Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
SCARLETT
S carlett surfaced slowly from sleep. For a few long, lazy seconds, she floated somewhere between dreaming and waking, trying to remember where she was. She lay still, blinking up at the curved wooden ceiling, her body loose-limbed and toasty warm beneath the cocoon of the heavy duvet.
The gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore and the muted calls of seagulls drifted through a high, narrow window above the bed, reminding her exactly where she was—the adorable shepherd’s hut nestled in the dunes of Crumbleton Sands.
Stretching luxuriously, Scarlett marvelled at how rested she felt. It had been the best night’s sleep she’d had in months. No traffic noise, no neighbours arguing through paper-thin walls, no early-morning dustbin collections—just the soothing rhythm of the sea and the occasional rustle of wind through the dunes.
Rolling onto her side, Scarlett checked her phone. Nearly nine o’clock! She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so late. At home in Bath, she was usually up by six, dashing around and getting ready to leave for work. A sharp pang went through her. She used to love those mornings. It sounded ridiculous, but she did. The fact that she’d never have to rush to the office for that job again made her feel weirdly emotional!
‘Cheer up, idiot,’ she muttered. ‘You’re on an adventure, remember?’
Scarlett’s stomach growled loudly as if to remind her that adventures required fuel. Reluctantly, she shoved aside the snuggly covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Padding across to the kitchenette, she crossed her fingers that she’d find something for breakfast in one of the cupboards.
After the excitement of getting the shower working the previous night, she’d fallen into bed without bothering to make herself a cuppa—so this was unexplored territory.
Opening the tiny cupboard above the sink, Scarlett found a small selection of cereal boxes. Things were looking up… until she opened the equally tiny fridge, only to discover that the promised bottle of fresh milk was missing in action. There was half a pat of slightly crumby butter—but a quick search of the bread bin revealed it was completely empty. A solitary apple sat in a wooden bowl in one corner, but its skin was wrinkled and starting to brown.
‘Dry cereal… no coffee… and a slightly mouldy apple?!’ Scarlett wrinkled her nose and then let out a chuckle. ‘Mmm, yummy!’
Her stomach might be rumbling, but she wasn’t that desperate! She’d grab a quick shower, throw her swimming things into a bag, and head off on a foraging mission.
Wasn’t there supposed to be a café nearby?
Worst-case scenario, she could always pop into Beachcomber Gifts and see if she could scrounge some milk from them.
Snagging her towel, Scarlett headed for the little shower and breathed a sigh of relief when the water started to warm up ten seconds after she’d set it going. At least she wasn’t going to have to beg a certain handsome van-dweller to come to her rescue again! That said, if push came to shove, she could always ask Pete to point her in the direction of the nearest corner shop for some basic supplies.
The thought of seeing him again made Scarlett grin. Sure, he’d glared at her more than he’d spoken to her last night… but he had been stupidly gorgeous… if a little bit crumpled.
After getting showered, dried and dressed in record time, Scarlett pinged a text to Lou. She might have promised to meet her friend and the rest of the Chilly Dippers on the beach in time for the swim, but it had just occurred to her that she didn’t have a clue what time things were meant to kick off.
‘Good grief!’ she huffed.
This really wasn’t going well, was it? It was definitely time to go and hunt for someone who knew what was happening… and if pastries and coffee joined in the fun somewhere along the way, all the better!
Gathering her swimming costume, towel, goggles and swim cap, she threw everything into a canvas beach bag… just in case she didn’t have time to come back to the hut before The Big Dip kicked off in earnest.
With one last look around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything important, Scarlett stepped outside. The sight that greeted her took her breath away. The shepherd’s hut might be tucked between the dunes, but from here on the porch, she had a perfect view of the beach.
Unlike Seabury, with its two distinct coves separated by a rocky headland called the King’s Nose, Crumbleton Sands boasted one long, uninterrupted stretch of golden beach. Right now, the tide was on its way in, but the beach still seemed to go on forever, dotted here and there with people walking their dogs.
The sea itself was a dazzling blue, sparkling in the morning sunlight. It looked inviting despite the fact that Scarlett knew it would be freezing. June in England was hardly tropical, no matter how bright the sun might be. A little shiver ran down her spine… she’d be in those waves soon!
‘Man up!’ she muttered. She was determined not to start freaking out about it again. Instead, she turned her attention back to the view, taking several long breaths as she drank it all in. ‘What a gorgeous place to live.’
It was certainly different to what she was used to. Scarlett lived in a small flat in Bath where the only view was of the neighbour’s brick wall and a sliver of sky if she craned her neck at just the right angle. Sure, the city had its beauty spots, but it was nothing like this. The idea of waking up to this view every day was almost unimaginable.
How could anyone be grumpy here?
The thought made her chuckle. Pete had managed it pretty well last night. Then again, it had been pretty late… and she had probably dragged him out of bed!
Scarlett shook her head. The idea of Pete in bed had just sent her pulse racing… and another shiver ran up and down her spine. This one had nothing to do with cold water swimming, though!
‘Breakfast!’ she muttered, trotting down the steps and onto the boardwalk.
Scarlett had only gone a couple of paces when she came to an abrupt halt. She’d almost tripped over something right in the middle of the path—a large grey pebble with a piece of paper trapped beneath it.
‘What on earth?’ she said, her eyes wide as she bent to inspect it. Her name had been chalked on the top of the pebble, along with a crooked… mermaid? Was that squiggle meant to be a mermaid?
Curiously, she took the note from beneath the stone and unfolded it. It had been torn from a diary that was four years out of date. Loopy handwriting scrawled across it in meandering waves, completely ignoring the printed lines.
Morning Scarlett – Pete here! Sorry about not leaving you much for breakfast… and for forgetting the milk. If you’re hungry or thirsty, follow the breadcrumbs…
Scarlett smiled, absurdly pleased that he’d thought about her breakfast predicament. She glanced around and spotted another pebble a bit further along the boardwalk, and beyond that, another one. In fact, it looked like there was a whole trail of them leading away from the hut. She could see them dotting the path all the way past Pete’s van to the curve where the boardwalk disappeared out of sight.
Intrigued, she hurried to the second stone. This one had her name on it, too. She grabbed the piece of paper.
Follow the stones, and I’ll show you the way to the Limpet Café!
The third pebble’s note was even more informative.
The guys at the surf club are a bit scatty (I know, I’m one of them!), so in case no one told you—things kick off at 11am, but there’s a safety briefing before that.
‘Helpful!’ chuckled Scarlett.
She glanced at the large, smooth pebble in her hand. This one had a star drawn next to her name. She slipped it into her beach bag before hurrying along the boardwalk to the next one.
The briefing’s in the café, by the way. I’ll be there early. Coffee / tea / hot chocolate / breakfast are on me… if you fancy it? I’m not really as grouchy as I look. Promise!
Scarlett felt a bubble of laughter rise in her throat. This was both ridiculous and utterly charming. Van Man clearly had a sense of humour as well as an unexpectedly thoughtful side.
As she made her way along the trail, Scarlett tried to imagine Pete placing each stone carefully in position early that morning. There was something endearing about the thought of the tall, weathered, surfer-type creating a treasure hunt for a visitor he barely knew.
Much to Scarlett’s surprise, the pebbles didn’t stop at the bend in the path. The neat trail continued to wind its way between the dunes. It didn’t take long before her bag was heavy with a little collection of treasures, but she couldn’t bear to leave them behind—not when Pete had clearly taken so much trouble to make each one special.
Scarlett had to admit, she was having such a brilliant time—hurrying from one note to the next—that she was actually glad there hadn’t been anything to eat in the hut after all! Sure, her stomach was still grumbling, but now that there was the promise of breakfast at the end of the trail, she didn’t mind one bit.
Now that Pete’s notes had given her the key bits of information, they were getting more and more random. A couple of them just had arrows drawn on them, guiding her on which direction to take when the path branched. Others contained little snippets of local information and random seaside facts.
The Limpet Café has the best bacon baps in the county—Dad’s secret recipe.
Watch out for the steep bit coming up—steps can be slippery when sandy.
Did you know that herring gulls (the noisy ones that steal your chips) can drink both fresh and salt water thanks to special glands above their eyes that filter out the salt?
The surf club is just past the café—blue shack with the peeling paint. Can’t miss it.
The boardwalk came to an end as the dunes gave way to firmer ground, and Scarlett caught her first glimpse of the café ahead. It was built on stilts, rising from the beach like some exotic waterside dwelling, with a flight of wooden steps leading up to the entrance.
The building was painted a weathered blue-grey that blended beautifully with the sea and sky, and colourful flags fluttered from the railing surrounding the deck.
As she approached the bottom of the steps, the scent of bacon and coffee wafted down them, making her stomach grumble and her mouth water. She wanted to dash straight up and make her way inside, but Pete wasn’t quite finished with his game yet!
There was one last pebble on the lowest step. It was barely larger than a marble and was sitting on top of a note that had been sellotaped to the wooden plank to stop it from blowing away.
Bending down, Scarlett picked up the pebble. Sure enough, there was her name in minute lettering, along with a tiny flower. She unstuck the folded note and opened it up.
You have reached your destination. Yay!
Scarlett laughed out loud, the sound instantly carried away by the sea breeze. Placing the last pebble carefully into her bag with the others, she took a deep breath before climbing up to the café, every step bringing her closer to breakfast—and to Pete.