Chapter 12
Brides by the Sea, St Aidan, Cornwall
Earthquakes and seismic readings
Thursday
As Lando strides into the hall and leans his arm on the office doorframe, I swallow my despair that he’s still here and focus on channelling my inner serenity.
I ignore the thump of my heart, and meet Lando’s gaze head on.
‘Lando! If we didn’t actually know better, we might think you’d come back to live here.’
I’m waiting for his laughter to burst across the office, but instead, he jerks to a halt with his eyes wide open.
I cut in to save his discomfort. ‘It’s a joke, Lando.’
‘No … yes … no.’ He opens and closes his mouth then shakes his head.
When he starts again a few seconds later his tone is firmer.
‘This is exactly what I was about to tell you. I’m obviously here for more than just the boat.
I actually came to St Aidan because Salvador asked me to help him find buyers for his sites.
After some long and very complex negotiations, the Nancarrow family trust is taking over parts of his property portfolios. ’
Jess, Poppy and I exchange meaningful glances, but Tia’s voice goes high.
‘You’re a vulture here for the pickings?’
Lando gives an embarrassed grimace. ‘It’s not quite like that.’
The ground feels as if it’s collapsing underneath me, but I keep my voice level. ‘What is it like then?’
Lando drags in a breath. ‘Salvador called me a while ago. Because of my contacts, he thought parts of the business would interest me.’
My stomach hits the floor. Why the hell did I not think of this before?
Lando with his asset-rich family and easy access to vast amounts of cash at short notice was bound to be Salvador’s first stop, even if they had been estranged.
How, even in my deepest, most private thoughts, did I ever imagine this could have been about me?
Poppy’s eyes go wide. ‘That sounds fabulously cosy. Can you tell us more about what you’re proceeding with?’
Lando pulls a face. ‘It’s not a secret. We’ve taken over his eco-friendly holiday developments.’
I’m forcing my brain to remember the places where Sav has mentioned he has those. ‘Polperro, St Austell, Fowey and Port Isaac?’ They’re all at least an hour away, so it’s unfortunate, but it could be worse.
Lando’s eyebrows rise in recognition. ‘They’re the main ones, and those sites are close to completion.’ He shrugs. ‘I’ll personally stay around to oversee them initially, fitting that in alongside my own consultancy work. I should be able to pick up some volunteering as well, to keep my sanity.’
Poppy’s frowning again. ‘Isn’t that upmarket beachside glamping place beyond Comet Cove one of Salvador’s as well?’
Lando purses his lips. ‘It was.’ There’s another second of hesitation. ‘Silver Meadows at Unicorn Creek. We’ve taken that too.’
I’m not going to overreact; this might not be as bad as it sounds. ‘Isn’t that a handful of tipis on a field?’
Lando nods. ‘With seventeen additional acres earmarked for eco-cabin development and a swathe more for rewilding and habitat creation. This will be my own special interest project. It’s right up my street.’
Tia snorts. ‘Up your country lane would sound better.’
I’m trying to stay calm and rational until I know the worst. ‘If you’re creating wetlands, you could be here for decades?’
He nods. ‘That’s completely possible.’
And just like that the course of my life is forever changed.
There’s nothing for it – I’m going to have to jump onto Mum’s idea: leave home and live in a camper van.
Jess’s eyes have been getting wider and she finally speaks. ‘Congratulations on your acquisitions, Lando, but we didn’t bring you in to quiz you about your asset stripping.’
Poppy frowns. ‘Why is he here then?’
Tia gives me a nudge. ‘He’s here for same thing you are.’ She pulls a face. ‘If you don’t like the next suggestion, it’s completely okay to say “no” and everyone will understand.’
Jess raises one eyebrow. ‘Lando’s already been let in on the secret.’ She picks up a package from behind the filing cabinet, hands it to Tia and points across the hall. ‘Let’s move to where we have more space, and we’ll show you the frames we’ve had blown up.’
We all follow her to the Seraphina East room, and Lando and I sit side by side in the two gilded armchairs that Jess sends us to and watch as Tia pulls a board from the package.
Poppy shouts, ‘Ready, steady, go! Ta-da!’
Tia spins the first board around and as I take in the giant splash of colour my mouth falls open and my heart freezes.
‘What the hell is that?’
Instead of white planks and twinkling ocean, I’m looking at a four-foot-high closeup of Lando and me laughing as we stuff scarlet fruit into our mouths with a cornflower blue sky behind us.
Before I can say any more, Tia props it on the bridesmaid’s sofa and adds another three slightly different views of exactly the same thing to complete the row.
Jess claps her hands. ‘It’s official. I want you two to be our couple of the summer, to complement our Wild Around St Aidan promotion. These are to use in the shop. You have to agree they’re sensational.’
Poppy’s nodding at the sofa. ‘You’ve taken some stunning photos there, Tia.’
Tia’s staring down at me. ‘So? What do you think?’
‘Honestly?’ I blow out a breath and fan my face with my fingers. ‘I’m pleased you made us sit down.’
Lando murmurs under his breath, ‘Strawberry tarts may never taste the same again.’
Jess beams. ‘It’s exactly as I hoped: you’re visually very complementary, and together you radiate summer love and blissful happiness.’
I shudder. ‘Sorry to wreck the illusion, but that’s not what we were feeling!’
Lando gives a low laugh. ‘Speak for yourself! You might change your opinion when you hear how much Auntie Jess is offering to pay us to do it again.’
I can feel the blood draining from my face. ‘Surely not?’
Jess is beaming. ‘I’d like the two of you to do me an entire summer’s worth of wedding shots across our entire range of suits and dresses. Lando’s negotiated a top price, and Tia’s offered to shoot them.’
Tia’s staring at me. ‘We understand you may not be fully on board with this, and that’s completely fine. But if you are willing, Jess is offering a very generous ongoing payment.’
I glance at Lando’s long tanned fingers tapping on the chair arm, then at the muscular line where his thigh pushes against his jeans and I know it’s out of the question.
Then I close my eyes, imagine how many windows there are in a camper van to buy curtains for, and I know I might need to think again.
I may be being pushed up against a wall from all directions, but the way my life is going, if income is on offer, I should grab it with both hands.
Whatever Tia is saying, there isn’t actually a choice.
I drag in a breath and force myself to say the words, ‘Okay. I’m in.’
Lando gives my arm a nudge. ‘Right answer, Maevey Waves.’
To think that when I walked into the shop today, my worst thoughts were about Mum needing help and Tia not having a wedding.
And somehow, along the way, I ended up agreeing to open a wedding venue, and now Lando’s buying up Cornwall, with a special interest in St Aidan.
To top it all, I’ve just agreed to do a summer of photo shoots where I pretend to be in love with the last man in the world I should be anywhere near.
All while keeping him far, far away from Nemmie.
Jess chimes in. ‘We could do the next shoot at the beach hut!’
Poppy beams at Lando. ‘Maeve is opening it as a wedding venue, isn’t that fab?’
Lando turns to me, his face lit up. ‘Director of fun, and this too? It’s lucky I’ll be around to help!’
My stomach drops. ‘Thanks, but won’t you be off sampling plankton and planting reeds?
’ I can’t cope with Lando at the beach hut.
‘Let’s go somewhere different to keep things fresh.
’ I’m scouring my brain to think of anywhere else, then an ice cream sundae pops into my head.
‘We’ll do it at the Surf Shack. The next sunny afternoon we’re all free. ’
‘Let me know.’ Lando’s already up and heading towards the door.
I’ve always been easy-going and dealt with whatever life has thrown at me as it came up.
But if Lando’s around, I can’t afford to waft about and let things happen to me.
However unnatural it feels, I need to sort out a strategy.
Because if I’m not the one in control, it suddenly feels as if anything could happen.