Epilogue - Ellie
Four weeks had passed since Ellie had made the decision to stay in Porthpenny.
The day she’d been packed and ready to leave still lingered in her mind, and she’d thought a lot about what had happened before and after that.
She suspected she had simply been testing herself to see if leaving and returning to London was what she wanted.
The audition had, of course, been an amazing opportunity.
For someone.
But not for her.
Ellie was certain now that her future lay in Cornwall with Jasper, Mabel, Alfie, Wiggy and her gran.
Sitting on a blanket on the sand, Ellie watched as Jasper and the children splashed in the shallows of the sea with Wiggy joining the fun.
The late May day was sunny and clear with a warm breeze.
Ellie was wearing shorts and a T-shirt along with a sunhat and sunglasses.
While the others played in the sea, she was making notes in her notebook about her ideas for the café.
Along with her gran, she’d been planning a special summer menu and visiting local farms and small businesses to get inspiration for new dishes she could create.
Since her return to Cornwall, she had rediscovered her love of cooking and enjoyed the serenity it brought her.
Acting had never done that.
In fact, it had made her tense and anxious, as tightly coiled as a steel spring.
She had thought her life lay in that direction and initially been devastated when she’d been dumped first by her agent and then by Barnaby, but now she knew it was the best thing that could have happened to her.
Sometimes, things had to go wrong before they could go right and as her gran had always said to her: Everything happens for a reason.
You won’t always know what that reason is at the time but one day, it will all become clear.
Now, Ellie could trust in those words because she had finally reached a point in life where she felt happy and secure.
Closing her notebook, she put it down and gazed out at the sea.
The sun warmed her skin, bathing the scene in a rich golden light.
She removed her hat and let the breeze tousle her long hair while an easy smile played on her lips.
Jasper was chasing the children around and then he grabbed Alfie and threw him over one shoulder.
Alfie screamed and laughed and then Jasper chased after Mabel.
She ran away as quickly as she could while Wiggy barked and jumped around them.
Wiggy’s fur glistened with salt water, and he bounded in and out of the waves, his tail wagging happily.
Ellie’s heart swelled with love and contentment.
This little family might not have been created by her, but she had inherited them when she’d fallen in love with Jasper and already loved them like they were her own.
Jasper.
Mabel, Alfie.
Wiggy.
Each of them had made their way into her heart and she would always love them and be there for them.
She wouldn’t always get things right, but she was learning how to be a partner, how to be a friend, how to be a mum and dog mum.
Every laugh, every splash, every bark was like a promise of more to come.
She felt deeply connected to the life they were building together in a way she’d never felt to her life in London.
Sometimes things were just right, and this was what she had found in Cornwall.
Ellie was in love with Jasper and with the life they were living right now, but also in love with the moments that lay ahead, as yet unknown but to be filled with love and connection.
Ellie turned around to get her phone from her bag so she could take some photos.
She wanted the children to be able to have a new photo album each so they could fill them with more memories.
She had made two copies of the photos in the album Kimberley had created for them, so the children had one each and Jasper had one too.
But she also believed it was important for them to capture the here and now, and so she was taking as many photos as possible for them.
As she stood up she heard a deep laugh.
‘Hello there, beautiful lady. Thought you’d sit here and watch, did you?’
‘Jasper!’ She whirled around and gasped as he took her hand in his cold, wet one. Droplets of water shone on his skin and his muscular chest was tanned from his time at the beach. ‘I was going to take some photos of you all.’
‘Plenty of time for that,’ he said, taking her phone and dropping it into her open bag. ‘But for now, it’s time for fun.’
‘What?’ Panic filled her chest, and she tried to pull away but he held her hand tight.
‘You know you want to.’ He winked and she giggled.
‘No. It’s too cold.’
‘Come on, Ellie!’ Alfie called as he waved at her. ‘Come and paddle.’
‘Oh god…’ She looked down at herself then made a decision. She undid the tie holding her shorts up and pulled her T-shirt over her head.
‘To the sea, my lady!’ Jasper said as he scooped her into his arms then ran towards the water.
She clung to his neck, laughing hard as he splashed into the shallows then waded deeper. Cold water surrounded them, but she clung tight to him and soon they were immersed up to Jasper’s elbows.
‘It’s freezing,’ Ellie said from between clenched teeth as the sea lapped at her skin.
‘You’ll soon get used to it.’ Jasper kissed her. ‘Like everything in life, really.’
He turned them so they could watch the children as they took turns to throw Wiggy’s ball. The dog chased happily after it then brought it back for another go.
‘I feel incredibly lucky that I’m here and have a chance to get used to this,’ Ellie said. ‘Things could have been so different.’
‘All we have is the here and now.’ Jasper squeezed her against him, and she tightened her arms around his neck.
‘I know, my sweet. Every day is a gift when I get to spend it with you.’ She kissed him softly, her heart swelling with love.
Whatever the future might hold, for now there was love. So much love. So much joy. And hopefully the promise of more to come.
Ellie had returned to Cornwall a single woman who’d been rejected by those who should have cared about her. But in leaving that life behind, she had found her family and found a love to last a lifetime.
And it had all happened when she’d come to spend spring at The Cornish Garden Café…
The End