CHAPTER FOUR
We’d decided that the three of us would drive straight to the cabin – opening all the windows to let the fresh country air stream inside – while ‘the boys’, Kurt and Saul, travelled via the supermarket to stock up on barbecue necessities.
Trevor was driving over from London and would be with us by eleven. He’d phoned me first thing and I’d suspected his bright and breezy chat was masking his nerves at the thought of meeting my sisters and their boyfriends.
‘I’ll have to leave the cabin by two at the latest, I’m afraid,’ he’d said.
‘Oh. Why’s that?’ I’d assumed he might come back to Ada’s after our day at the cabin. I’d even thought I might ask him if he’d like to stay over, although I was worried it might be too soon. I still wasn’t totally easy about fully trusting a man again...
I must have sounded disappointed because he groaned and said, ‘It’s a proper pain, but I completely forgot I’d ordered a load of compost to be delivered to the Worthing place today and they’ve given me a window of four to six o’clock.’
My ears had pricked up at this development. ‘Ooh, are you doing your garden soon, then?’
He’d chuckled. ‘Not for ages, but there was a special deal on at the local garden centre so I thought I’d stock up. I need to finish work on the house first, which could take forever at the rate I’m going.’
‘So what are you thinking? For the garden?’
‘Not sure, really. A water feature would be nice and... some plants suited to a holiday home, I suppose?’
‘Love the idea of a water feature. And yes, you’ll need plants that can survive without being watered for long periods of time.’ Mental note made for future reference! I felt a little skip of excitement inside at the thought of helping him with his garden design.
‘Are you sure you want to drive all the way here first, though, before going down to the coast?’ I asked him doubtfully. ‘It seems like a lot of motoring, just to eat some charred sausages and dodgy chicken.’
He laughed.
‘I’m joking, obviously. Rori’s always absolutely scrupulous about making sure everything’s cooked properly.’
‘I’m sure. Look, I like driving. And do you really think I’d miss out on the chance to meet everyone? And more importantly, to see you? Even if it’s just for a few hours, you’re well worth the detour, Miss Blossom Sunshine.’
‘Well, I’m really glad you’re coming.’ I smiled, feeling a lovely warm glow inside at his words. He was really going out of his way just to see me for a few hours. It said a lot about how much he liked me. Maybe it was time to stop being so worried about trusting Trevor with my heart...
‘I love this place,’ sighed Skye as we got out of the car at our destination. She grinned. ‘Honestly, the first time I saw it, I thought I’d arrived at the gates of Hell. Of course, it was pitch dark and everything looks spookier at night. But I could never have imagined even setting foot inside somewhere as primitive as this – never mind actually sleeping in it.’
‘Changed days, eh?’ smiled Rori. ‘Since meeting Saul, you’ve become quite the country bumpkin.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t go that far. But... well, apart from the occasional fright from an unexpected intruder with eight hairy legs, I love being here.’ She looked anxious suddenly. ‘Oh, hell, did I actually bring my spider catcher? I really should buy another one and leave it here.’
I opened the boot and spotted it on top of a box containing towels. ‘Yup! You’re safe.’ I held it up and Skye grabbed it, looking mightily relieved.
We settled in, Rori and I unloading the boot and chuckling as Skye went in and examined the inside of the cabin, setting free several unwanted insects with the spider catcher a good distance from the cabin.
Kurt and Saul drove up in Kurt’s car as we were sitting outside, enjoying a glass of Rori’s deliciously chilled homemade lemonade that she’d brought in the icebox. Rori had offered to drive Kurt’s car back so was remaining sober, as were Trevor and I, and I smiled ruefully, thinking that a beer would have helped Trevor to relax. I knew how nervous I’d probably feel, meeting his friends and family. But if he was driving down to Worthing later, it would be homemade lemonade for him, too.
Skye and Rori went over to greet them, and once the bags of food and boxes of beers had been unloaded and inspected, we all sat around for a while, soaking up the glorious early May sunshine. Anticipating Trevor’s arrival, the talk turned naturally to relationships and that first meeting.
‘At least you and Trevor met under “normal” circumstances,’ grinned Rori.
‘A pub? Yes, I suppose so.’
‘Kurt’s first glimpse of me was when I was flailing about on the pavement, covered in nasty brown banana skins and empty mayo bottles.’ She shuddered. ‘And other stuff too gross to even mention.’
Everyone chuckled.
‘I did think it was quite an extreme way to get to know me,’ said Kurt with a sly grin.
‘What do you mean?’ gasped Rori indignantly. ‘It was pure accident that I happened to knock over your disgusting bin.’
‘Really? It’s just I have theory that you planned the whole thing. As in how can I get to meet that hunk of a guy? I know. I’ll wait until bin day and ...’
Rori snorted. ‘You have a very high opinion of yourself if you think I’d go to those lengths just to get talking to you.’
‘So you mean you wouldn’t?’ He pouted, pretending to look hurt.
At which point Rori leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘Well... now that I know you, of course I’d willingly lie down on a freezing cold pavement and cover myself in all kinds of gunk.’
He grabbed her, grinning. ‘That’s all right, then.’
She smiled up at him and my heart gave a lurch of happiness for them. Rori and Kurt were so comfortable with each other, you’d think they’d known each other for years.
‘I really hated you when we first met,’ said Skye, narrowing her eyes at Saul.
‘No, you didn’t.’ His eyes twinkled. ‘You just couldn’t stand that I could see right through your appearance of being a snobbish, opinionated know-it-all to the troubled but good soul beneath.’
Skye burst out laughing. ‘A good soul? Is that how you see me?’
‘Yes. I do.’ Grinning, he reached for her hand. ‘You were just waiting for me to come along and unleash all that goodness.’
‘Er, I think it was you who was waiting for me, actually,’ she retorted. ‘Let’s face it, you’d still be leading your rather sad and solitary life, talking to the trees, if I hadn’t come along and spiced up your world.’
He chuckled. ‘You might have a point there. Life has certainly never been boring since you crashed into my life.’
I smiled at them. The way they were looking at each other spoke volumes. I could only hope that one day, I might have that same sort of relationship – the kind I could relax into and rely on. Hopefully with Trevor.
I glanced up at the sound of an engine, and there he was, turning off the track and drawing to a stop behind Kurt’s car.
My heart beating fast, I rose to my feet. ‘He’s here. Be kind. I think he’s nervous about meeting you all,’ I said, walking over to greet Trevor at the car.
‘Hey, you.’ I smiled into his warm hazel eyes. He was wearing a crisp checked shirt that I hadn’t seen before. It looked as if it was new, straight out of the packet, and I felt touched that he’d made that extra effort for me. Today was clearly as special for him as it was for me...
He gave me a kiss and looked over my shoulder at the waiting audience.
‘Help!’ he whispered in my ear.
I grinned at him. ‘You’ll be fine. Come on.’ I took his hand and squeezed tightly. And when we walked over and I did the introductions, and we started chatting, all his nerves seemed to vanish. He fitted in perfectly, even telling a funny story or two, and I felt proud to be with him.
After he left, soon after two, even Skye smiled and gave me a wink and a thumbs-up...