32. Theo
32
Theo
‘ G ood morning .’ Glenda raised her eyebrow as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I was hoping I could slip out to the bakery to get breakfast without bumping into her, but no such luck.
‘Morning,’ I said cheerily.
‘Did you sleep well?’ She grinned.
‘Yes, thanks. You?’
‘Well, I did, until I was woken up by some very strange banging noises. Sounded like the ceiling was about to cave in!’
The corner of her mouth twitched. She knew exactly what had caused the disturbance, but I wasn’t about to confirm it.
‘Sorry to hear that you were woken up. Hope your ceiling’s okay.’
‘Funny thing was, there was more banging this morning. Lots more.’
‘Interesting.’ I smiled, still giving nothing away.
‘I’m not one to gossip about what guests do here, but it’s just the ceilings and the beds I’m worried about. Things are a little tight, and let’s just say I don’t have the funds for replacements right now.’
‘Ah.’ I nodded, thinking that explained why everything was so dated. Glenda didn’t have the budget for renovations. ‘I see your predicament. Well, might I suggest that if any ceilings, or beds, are broken, whoever is responsible pays for it. That’s only fair.’
Her eyes widened like the thought hadn’t even occurred to her.
‘I couldn’t do that. Could I?’
‘I think in this case, it would be fine. And you know, Glenda, if you ever need any help around here—if you need something to be fixed—I’m very good with my hands.’
‘So I heard!’ She chuckled. ‘I’m sure young Jess would agree!’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I said innocently, trying to stop my face breaking into a smile. ‘Have a good day.’
‘You too! And give my regards to Jess. So glad to see you two getting it on—I mean, getting along —better.’
I smiled and waved.
With the amount of fucking Jess and I had done in the past twenty-four hours, it was inevitable Glenda would’ve heard us. We’d tried to keep away from each other, but it was out of our control. There was an unstoppable magnetic force pulling us together. Resistance was futile.
That was why I was glad that Jess was happy for us to continue seeing each other until the night before the presentation.
It might make me more productive. Instead of getting distracted by trying to suppress my feelings, now I could focus on work knowing that at the end of the day we’d get to spend proper time together.
Yes. This was a much better solution. Jess and I had just over a week together and I intended to savour every second.
The bakery was busy as always. When I eventually got to the front of the queue and placed my order, Maddie greeted me with a warm smile.
That was the thing about this place. When I’d first heard about Sunshine Bay and the fact that it was one of the happiest places to live, I’d dismissed it. Surely people couldn’t be this jolly all the time. But now I’d been here for almost two weeks, I saw that it was real.
Living in a town with a gorgeous beach probably helped raise the levels of contentment, but I was realising that it was more about the people who lived here.
Everyone was friendly and relaxed. No one appeared stressed or pressured. They just lived how they wanted to. They didn’t sweat the small stuff.
No one seemed to care about what people did for a living, how much they earned, what they wore and whether it was designer or not. They just cared about whether or not you were a decent human and being happy.
Glenda seemed to have money worries, but it didn’t stop her from having a smile on her face and focusing on the positives.
That kind of happiness was infectious. I’d probably smiled more in the past two weeks than I had in the last two years. Admittedly, a lot of that was down to Jess, but it was also because of this community.
Community . When Edwin had first mentioned that word, I’d wanted to roll my eyes. But it wasn’t some buzzword. There genuinely was that kind of spirit here. That feeling of togetherness, solidarity and love.
In a small town like this, they could’ve very easily avoided me and Jess. But instead they welcomed us with open arms.
I’d lost count of how many invitations I’d had to join people in the pub for a drink or come to the cafe, bakery or fish and chips restaurant for a bite to eat. And I knew it wasn’t just because they wanted to get me to spend money. I felt it. It was authentic. So different to my life back in London.
Everything in the city was so cutthroat. Everyone was out for themselves and it was all about being the best. Who could secure the biggest deal. Who made the most money. Who drove the most expensive car and wore the most expensive suit.
It’d been days since I’d driven anywhere and I didn’t miss it. In fact, I didn’t miss anything.
Yes, my penthouse had stunning views of London, but I actually liked waking up, drawing the curtains and getting an uninterrupted view of the sea. Even the sound of the seagulls squawking didn’t bother me.
My morning beach runs were a million times more enjoyable than pounding the pavements in London or running on the treadmill. I loved breathing in the fresh sea air.
‘Two coffees and four warm crumpets with a side of butter and jam.’ Maddie put my order on the counter. ‘Anything else?’
‘It’s the chocolate iced fingers and chocolate muffin that Jess likes, right?’ I wanted to get her a treat. Something sweet that she could enjoy at her desk if her energy levels dipped.
‘Well remembered! She was eyeing up the angel cake too but never ordered it.’
‘I’ll take all three, please.’
Maddie packaged them up and I set off back to the B&B with a spring in my step.
On the way I bumped into Candace.
‘Hi, Theo!’ She smiled. ‘How’s tricks?’
‘Good, thanks, you?’
‘All great, thanks. Haven’t seen you and lovely Jessica for a while. I imagine you two are hard at it.’
A grin touched my lips. That was certainly one way of putting it.
‘Yes, it’s been all go.’
‘Well, you still need to eat. Why don’t you two stop by for dinner later?’
‘That would be lovely. I’ll check with Jess and if she’s free, we’ll see you there.’
Although I was confident Jess wouldn’t mind, I didn’t want to answer on her behalf.
‘Great. I’ll reserve a table for you just in case. Seven thirty good for you?’
‘Sounds good.’
That’d give us enough time to go for a walk first after work.
‘Hope to see you both later.’
‘Enjoy your day.’ I smiled and waved.
Who the hell was I? All this smiling and waving made me feel like I’d had a personality transplant.
When I arrived back at the B&B I knocked on Jess’s door .
‘Hey!’ She smiled and my chest swelled. Jess was dressed in a bright yellow tracksuit and as always she looked amazing.
All the women I’d dated spent hours primping and preening themselves in the salon and wouldn’t be seen dead without their make-up and hair perfectly styled. Which was absolutely fine. If that’s what they liked and it made them happy, that was great.
But there was something so refreshing about the way Jess didn’t worry about those things. She was unapologetically herself, and you either accepted that or you didn’t.
I thought she looked incredible just the way she was and I wouldn’t change her for all the tea in China.
‘I brought you breakfast.’ Maddie had kindly split the order into two bags, so I handed one to Jess. ‘Thought you might like to try a crumpet. There’s butter and jam and a wooden knife, and in the other bag there’s some treats for this afternoon, in case you get a slump after lunch.’
‘Wow!’ Jess grinned as she peered into the bag. ‘So let me get this straight, you bring me books, give me multiple orgasms’—she lowered her voice—‘then deliver breakfast and cakes?’
‘Yes.’ I shrugged, thinking it wasn’t a big deal.
‘You’re lucky that we’re supposed to be rivals—otherwise I’d marry you!’ She laughed and I smiled. ‘Don’t worry! I’m only joking!’
That was the strange thing. If any other woman had joked about that, I would’ve recoiled in horror. But for some reason, the idea didn’t disgust me.
Obviously we were still getting to know each other and hadn’t even defined what this was. As far as I knew we weren’t even dating properly, so anything serious like that was a million miles away from where we were, but even so, the reaction I had to her comment took me by surprise.
‘I know. By the way, I bumped into Candace and she asked if we wanted to have dinner there around seven thirty. What do you think?’
‘Sounds good to me!’
‘Excellent. Anyway, I’d better get to work. Let me know when you finish and maybe we can go for a walk on the beach before dinner?’
‘Love to! Have a productive day.’
‘Likewise.’
As I walked to my door and stepped inside my room, I was overcome with an emotion I hadn’t felt for a long time: pure joy.
Sunshine Bay and Jess had put a big smile on my face. Even with the pressure of the presentation and my father’s high expectations, I was happier than I’d been in years.
And that feeling was priceless.