Chapter Fourteen
‘Sybil’s really very good, isn’t she?’ Trev said.
‘Yes, yes, she is …’ Zennor stammered, feeling like a pebble stranded on the beach as the audience poured out of the Dell around her. ‘I’d no idea you were there.’
‘I arrived about ten minutes ago and stood at the back. I didn’t want to disturb the performance – or you. Have I given you a shock?’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘this is a big surprise. Um—’
‘What am I doing here?’ He smiled, and she was reminded what a handsome and imposing man he was, even though he now had plenty of grey threaded through his once jet-black hair.
‘I’m here on business … kind of. I’ve been sorting out Mum’s estate.’
‘Her estate?’ Zennor said as the meaning of his words took a second or two to comprehend.
‘Yes, she passed away last November.’
‘Oh …’ Zennor was dumbstruck. She hadn’t been bosom buddies with Sandra Jameson but she was still shocked and saddened to hear the news. Trev’s father had walked out when he was a young boy so she’d brought him up alone. ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Was it sudden?’
‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘She was seventy-four, and the only mercy is that it was an aneurysm so it was over in seconds. If you’re going to go, you can’t really go any better way.
So everyone keeps telling me.’ He spoke so quietly that she could barely hear him above the hubbub of the audience after Sybil’s performance.
Kids were still clustered around Sybil, asking about giants and ghostly hounds.
‘It still must have been such a shock.’
‘It was. You would know about that.’
‘Yes.’ Trev had sent flowers to her father’s funeral but hadn’t been able to attend. ‘I’m still sorry I didn’t know.’
‘Why would you? Mum was living in Horsham. I’ve been living and working up that way since we split up and we’ve had no reason to be in touch, apart from when Hayden passed away. I’d have come but I was abroad.’
‘It’s OK. Your mum was – a force of nature,’ Zennor said.
‘She was that.’ He smiled wryly and then added, ‘Thanks for being kind but I’m OK.
I’ve come to terms with it, as much as you can when you lose someone close.
Life goes on and all that crap …’ He looked at her and his brown eyes lit up with puzzlement.
‘How come you don’t look any different than the day I first met you? ’
She shook her head, insisting, ‘I absolutely do.’
‘If you say so.’ He smiled again. ‘I’m afraid the past year has added a few decades to me.’
Zennor couldn’t deny that the years had changed him. He was older, for sure, with the grey and deepening frown lines between his eyes. Even so, he’d lost weight, which suited him, and a little of his swagger was gone.
Butterflies stirred in her stomach. They reminded her that she’d loved him once, enough to think she would make a lifetime’s commitment to him – or perhaps they were merely a nervous reaction to bumping into him so unexpectedly, and so soon after Matt’s return.
Was that a coincidence?
His focus switched briefly to Sybil, who was still talking animatedly with a new set of audience members. She didn’t seem to have noticed Zennor and Trev.
‘Do you want to get a drink?’ he asked.
‘I’m driving.’
‘A Coke or a coffee then?’ There was a desperate uplift to his voice that made Zennor both wary of him and sorry for him. She hesitated. Trev was the last person she’d expected to pop up at the festival. He’d never been to it before as far as she knew. Her skin prickled with unease.
‘I’m not sure.’
‘After how things ended, I think we owe it to ourselves to have a civilised conversation. I regret some of the things I said when we were splitting up. I shouldn’t have tried to stop you leaving but it was an emotional time …’
‘It was an emotional time for all of us. I probably said some stuff too …’ Zennor said.
Everything that had driven them apart was still there.
The suspicions, her accusations, his denials, the lack of trust that had corroded their marriage from the inside – they still existed even after the divorce.
Matt crept into her mind again. How would he react to Trev being back in town? Not that his reaction should be of any interest to her.
‘Don’t feel pressured …’ Trev had concern in his eyes. ‘If you don’t feel you want to talk, I totally understand.’
She relented. It couldn’t do any harm and he must want to talk about his mum to someone he’d once been close to. She would have to be pretty heartless to refuse. ‘Yes, why not?’
They walked to the Woodland Bar in the food area. It was still only a quarter to ten and the sun hadn’t long set. Beyond the treeline, over the sea, the sky was streaked with pink and gold amid the twilight blue. The air was still, moths fluttering in the twinkling lights.
‘I’ll get the drinks,’ she said, expecting a battle. Trev had always insisted on paying for everything, and to be fair, he’d been the one who could afford to.
‘OK. Thanks. Shall I find a seat?’
‘If you can,’ Zennor said.
While queueing for the bar, Zennor tried to ground herself. Her evening had taken a surreal turn that had nothing to do with the array of mythical creatures milling among the crowds.
She was painfully aware she’d almost binned that wedding photo of Trev just a couple of weeks previously and now she was going to be sitting with him, talking – almost like old friends.
She wanted to find out why her ex-husband had suddenly materialised in her neck of the woods, and besides, what kind of person refused a drink with a man whose mother had recently died and who was still grieving?
She returned with two zero beers to find Trev standing by a tall bar table, scrolling through his phone. He put it away the moment she arrived and smiled a little sheepishly. She knew he was putting on a brave face, although it was not quite as brave as the man she’d married.
‘Here you are.’
‘Thanks. Sorry I couldn’t find a proper table.’
‘It’s fine. I’d been sitting on those logs for too long.’
‘I know. My back’s killing me too. The joy of getting older.’
‘Hmm.’ She smiled and tipped the bottle to her lips.
‘I expect you’re surprised to see me here?’
‘A bit. No. A lot. I didn’t think this was your thing – and anyway, I thought you were still living in Sussex.’
‘I was – am – technically.’ He toyed with the neck of the bottle. ‘Zen. I have a confession to make.’
Little spiders of trepidation scuttled down her spine. Was this where he was going to admit that her suspicions and fears during her marriage had been well founded?
‘I thought you’d be here. In fact, I’d have bet on it. I saw Sybil’s name on the ads for this event and hoped you’d be at her performance.’
‘It was still a bit of a gamble.’
‘Yes, but I saw that she’s a client on your website and socials and you’ve always been very close. Kernow Entz looks like it’s very successful. You’ve done well.’
‘Roo’s been amazing. The business wouldn’t be where it is without her. How long have you been following our socials?’
‘A few months. Ever since I knew I’d be coming back to St Ives. Losing Mum has made me re-evaluate a lot of stuff in my life.’
Zennor felt her eyebrows lift.
‘I can see you’re sceptical and I don’t blame you. I’ll be the first to admit that I’d have laughed at those people who say they changed their lives and now they’re a different person. I didn’t buy that.’
Zennor wasn’t sure how to respond to this new reflective Trev. He was so unlike the one she’d married, who’d been so sure of his place and direction in life.
‘I’m still the same person that I was but life has a way of knocking the stuffing out of you and taking the edges off your certainty. Sorry, mixed metaphors … Mum’s passing – and our split – altered my perspective.’
‘I can understand that,’ she said cautiously, not wanting to dredge up the bitter sludge that mired their split.
‘I wanted to tell you in person that I was back. I didn’t want you to have a shock and hear it from someone else.’
‘Why would it be a shock? You’re only visiting, aren’t you?’ Zennor asked, the prickles of unease creeping up her spine again.
He waggled a hand. ‘Well, yes and no. The business I mentioned involves the St Piran’s Spa Hotel.
Mum left me a substantial inheritance and you know I’ve wanted to get more hands on in hospitality.
I decided that now was the time.’ He hesitated and then said, ‘And when I heard the place was up for sale, I decided to do exactly that. As of this morning, the St Piran’s is officially mine. ’
Zennor turned cold. All her instincts had been right. There was a reason why he’d returned – it was no mere chance. It never could have been with Trev: he always had a purpose.
‘You seem stunned. I don’t blame you. I’m pretty stunned myself, but I did talk about it, dream about it.’
‘I know you always wanted a restaurant or a hotel but I thought you wanted a boutique place – something smaller.’
‘Me too, but the St Piran’s came up. I was shocked by the size of the inheritance. Mum never let on that she’d squirrelled so much away. Apparently, she’d had investments for years on top of that rambling old house in Horsham.’
‘How long have you known it was for sale? I didn’t.’
‘A few months – I heard via a friend who was at a hospitality conference with the St Piran’s owners – ex-owners now.’ He smiled. ‘It felt like fate.’
‘Fate …’ she echoed. ‘I thought you didn’t believe in that stuff?’
‘I don’t. I didn’t. But hearing that the very hotel we’d been married at was for sale?
It’s in a fantastic location and it’s recently been done up.
Plus, they have some very experienced staff in place and it’s profitable, which is a pretty big deal these days for a hotel.
I called the owners and I went for it.’ He drained his beer bottle while she fought to process this news.
‘So, you’ll be moving back down here?’ It was impossible to keep the shock from her voice.
‘I already have. I rented a flat in Penzance but I’ll need something more permanent.’
‘Do – So you plan on being hands-on at the hotel?’
‘Yeah. I’m overseeing the financial and strategic direction, and I’ll be on site a lot while the team get to know me and vice versa.
I’ll probably leave most of the day-to-day stuff to the existing team once everyone has found their feet.
Although I’m sure I won’t be able to help but get involved in the smaller details. ’
He laughed but Zennor was too stunned to join him.
‘I’m afraid we might end up bumping into each other more often,’ he said, and then touched her fingers with his, briefly and lightly. ‘I hope that’s not going to be a problem. Coming back here – invading your territory – was the one thing that almost put me off buying the St Piran’s.’
‘It did?’
‘But I thought you wouldn’t want me to factor us into my decision. The past is the past, isn’t it? If we could be friends again, it would be a huge relief to me.’
Zennor didn’t know how she felt; so many surprises had landed on her in the past half an hour. She couldn’t say she didn’t care or that she didn’t mind because both would be untrue. ‘I wouldn’t want to stop you from doing what you want. It’s – your decision alone.’
Trev let out a sigh of relief. ‘Phew, I’m glad we’ve cleared that up and that me being around won’t be a problem for you.’
‘No, it won’t,’ she said, sounding far more convincing than she felt. ‘Absolutely no problem at all.’