and spotted Jason and Sarah heading through next door’s garden gate, arm in arm and laughing over some private joke or other.
‘I’d better…’ she nodded towards her front door.
‘Unless you fancy a cuppa?’ said David.
‘I…’
‘Or I could even stretch to a hot chocolate?’
Hannah was sorely tempted, but she forced herself to shake her head. If she didn’t get a little distance from this beautiful man with his honey scent and kindness, she had a feeling she was going to fall right into his orbit and never want to leave.
‘I’d better not,’ she said. ‘But… another time?’
‘Any time,’ said David, holding out his hand.
Hannah took it, thinking that a handshake was possibly the weirdest way to end such a lovely evening. David stared at her hand for a long moment before bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing the back of her hand.
‘Oi, Dad - get a wiggle on!’
Hannah jumped as Jason’s yell from next door pierced the night air.
‘It’s freezing out here and you’ve got the keys!’
David rolled his eyes. ‘Duty calls,’ he said, letting go of her hand with a soft smile. ‘Sweet dreams, Hannah.’
Hannah nodded, lost in a daze as she watched David turn and amble away. ‘Wait!’ she called, just as he was about to disappear. ‘Your jacket…?’
‘Keep it. There’s no point in getting cold on your way to the front door.’ He smiled at her again. ‘You can drop back tomorrow… you know where I live.’
With that, he disappeared into his own front garden, leaving Hannah to wander through her gate into the rose-scented darkness. She paused on the path and stared up at the glittering stars, wondering if Millie was watching.
Definitely.
With one last sniff of the sweet air, Hannah turned and let herself into the quiet house.
Hannah couldn’t wipe the daft smile off her face as she wandered through to the kitchen, flipping lights on as she went.
Grabbing the kettle, she filled it at the sink and then set it to boil.
If she’d been brave enough, she could have been sipping honey-sweetened hot chocolate with the others right now…
‘That would have been a bad idea!’ she laughed.
Hannah hadn’t wanted to push her luck. None of the others had made her feel like the odd one out, but she knew that’s what she really was.
She’d enjoyed every second of their company, but it was time to call it a night.
It was time for them to retreat for a cosy game of Snakes and Ladders, and time for her to get back to reality.
Hannah sighed, staring around the mess she’d left all over the kitchen counters.
Reality? Reality was a lonely mess.
A sweet waft of warm honey drifted up from David’s jacket, and she let out a long breath. No, she didn’t have to be lonely. She had friends here, even if she felt like she didn’t deserve them.
‘My goodness, you’re a little ray of sunshine!’ she tutted, rolling her eyes at herself as she poured hot water onto a mint teabag. Then she paused, staring at the pot of honey. Why not? A dollop of comforting goodness might help her sleep sweetly!
Hannah had just finished stirring in a generous dollop when the loud peal of the telephone made her jump. The teaspoon clattered onto the counter, and she frowned. That wasn’t her mobile. She knew that for certain, because the thing was on silent and abandoned somewhere upstairs.
That meant it had to be the old landline! But no one she knew had that number…
Suddenly, a smile replaced the confusion. Of course! It must be David, or Jason… or maybe even Sarah calling from next door. Perhaps David had left something in one of his pockets? Abandoning her tea in the kitchen, Hannah hurried through to the little study and grabbed the receiver.
‘Hellooo?’ The smile was evident in her voice as she prepared to dive back into the fun of the evening.
‘Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling for ages!’
The nasal whine was all too familiar. Hannah pulled the phone away from her ear, feeling like she’d just been slapped. All of the joy, all of the ease she’d been feeling, drained right out of her.
Gareth. Her ex-husband.
‘Answer me, where have you been!’
‘Out.’
Even as she bit out the one-word response, Hannah considered simply hanging up on him… but she knew from long and painful experience that it wouldn’t do any good. He’d just keep badgering her until he got whatever he wanted.
‘Why didn’t you answer your mobile, then?’ he huffed.
‘Because I didn’t take it with me,’ she said. Wait, why was she explaining herself? She didn’t owe this idiot anything. ‘What do you want?
‘Alright,’ he scoffed, ‘keep your wig on!’
Hannah felt her fingers tighten into a stranglehold around the receiver. ‘Actually, let’s start with how you know I’m here?’
‘Your friend Willow told me,’ said Gareth, sounding smug.
‘You went to the shop?’ Hannah cringed at the thought of him throwing his weight around in her workplace.
‘It’s not your private domain, you know,’ he grumbled. ‘It’s a bloody jewellery shop. Anyway, it wasn’t just me. We went to the shop.’
‘We?’
‘Me and Amber,’ he said, and by the tone of his voice, the three little words were clearly aimed to do as much damage as humanly possible.
Not so long ago, the idea of her ex-husband taking the mistress who’d ended their marriage into a jewellery shop would have laid her low for weeks. Now though…? The thought barely ruffled the hair on her head.
Hannah took a deep breath, filling her lungs with David’s honey and cinnamon scent.
‘We’re shopping for a ring,’ he continued, clearly still fishing for a reaction. ‘I mean, not that there’s anything classy enough in that dive you work for. Anyway, I asked where you were, and Willow said you were getting a much-needed break by the sea. I put two and two together.’
Of course he had. Poor Willow. She’d have to send the girl an apology text in the morning. Hannah could only imagine Gareth had been about as pleasant to deal with as a dog turd on white satin slippers.
‘So, you found me,’ she said. Suddenly, Hannah realised she wasn’t angry, or sad… just… was that boredom creeping in? She’d divorced this idiot. She was done with his games! ‘What do you want?’
‘Actually, there’s a couple of things. First, congrats on making it to five years. Now you can finally sell that shithole. Second—when will I be getting my cut?’
Hannah rolled her eyes. Not this again!
‘In case you haven’t noticed, we’re divorced,’ she tutted.
‘Yeah, and it cost me.’
Hannah bit back a weary sigh. In theory, it should have cost him a whole lot more.
She’d bent over backwards to sever all financial ties and hadn’t fought for much at all - despite her solicitor’s encouragement to the contrary.
All she’d wanted was a swift resolution.
An escape. An end to the pain. Unfortunately, this had only made Gareth treat her like even more of a doormat than he had before.
‘Look,’ she huffed, ‘if you still don’t understand the terms of the divorce, pay your lawyer to explain them to you again. Because you and me? There’s nothing between us anymore.’
‘Apart from a seaside property that’s legally half mine!’
Dream on, buddy. She could explain about the additional clauses in Millie’s will, of course… but where would be the fun in that?
‘You owe me,’ he hissed.
‘No,’ she laughed. ‘I really don’t.’
‘If you sell that house, I’m coming after you with everything I’ve got.’
‘Empty threats, Gar,’ she laughed. ‘But feel free to waste everything you have on a lawyer.’
‘I mean it!’ His voice had dropped to a low growl.
Hannah flinched. That would be his nasty temper rising to the surface… but she didn’t have to deal with the fallout any more, did she?
‘Seriously,’ she said, wanting to end the conversation before things got heated. ‘Let me save you the trouble.’
‘I knew you’d come around,’ he said, sounding pleased.
Hannah rolled her eyes. This had always been his problem. Gareth had a great deal of trouble listening to anything other than the sound of his own voice.
‘Listening ears on, Gareth,’ she said as if she were talking to a toddler. ‘I don’t know what you’ve heard, or who you heard it from, but I am not selling this house.’
‘But…’
‘Hush, I’m still talking,’ she said, cutting across him. ‘I’m not selling this house. Even if I was, you wouldn’t see a single penny. Oh, and if you keep bugging me, you’ll be the one hearing from my lawyer.’
‘But…’
‘Bye, Gareth. Have a nice life. Or… you know… whatever.’
She hung up.
‘I’m… not selling?’ she said out loud, testing the flavour of the words on her tongue. A little tingle ran down her spine.
Hannah shook her head. Ridiculous. She’d only said that to rile Gareth. Her whole life was in London. Friends… job… flat…
Even so, as Hannah headed back through to the kitchen to grab her mint tea, the words kept swirling around her, making her feel giddy with possibility.