CHAPTER EIGHT
On Saturday morning, I loaded up the car boot with plant cuttings, wedging them around the box containing the water feature and all my garden implements. I’d packed an overnight bag, just in case I decided to stay the night, although I wasn’t sure how practical that would be, considering that Trevor was sleeping on an airbed when he was down there at weekends.
Ada came out to ask where I was working today, and I told her my plan was to surprise Trevor. ‘He’s had a load of compost delivered to his holiday home but he hasn’t a clue about gardening.’
She nodded but I couldn’t help noticing she looked a little wary.
‘What?’
She shrugged. ‘Isn’t it a little early in your relationship to be doing all of... this?’ She indicated the packed boot.
‘I’m just going to be planting a few things in his garden. It’s no big deal.’
‘I know. And that’s so typical of you, going out of your way to help people. But maybe you should at least phone him to let him know you’re coming?’
I sighed. ‘Look, my romantic life is my business, okay? And let’s face it, you’re not exactly an expert yourself in these matters.’
Her face fell. ‘I know that,’ she said softly. ‘I’m worried about you, Blossom. That’s all. You’ve been hurt so often in the past. I just want you to be happy.’
I gave her a sceptical look that spoke volumes.
She sighed. ‘Look, if it was in my power to tell you who your father was... is ... then of course I would. But... I just... well, I don’t know who he is or where he is now... so I can’t.’ She shrugged, looking genuinely distraught.
I felt myself soften a little. ‘Look, I am happy, so you don’t need to worry about me, okay?’
‘Okay.’
She lingered by the car as I dashed to the front door and collected a terracotta pot filled with lavender. Placing it in a large cardboard box from the shed, I wrestled it onto the back seat, with Ada trying to help but just getting in the way. The lavender would be perfect at Trevor’s front door. There was nothing like emerging from the house and breathing in that gloriously evocative scent. I’d taken cuttings so I could easily plant up another couple of pots.
Ada waved me off, but just as I was moving away, I decided to ask her a question that had been running through my mind, ever since she told me about how she first met Mags. So I stopped and wound down the window. ‘Why did Mags and Ray split up, by the way?’ I called.
Ada looked startled by the question. ‘Well... the usual, I suppose. They... grew apart. Why do you want to know?’ She looked for a moment like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
‘I just wondered. So there was no one else involved?’
Ada looked down, mumbling something I didn’t quite catch, but I thought I heard the word ‘affair’.
‘Sorry? Did you say Mags had an affair?’
She shook her head. ‘Not Mags. It was Ray who had an affair. Apparently.’
‘Oh. Okay. Well, see you later.’ And I drove off, deep in thought.
*****
I’d put the holiday home address into my satnav and the first hour or so, driving down to the coast, passed really quickly.
Then I started to see the signs for Worthing and my heart began to race at the thought of seeing Trevor again... imagining the surprised delight on his face when he answered the door to find me standing there. He’d have been up early, no doubt, to get as much done as possible.
I was getting near Morton Sands now. I’d be at the house in less than twenty minutes. I drove on happily, singing away to the songs on the radio.
The village of Morton Sands turned out to be small but perfectly formed, with a pub and a few shops ranged along the main street. The satnav told me to turn right towards the beach and I followed the road, the sea now visible ahead of me. I passed a dozen or so rather grand detached houses along the way, each one set back from the road in its own grounds. I knew I was on the right street and I kept glancing left to right, searching for number fifteen, Trevor’s little cottage. But soon, to my bemusement, I found myself running out of houses altogether because now I was at the beach and driving into a little sandy car park.
Parking there, I got out, berating myself for my terrible lack of direction. How had I managed to miss the cottage? Surely, among all those grand houses, it would have stood out? This was the right village, wasn’t it? And the right street?
A girl of about twelve was walking with a pushchair down past the houses in the direction of the beach. I crossed the road and started to walk back up the slight incline and she stopped as I got nearer to check on her little charge. A little boy in a blue and white T-shirt and shorts, he was holding a cupcake, picking bits off the top of it and throwing them on the pavement.
‘I thought you liked coconut, Teddy?’ she said, then she noticed me and smiled.
‘Hi, there.’ I smiled back. ‘Out for a walk?’
‘Yes. He’s my brother, Teddy, but Mum said we haven’t to go very far.’
I nodded. ‘Of course. Actually, I’m looking for someone. He’s probably one of your neighbours. A nice man called Trevor? Do you know where he lives?’
She nodded and said with surprising certainty, ‘Trevor lives at number fifteen Driftwood Way.’
‘Right. The thing is, I’m a bit lost. Could you possibly point the house out to me?’
She nodded. ‘I need to get Teddy back. Come on. I’ll show you where it is.’ She turned the pushchair around as her brother took a cautious bite out of the cake.
We stopped at a house with stylish wrought-iron gates and she turned and pointed. ‘This is number fifteen, where Trevor lives.’
Puzzled, I glanced at the large detached property. It was a very handsome house with ivy climbing over the mellow brick walls. This definitely wasn’t Trevor’s tumbledown cottage! The satnav must have brought me to the wrong Driftwood Way.
‘It was very nice to meet you. And your brother.’ I smiled at Teddy, who was now picking what looked like a cherry out of his cake and throwing it down.
‘Mummy made those cakes. You shouldn’t take the cherries out.’ Patiently, his sister bent to pick it up. ‘Don’t you want to see Trevor?’ she asked me, and to my surprise, I realised she was pushing open the gate to number fifteen.
‘No. I’m looking for another Trevor.’ It was only then that I noticed the bags of compost stacked just inside the gates. The delivery he’d been expecting...
Confused, I held the gate open as she walked through. And at that moment, the front door opened and a man appeared – and my heart almost burst out of my chest with shock.
Trevor?
‘Daddy!’ shouted the little boy called Teddy. ‘Daddy, can I have some crisps? And then can we go to the beach?’
Stunned, I slipped back, behind the hedge, hoping he hadn’t seen me, and I watched through the leaves as a young woman with dark hair appeared behind Trevor, smiling and helping to get Teddy out of the pushchair.
‘When can we go to the beach?’ I heard Teddy ask.
The woman chuckled. ‘Maybe after lunch. What do you think, Daddy?’
Trevor nodded. ‘Sounds good. Come on. Let’s go in. I’m starving.’
The family of four disappeared inside and the front door closed behind them with a clunk.