9. Lena
9
LENA
O ver the next three weeks, Lena immersed herself in writing her novel. It took discipline, she’d learnt, but she soon got into a routine that she enjoyed. She took long walks on the beach and along the coastal path and attended yoga at the café. She treated herself to fish and chips in the village and to plenty of fresh local produce that she bought at the grocery shop and at local farm shops not far from the village. Cornish life suited her, she thought, and she was enjoying the sunny days and lighter nights of summer, immersed in a new rhythm as she let go of the London pace.
Life here was very different from life in London and she felt like she’d found her place in the world. The villagers were friendly, the tourists she encountered too, and she had plenty of inspiration for her writing. She’d seen Thomas around a few times — at the café, at yoga and in the village itself. He was always polite but aloof. Sometimes, his eyes lingered on her face a little longer than was necessary, and she wondered if there was a chance she might get through to him. But whenever she tried to engage him in a deeper conversation, he clammed up and made an excuse to get away from her. It hurt for sure, but she tried to let it go, tried to accept that there was something she didn’t know about him and that he had a reason for shying away from her.
Today was the final Saturday of May and she was looking forward to the village fair. According to Pearl and Ellie, there were lots of things planned, and she was excited about spending the day in the village.
Lena dressed in a pair of cropped black trousers, black and white plimsols and a white blouse with short butterfly sleeves. She plaited her wavy hair and secured it with clips then added a white baseball cap and sunglasses. After she’d covered her exposed skin with sunblock, she added a slick of pink lip balm and grabbed her metal water bottle. She was ready and couldn’t wait to find out what a proper Cornish fair had to offer.
Walking down to the village, she admired the scenery, breathed deeply of the salty air and smiled. It was a beautiful day, and it helped her to have faith that life could be beautiful too. There were times when she’d had her doubts about ever feeling truly content again, but today was a good day and she was happy to be here.
When she reached the main square, she wandered around. Artisan stalls were selling local crafts including pottery, sea-glass jewellery and woodwork. She browsed some of the wares on offer, deciding to come back later if she saw something she wanted to buy. At a sweet stall, she tried a free sample of clotted cream fudge and almost moaned with pleasure as it melted against her tongue. All around her, people walked and talked, laughed, ate and drank. The Cornish gin stall was particularly popular with its free samples of gin and liqueurs, although it was a bit early in the morning for Lena to sample to boozy drinks.
She left the square and wandered down to the harbour where a stall selling boat rides and sightseeing tours had been set up. A queue of people stood waiting, keen to enjoy the morning on the water and to find out more about the area. Lena hadn’t been out on a boat yet, but it was something she’d like to try while she was here.
Further along, there was a gazebo with the sides open. She went inside to look around and found that it was selling local floral arrangements and offering beginner classes in flower arranging. There were some beautiful arrangements of locally grown flowers from mixed wildflowers to pure white roses, to bunches of sharp, purple-blue lavender and gypsophila. Accepting a flier, she read that the flowers came from a nearby flower farm where you could take a flower arranging class, order a bouquet for a wedding or flowers for a special occasion.
Just along from the flower stall was another gazebo with a banner informing her that it was for the local animal sanctuary. A team of people were inside the gazebo with a variety of animals including dogs, rabbits and even a tortoise. Lena asked some questions and found out that the sanctuary accepted most animals that needed rehoming, but they mainly had dogs. The animals they took in had been abandoned or their owners had been unable to care for them due to health issues and some had passed away. A gorgeous little pug called Harvey wagged his curly tail when she crouched down to speak to him. Apparently, Harvey’s elderly owner had been taken into a nursing home after a fall and so Harvey was available for adoption. Lena sat on a blanket on the floor with Harvey for a while, playing with his ball and stroking his soft fur. She’d never had a pet dog but that had been down to circumstances growing up and her lifestyle as an adult. Being out all hours of the day and night, she hadn’t had the right circumstances to home a dog but now, if she made her working from home job permanent, then she might be able to adopt. A little companion like Harvey would be perfect. They could walk on the beach, paddle in the sea, snuggle on the sofa… She knew adopting an animal would not be all sunshine and roses, and that there was a lot to learn, but if she was able to stay in the village, which was something she was considering more and more as the weeks passed, she could become a dog mum. The thought made her stomach clench with excitement, but she tried not to let it get the better of her because Harvey could well be adopted by someone else in the meantime. She hoped for his sake that he would find a loving home but if it did get to the point where she was in a position to adopt, then he would be her first choice.
‘He’s very taken with you,’ a woman wearing the green sanctuary T-shirt said.
‘I’m very taken with him,’ Lena replied. ‘But I’m only renting here at the moment. I love the village and am thinking about staying here but there are some things I need to consider first.’
‘Well adoption has to be right for both of you, so see how things go. You’re always welcome to visit him at the sanctuary.’
‘Thank you so much.’ Lena rubbed his soft head again, finding she didn’t want to leave him. ‘He’s just precious.’
‘He’s being fostered at the moment so he won’t be at the sanctuary in the kennels, but if you take my number and give me yours, I can arrange for you to see him again. I’m Leanne Penrose, by the way. I manage the sanctuary.’
‘Lena Teller.’ They shook hands and exchanged numbers. Lena was about to get up when Harvey pawed at her arm, and she laughed when he rolled onto his back and waited for her to stroke his belly. ‘Oh, you are a darling aren’t you, Harvey?’ she said.
She’d been there for almost an hour when a crowd of people entered the gazebo, clearly on a day trip, so she gave the little dog a hug and then stood up. She thanked Leanne and said she’d be in touch.
Walking away from Harvey was tough but she watched as he received a fuss from other people and knew he’d be OK. But her chest squeezed because she’d found the little chap adorable and could imagine them becoming good friends. First though, she had some things to sort, or it wouldn’t be fair on her or Harvey. Being a responsible adult was tough when part of you longed to act impulsively.
Needing to take a moment, she strolled over to the rail that separated the harbour from the drop to the water, leant her arms on it and gazed out at the water. The sea lapped gently at the harbour walls and at the boats, and it was so clear she could see the sandy bottom. Boats moved in and out of the harbour as trips arrived and left, and on the opposite side of the harbour, a fishing competition was being arranged. The contestants looked very serious as they set up their equipment and prepared for the off.
Her thoughts returned to Harvey and to what he’d been through then drifted to Thomas, and she realised that she felt connected to them both in some way. Sometimes in life you came across people and animals that had something in their eyes that echoed something inside you. Lena knew she had a connection to Thomas and to Harvey, even if she couldn’t fully articulate it. Similar experiences, a sense of abandonment, fear and anxiety… all these things affected people and animals alike. She knew then that she wanted to help Thomas and Harvey to find their happy ever after. As long as they would let her. Having endured her own hardships, she believed no one should struggle if others could help them heal.
Hearing laughter, she looked up, and spotted Thomas. It was as if her thoughts about him had conjured him out of thin air. He was walking with a beautiful woman with long dark hair, and she had her arm threaded through his. At his side, holding his other arm because the hand was holding the cane, was a little girl who was the image of the woman. And the woman was quite clearly pregnant, her free hand resting on the full belly that was accentuated by her fitted white dress.
Lena’s heart sank. So Thomas was in a relationship, probably married, and he had a child and another on the way. What a fool she had been to assume he would be single. He was a handsome man, and he had a beautiful daughter and a beautiful wife, and now another child on the way.
She sucked in a deep breath, turned and walked towards the beach, needing time to get her head around this new discovery and needing to move away in case he spotted her. The last thing she wanted was for him to introduce her to his family and for her to become emotional. She could lay the blame for the resurgence of feelings she’d tried to suppress for a long time on this gorgeous location. With its sense of the merging of past and present, of the lives and loves that had played out here over the centuries. There was no denying that it was getting under her skin, wrapping itself around her heart and bringing her back to life. It was like she belonged here, and the village had simply been waiting for her return. Waiting with its harbour walls wide open, its beach laid out like a golden carpet and its beautiful village.
Waiting… to welcome her home.