Eden’s Comfort Kitchen

Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

‘Here he is!’ Bilbo turned to the door, Eden following suit to see Cam walk in. He gave everyone a stiff nod and strode up to Eden.

‘Hi,’ she said.

‘Hi. Where do you want me?’

She didn’t know why she’d expected anything different, considering what had happened the last time they’d been together, but his coldness still shocked her. He hadn’t even acknowledged Bilbo, and for the last few café sittings, they’d been like some unlikely buddy movie pairing.

‘Everything all right there?’ Bilbo called over.

Cam turned to him and smiled, but there was courtesy in it and nothing more. ‘Yes. Are you all right?’

‘I can’t grumble,’ Bilbo said.

‘Good.’ Cam turned back to Eden, leaving poor Bilbo looking confused.

Eden would have to talk to him later and try to make him see that it wasn’t his fault Cam had reverted to the miserly presence they’d endured the first time he’d come to volunteer. And she’d have to do that without revealing any of the truth – easier said than done.

‘Well?’ he asked tersely. Or was that just in Eden’s imagination? She was oversensitive, given the events of the past couple of days, even she couldn’t deny that. Perhaps there was nothing in it at all.

‘Could you make a start on washing the potatoes?’

‘It would be my pleasure,’ he said, spinning round to go to the store cupboard. Oversensitive or not, there was no mistaking the sarcasm in his tone this time. Eden could only be thankful that she had Livia back with her, grateful for that much moral support.

‘What’s up with him?’ Livia asked in a low voice as he strode off.

Eden gave her a pained look. ‘I’m not sure you want to know.’

‘I absolutely do want to know, even more since you’ve dangled that carrot in front of me.’

‘Later,’ Eden said as she saw him return, dragging a sack to the sink.

‘A drink up at the Dolphin when we’ve finished?’

‘Just us?’

‘If you like,’ Livia said. ‘But I can’t do much about it if anyone else wants to come.’

‘I know.’

Eden watched Cam empty the sack into the sink. One thing she was quite sure of, he wasn’t going to be entertaining anyone at the Darling Dolphin tonight. She was surprised to see him here at all. A bit of her had to hand it to him – she wasn’t sure she’d be able to turn up like this if the tables had been turned. She supposed he was offended and maybe embarrassed about what they’d done and then her refusal to make it more. She supposed he wasn’t used to being turned down in that way either. Of course, the irony was she hadn’t wanted to turn him down at all and this whole charade could easily have been avoided. But then, wasn’t life full of ironies like that?

Before they’d finished clearing down the kitchen at the end of the sitting, Cam pulled on his jacket and headed for the door. The last few times he’d been he’d said goodbye to everyone if he was leaving them, especially Bilbo. He’d even given him a lift home, and then, of course, there had been the riotous night in the Dolphin they’d all enjoyed together. But not tonight. As the door slammed shut with a mumbled goodnight, Bilbo tied up the rubbish bag he’d just pulled from the bin and watched through the window as Cam got into his car. Then he went over to Eden, who was wiping down the oven.

‘Is he all right? Doesn’t seem himself today.’

‘He’s exactly himself today,’ Eden said with more irritation than she’d meant to. But Cam had been so much his old self this evening that she’d come close on more than one occasion to telling him they didn’t need his service and asking could he please bugger off.

‘Oh dear,’ Bilbo said, presumably because he didn’t know what else to say.

Eden grimaced. ‘I’m sorry, Bilbo. I didn’t mean it like that. I suppose it’s sort of my fault. Cam and I fell out. It’s nothing to do with anyone else, and I’m sorry you’ve all been dragged into it.’

‘You’re not being moody about it,’ Livia called over.

‘I guess that makes me the grown-up,’ Eden said, not feeling very grown up at all. When all was said and done, if she’d controlled her ridiculous urges the night he’d come round, there would be none of this. Cam would have nothing to sulk about, and they’d all be getting on like a house on fire. The bet was almost over, but she already knew she’d lost and it was her mistake that had blown it at the last minute. They’d been doing so well up until then; Eden was certain they’d been winning him over.

Bilbo looked about as sad as Eden had ever seen him look. She wondered if he still thought he’d done something to offend Cam, despite her reassurances. Whatever the reason, she hated to see the gregarious and lovable old man so down.

‘Why don’t you head home?’ she told him. ‘We can finish here.’

‘You don’t want me?’

‘Of course we do!’ Eden smiled. ‘We’ll always want you! I only meant it’s been a long afternoon and perhaps you might like to put your feet up. Nice half of stout and some telly? Liam always says how much you like your half a stout of an evening.’

Bilbo hesitated but then nodded. ‘All right then – if you’re sure.’

‘I’m sure. Liam will walk back with you?’

‘I expect so.’

‘We’ll be in the pub later if you want to come to us,’ Livia called over.

‘I might,’ Bilbo said. ‘Actually, I think I will. What time will you be there?’

‘Not for another hour or so,’ Eden said. She glanced at Livia, and knew she understood.

Bilbo and Liam went, and then, one by one, as they finished their tasks, the other volunteers went too, leaving just Eden and Livia to lock up.

‘How about you tell me this big secret now we’re alone?’ Livia said.

Eden let the utensil drawer slam shut and turned to her. ‘I slept with Cam.’

Livia froze as she stared at her. ‘What?’

Eden gave a grim nod. ‘I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I think it was a stupid thing to do as well.’

‘When? Oh, wait, let me guess…’

‘It’s not hard to work out, is it?’

‘You were quite drunk.’

‘A bit too drunk, apparently.’

‘Well…was he any good?’

‘Livia!’

Livia held out her hands. ‘I’m just asking! I’m bound to be curious!’

‘I don’t really think that’s the issue here.’

‘So what happened?’

Eden raised her eyebrows, and Livia grinned.

‘OK,’ Livia said, ‘I know what happened. What I mean is, what happened after the thing that happened? Did he go straight away? Did he stay the night?I’m presuming it was at your place and not his hotel? You did both walk up there together after you left the pub, didn’t you?’

‘My place, and he stayed the night.’

‘God, I’d have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the morning when you had to face each other. Was it crippling?’

‘It was for me. He wanted to do it again.’

‘What?’

‘He wanted to take me on a date.’

‘But that’s…wow! So what’s his problem today? Don’t tell me…oh, Eden. Don’t tell me you turned him down!’

‘Of course I did!’ Eden began to throw the used tea towels into a linen basket for washing.

‘Don’t you fancy him?’

‘Yes, I fancy him. But it’s him , isn’t it? Cam bloody Faulkner! I can’t start that sort of nonsense with him.’

‘Maybe you should have thought of that before you jumped his bones.’

‘Thank you,’ Eden said with a withering look. ‘That has occurred to me more than once since it happened.’

‘So he’s got the hump about it? Wounded pride and all that?’

‘It looks that way.’

‘And you’re scared he’s going to double down on his plan to get this land now you’ve pissed him off?’

‘I’m going to assume it’s a given.’ Eden slumped into a chair at the table. Tears were close to the surface, but she was too exhausted to cry. She’d worked so hard, fought for the survival of this place that she loved so much, that she knew her dad was proud of, and for what? To shoot herself in the foot at the final hurdle? Cam had been humouring her all along – to a degree she’d always known that – but she still believed there was a chance she could change his mind. But now there was no chance. He’d get the land because his pride had been wounded and he’d want to teach her a lesson. So that was that. How long did she have left? she wondered.

‘I suppose this means we’re going to have to find somewhere new whether we like it or not,’ Livia said.

‘I suppose so.’

Livia went over and rubbed a hand across Eden’s back. ‘Don’t feel bad. It was always an outside chance anyway – we both knew that. You tried and it didn’t work out. It’ll be all right in the end.’

Eden gave a weary nod. ‘You’re right. I just got so caught up in this, and I thought…I don’t know what I was thinking. Cam said it – everyone was thinking it – we were sunk from the first moment the land went up for sale. I should have realised – it would have saved a lot of pain.’

‘Come on,’ Livia said briskly, pulling Eden out of the chair by her hand. ‘Let’s get to the pub and get some booze inside us, and while we’re at it, we can pick Ralph’s brains for a plan B.’

The Dolphin seemed far too quiet when Livia and Eden arrived, but perhaps that was just as well when they found Ralph manning the bar alone.

‘You should have phoned me,’ Livia said as he informed them the ‘new lad’ hadn’t turned up for his shift.

‘Luckily it’s not so busy,’ Ralph said. ‘I won’t be paying him, mind,’ he added gruffly, ‘and I’ve a good mind not to give him another shift. Not turning up without so much of a whisper…not on.’

‘Don’t stress about serving us,’ Livia said. ‘We can get our own. We’ll give you a shout to see we’ve dropped the money in the till.’

‘Don’t be daft,’ Ralph said. ‘Last orders in an hour – how much can you drink by then? Not much – take what you want and we’ll say no more about it. How was the dinner sitting tonight?’

‘Good,’ Eden said in as neutral a tone as she could manage.

‘Your Cam was in here not half an hour ago. Took a quick double and then headed straight off. I thought he might have been waiting for the rest of you.’

‘Oh, I think he had things to do,’ Eden said. Her Cam? Was that how everyone had seen them? She scanned the tables in the bar. ‘It’s dead in here tonight, isn’t it?’

‘It’s been busier. Still, that’s how it goes some nights.’

Eden had wondered if some of her volunteers would be here, but even Bilbo, who’d said he’d come, was absent. It was just her and Livia and three random holidaymakers at a table by the window.

Livia went behind the bar to get the drinks for her and Eden. As she put a gin and lemonade in front of Eden, she nodded towards Ralph. ‘Do you want to ask him about the hut situation?’ she said in a low voice.

Eden took the drink and shook her head slightly. ‘I don’t think so, not yet. We don’t know for sure what’s happening, do we? I know it doesn’t look good, but I’m choosing to cling on to a last bit of hope that it might still work out in the end. You’ve got to, haven’t you?’

‘It was just a thought as we had him here and it was quiet. But I get you.’

‘Cam only owes us one more session and then we’ll know, won’t we.’

‘After the way he was tonight, you think he’ll even turn up next time? Maybe he’s already made up his mind?’

‘That’s not him. At least I don’t think so. He’ll want to prove a point, so he’ll see it through. He’ll also want to be able to say to me he won fair and square because that will shut me up for good.’

‘And will it? He doesn’t even owe you that really. I mean, he knows he can take that land any time he wants regardless of the bet.’

‘I did say I’d give up if I didn’t change his mind during the bet, and he said he’d play by the rules too. He knows and I know he could have just arrived and got what he wanted.’

‘So why didn’t he?’

Eden shrugged. She didn’t know. She supposed she’d never know. ‘Whatever the reason, something tells me he’d have stuck by his agreement, so I suppose I have to stand by my agreement too.’

Livia took a sip of her drink. ‘Seems like an odd way to go about something that means so much to you.’

‘I know,’ Eden said. ‘Looking back, it was a bit stupid. But what was said in the heat of the moment was said and we shook on it, and that’s that. There’s time yet – let’s see what happens.’

‘At least you’re sounding more optimistic than you did earlier.’

Eden picked up her glass, staring into the depths. ‘What else can I do?’

Eden woke with the community kitchen on her mind. She’d fallen asleep turning over the problem and it seemed had spent the night mentally processing it as she slept, opening her eyes to find it still there, lodged in her brain. There had to be other venues, of course, but none she’d come across during her initial search had suited them quite so well. In fact, as far as she could tell, the others would involve a massive amount of compromise. The numbers could be accommodated, but the facilities weren’t there, or vice versa, or the location was too far out, or they wanted an expensive rent or something else that would cause problems. Eden supposed she would have to keep trying until she found something that worked because, despite what she’d told Livia the night before, she was almost certain that the scout hut would soon be lost.

As she made her first coffee of the day, wondering what to do to take her mind off things, her phone rang. She pulled it across the worktop to see it was Livia.

‘Hello,’ she said. ‘This is early, even for you. So what did I leave in the pub last night because it must be something like that.’

‘I’ve just heard from Liam…’

Eden’s smile disappeared at Livia’s tone. ‘What’s happened? Is he all right? It’s not…’

‘Bilbo died last night! Liam called to tell me, but I couldn’t ask much because he was trying to get to all of Bilbo’s friends to let them know.’

Eden shook her head slowly. ‘I can’t…But we saw him last night! He was working and he seemed…He even said he’d come to the pub! Did Liam tell you anything at all?’

‘Only that Bilbo got home, said he felt a bit off but told Liam he’d be OK and he’d phone in the morning. But when Liam called earlier, he couldn’t get any reply. Found him in the armchair. He must have just passed away right there.’

‘Oh…’ Eden was numb. She didn’t know how to feel because she was struggling to comprehend it. How could it be that Bilbo who had been there, working alongside her, one minute would be dead a few hours later? He’d been quieter than usual, but she’d assumed that was down to the sour atmosphere caused by Cam. Had there been more to it than that? And if she’d missed something she ought to have picked up because she hadn’t been paying attention, Eden would never forgive herself. She’d done that once before with equally tragic consequences, and the thought that she somehow could have prevented this would haunt her…but surely not? She thought back to everything that had happened, everything she’d seen the previous evening. Had there been any signs that Bilbo was ill? She couldn’t recall anything at all.

‘Want me to come over?’ Livia’s voice brought her back to the room.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be working at the parlour today?’

‘Yes, but I could spare some time. Mum would understand. In fact, we discussed closing for the day because she’s cut up too and it didn’t feel right to open, but quite honestly, we need the money and, like Mum said, Bilbo wouldn’t have wanted that. He wouldn’t have wanted a fuss at all.’

‘I’m fine; it’s not me anyone needs to worry about. Should we go and see his family later? Just to pay our respects? And what about Mavis? We ought to go and check on her.’

‘I’d say in a couple of days, not today. It’s all still very new, and I expect they’ll have enough people knocking on the door today.’

‘You’re right. You’re always right – I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

‘Mum’s here – she says come for tea later if you feel like you need some company. I’m on shift at the Dolphin tonight, but it might be nice for you to come up there too. I would imagine lots of people will go up there to raise a glass to him if you wanted to join in.’

‘It’s sounds…actually, it sounds nice. Sort of cathartic. It’d be good to hear about him. I will, thank you.’

‘There’s no better place at times like these than with others who can share the loss.’

Eden thought back to her mother’s death. Had she sought anyone out to share her loss with? Now that she considered the question, she realised she’d done the opposite. Would she have coped better if she’d spent time with her loved ones instead of pushing them away, bearing her grief in a self-imposed solitude, feeling as if she’d no right to share it when she’d done so much to cause it in the first place? On reflection, she could see how right Livia was – yet again. Livia was the friend Eden had never known she’d needed – she only wished she could have found her long before this.

Eden had spent the morning moping. She’d felt it might help to cry, but she simply couldn’t find her tears, the shock of Bilbo’s departure and her struggle to process it too big for her to get past. It was strange considering how much crying she’d done for other things over the past few months that she couldn’t do it now, arguably when she really ought to have done.

In the end, unable to settle down to anything, she decided the best idea might be to do something that involved nothing of note, and so she grabbed her keys, left her phone behind and set out over the clifftops.

The day was grey and the clouds low, even though it was warm, the sea like a sheet of steel in the bay and the rocks tumbling down to it black and slick, and she felt it quite suited her mood. She marched for an hour along the path that traced the line of the coast until it took her away from the view, where she then retraced her steps, somehow needing the comforting presence of the grey ocean and the crashing waves, however foreboding it seemed today. She emptied her mind and thought only of her footsteps and the wind on her skin, eyes turned to the horizon where the breeze tried to chase away stubborn clouds, hoping that simply being in the moment might help her process thoughts that seemed too complicated to face head on.

She might have been out for an hour, or she might have been out for three – without her phone to tell her the time, she had no way of being certain. But when Four Winds came into view once more, a squat, stone square in the distance, she did feel lighter and calmer than when she’d left it. She was surprisingly hungry too, running through a mental list of food she thought might still be in her fridge from the last time she’d ordered shopping – which was quite a while ago. Eating so often at the community kitchen with everyone else, sometimes at the pub and on occasion with Livia, Julia and the kids, there hadn’t been much call for a huge amount of grocery shopping, so she couldn’t be sure what she had available. Whatever it was, she’d find a meal from it somehow. She could have gone into town to buy something there but wasn’t sure she was ready to face anyone who might want to talk about Bilbo just yet.

But as she drew closer, she could see a figure making its way up the path that ran perpendicular to the one she was currently on, from the town up to the cottage. He stopped for a moment, as if he’d seen her, and then began to walk again, and there was no mistaking his intended destination. But at the crossroads, he changed direction and began to make his way towards the clifftop where she was.

She frowned as she recognised him. ‘Cam?’

‘I tried phoning you, but I couldn’t get an answer. I was…never mind.’

‘Sorry, left my phone in the cottage.’

‘Doesn’t matter. I heard about Bilbo.’

‘Ah…’ Eden stopped on the path. ‘How?’

‘Livia was at the ice-cream place. She took a minute out to tell me, said I ought to know because she thought we got on well.’

‘Bilbo liked you. I think you probably reminded him of his younger days in the navy too, because of your great-uncle and everything.’

‘It’s weird, isn’t it? I can’t get my head around how sudden. I mean, he was there last night, working like normal and then…gone.’

‘Life’s like that, isn’t it? Are you all right?’

‘Me? Why shouldn’t I be? I hardly knew him.’

Eden didn’t think Cam looked all right despite his reassurances, but she decided not to say so. He looked how she felt – numb and disbelieving. Nobody had seen this coming, and it seemed everyone was struggling. Bilbo was such a force, such a character that it was hardly surprising even people who barely knew him would be affected by his death, especially as it was so sudden.

‘I’m heading home,’ she said. ‘Do you maybe want to come in for a minute?’

He paused, uncertain, but then he nodded. ‘Actually, I think I’d like that.’

She began to walk again, and he fell in step beside her. They were quiet as they made their way back, but it was an easy enough silence. Eden wondered why he’d come. Perhaps he was wondering the same thing too. He’d been friendly with Bilbo, but he’d only known him a couple of weeks, yet the way he seemed to have been affected was bigger than that.

At the house, she invited him to sit at the kitchen table while she made drinks with an odd feeling of déjà vu. It wasn’t so long ago that they’d been in this same kitchen doing the same thing, only the circumstances had been very different.

‘I was so awful to him yesterday,’ Cam said into the silence.

Eden turned from stirring the coffees. ‘Do you think so?’

‘Don’t you? I could tell by his face he couldn’t understand. Like a bloody puppy being told off and not knowing what for. I just wanted…I didn’t want anything to do with any of you. I had a job to do and I’d lost sight of that, and I thought I just needed to get back on track. One more sitting, right? And then I was done and I could forget about this stupid place. Then this morning Livia comes to me and…’

He looked up at her as she came to the table.

‘I’m sure Bilbo wasn’t offended by you. He only thought…’

‘What?’

‘He only wondered why you’d been distant.’

‘I didn’t mean to…It wasn’t anything he did.’

‘He knew that.’

‘I still feel terrible about it. The last he saw of me was me being an absolute dick to him.’

‘You can’t change any of it now, so there’s no point in dwelling on it.’

‘You do think I was out of order then?’

‘That’s not what I meant. If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine, wasn’t it? I pissed you off, right?’

‘Of course you didn’t. You had every right to refuse me and…well, I was pissed off at the time, but I realised you were never going to do anything else. How could you? We were on opposite sides, and I’d have done the same in your situation. I didn’t reset my boundaries yesterday because I was pissed at you; I did it because I realised I’d got too close to the situation, in every way possible. I’d made friends and I’d fallen—It doesn’t matter now. All I’m trying to say is you were doing what I should have done. We never should have…well, you know.’

A strange kind of disappointment washed over Eden. While she agreed with everything he was saying, to hear him say they shouldn’t have spent that night together made her feel sad and empty. She’d told herself a dozen times since it had been a mistake, and she’d resolved to keep an emotional distance, just as he had clearly decided to do, but it hadn’t stopped her thinking: what if? What if they did give it a try? Could there be anything in it? She’d tried hard to make it otherwise, but he’d been on her mind in one way or another a lot over the past couple of days, and not all of it had been to do with the sale of the land. She’d thought about his smile, his voice, his eyes, the feel of his skin next to hers, the smell of him, the sounds of his quiet breaths as he slept, the way the sun caught his hair to reveal auburn highlights as if revealing a secret treasure, the odd, unexpected look of softness when someone at the kitchen had thanked him for some little assistance or other. He wasn’t the ogre he pretended to be, and she wished he’d show more of that hidden side because she felt it was a side she could grow to like, even love.

Silly, of course. That was never going to happen. Circumstances had thrown them into opposition, and there was no bridging this gap. They were working towards very different goals and very different lives. How could there be any common ground, no matter how attracted she might be?

‘I suppose so. And, you know, it wasn’t completely your fault. I wanted to…Like you say, it doesn’t matter now. It happened and we move on.’

‘Anyway, I wanted to see if you were OK. I know you were fond of Bilbo.’

‘As all right as anyone in the bay is today,’ Eden replied. ‘But thanks; I appreciate that.’

‘I also wanted to tell you I’m not going to be coming back to the kitchen. I’m sorry if that leaves you short of help, but?—’

‘No, I totally get it. I half expected you to say so – I was quite surprised to see you there yesterday, if I’m honest. Thank you for your help. And for giving us half a chance to show you what we do. I know in the end you were right – there’s no stopping progress – but not many people would have bothered to get to know us at all.’

‘I had fun.’

Eden sipped at her coffee, giving him a look of faint disbelief from over the rim of her cup.

‘Honestly,’ he said. ‘I’ll admit at first I was sceptical, but I couldn’t help it. You were right about that – you did all wear me down. I’d love nothing more than to walk away and say hey, keep your hut, but…’

‘I know, business.’

‘But you have to understand that the land is still for sale. In that respect, it doesn’t matter what I do or say because even if I walk away from it, someone else will buy it eventually, and I don’t see many buyers wanting to keep that rotting old hut.’ He shrugged at Eden’s look of offence. ‘Sorry, but you have to admit it’s seen better days. It’s a prefab and it looks old – it’s probably already twenty or more years past its use-by date.’

‘I suppose you’re right. It just suits us so well.’

‘What if I…?’ He paused, as if working something out before he said it. ‘What if I could find a way to get both of us what we want?’

‘OK,’ Eden said slowly. ‘I’m listening.’

‘What if the sale goes ahead – to me? And the hut will still have to go – there can’t be any movement on that. But what if somewhere in the development we allowed space for some kind of community hub, something comparable in size, something with everything you need. We’d be able to make money renting it out for events and such, but perhaps we’d be able to come to some sort of subsidisation arrangement for you guys. Kind of like a gesture of good faith, to show that we’re not coming to destroy the community and as recompense for allowing it all to go through with your cooperation instead of your opposition. What do you think?’

Eden’s eyes widened. ‘You’d really do that?’

‘I’d try. I couldn’t absolutely promise, but I feel confident I could swing it with the partners.’

‘I feel confident you could – don’t forget I’ve seen you in action.’

‘Do you need to discuss it with the others before you give me your answer?’

‘Perhaps. I imagine they’ll all say the final decision is with me – and of course, it’s not my land or my building, so I don’t know whether the owners need to be consulted too.’

‘Once the land has been signed over, I don’t really see what it has to do with them. You might mention it as a courtesy, but I don’t think you need to. If you want time to talk to your team, I can give you that.’

‘That would be amazing. I don’t know what to say.’

‘You don’t need to say anything. I’m glad we’ve come to an agreement – of sorts, at least. It will make things easier from here onwards.’

‘I hope so.’ Eden wondered whether she ought to offer some sort of apology for being such a thorn in his side, but then decided – however softened she’d become by his suggestion – that she owed him no such thing. She’d been fighting for something that mattered – not just to her but to many people. He surely understood that. In his own way, though she felt the cause was far less worthy, he’d been doing exactly the same. If the whole thing was rerun ten times over, neither of them would have done anything differently, even armed with the knowledge of how it would end. ‘Thank you. I know you didn’t have to do this.’

‘I want to help if I can. Don’t forget that it’s not set in stone. You might still want to look into a plan B.’

‘I’m already on it – Livia and I are going to do some research. We’re also going to get Ralph’s help.’

He looked into his mug for a moment and then up at her again. ‘Will you even be here when all this happens? Aren’t you supposed to be heading back to London at the end of the year?’

Eden took a deep breath, for the first time about to air a decision she’d made in her head weeks before. ‘I’m not going back to London. I want to stay here. This is where I belong.’

He nodded, holding her in a thoughtful gaze. ‘I can see that. It suits you far better than London ever did.’

‘I think I’m a better person here.’

‘I think everyone is. I think Sea Glass Bay makes you that way.’

Eden chanced a small smile. ‘You know that old film, Brigadoon ?’

‘Never heard of it.’

‘Oh,’ she said, her smile growing. ‘It was just…Never mind. There’s no point trying to explain it if you don’t know.’

He pulled in a long breath. ‘Look, thanks for the coffee and everything, but I think I’d better go.’

‘You don’t have to?—’

‘I do. A lot of work on, you know? Emails to send, people to call.’

‘Oh, yeah, I remember what all that was like.’

‘I suppose you look at me now with pity,’ he said, and Eden was struck by the sudden melancholy in his expression. Where had that come from? He’d been sad about Bilbo, of course, but even so, this was almost…if she didn’t know better, the only word she’d be able to find was existential . Like he’d suddenly discovered his whole life had been a lie.

‘No,’ she said, trying to shake the thought. ‘I look at you like someone with a proper career. I mean, look at me now.’

‘I am,’ he said. ‘You look happy. You never looked this happy when we worked together.’

‘Cam…are you really all right? Because if you want to talk?—’

‘I’m fine. Ignore me – weird day, right?’

‘Yes, I suppose it is. If you’re sure. But promise you’ll look me up if you change your mind.’

‘You know I won’t, but thanks.’

‘Cam…’

‘Yes?’

Eden wanted to say something to make it better, but she couldn’t find the words. She didn’t even know what she was supposed to be making better; she only knew that he wasn’t himself. Then again, did she even know who that was? Hadn’t she only just started to work out who she really was? Sea Glass Bay had done that for her. Was something similar happening to Cam? It had taken her time to adjust, and perhaps he would need the same.

That old film, Brigadoon , came to mind again. She didn’t even know why or where or how she’d seen it, only that the notion of some magical place that didn’t exist in the world unless you sort of needed it had stayed with her throughout her childhood. But it was only here, in the place she was beginning to call home, that she truly understood what it meant. Sea Glass Bay was her Brigadoon. It had been missing from her life for so many years, but it was the place she’d been drawn to, and it had gathered her up and healed her when she’d needed it most. The problem was, strangers never stayed in Brigadoon. She hoped she’d be able to stay here because she was afraid she’d lose everything it had given her if she left.

‘You could stay here for a while if you liked. I mean today, with me. We might be good for each other. The company, that is. It might make…I don’t know. I know you have work to do, but it was just a thought.’

‘Thanks, but I ought to get on. I only wanted to come and see if you were OK.’

‘I appreciate that. I’m fine. I suppose I’ll go down to the town, try to get more information on what happened, find out whether there are plans for a funeral and stuff.’

‘It’s a bit soon for that, isn’t it?’

‘Well, yes, I suppose it is, but…’ Eden let out a sigh. ‘I don’t really know what else to do.’

He gave a short nod. ‘There’s not much more anyone can do than that. When you do find out the arrangements, would you let me know?’

‘You’d want to come to Bilbo’s funeral?’

‘If you don’t think it would be inappropriate. And if I can find the time, of course.’

‘I think it would be lovely and not inappropriate at all.’

He finished his coffee and stood up. ‘Thanks for the drink. See you around.’

‘I hope so.’

A moment later, he was gone, and the house was silent once more. Eden pondered her next move. In a way, things had been settled here. Cam was going to buy the land, but he was going to try to help secure the future of the community café. The bet was over. Cam was leaving, but she was staying. Would he ever come back? With Bilbo’s death came the sense that some sort of spell had been broken and nothing would ever be like it had been for the past few strange, unsettling, difficult and yet glorious and amazing weeks. She couldn’t quite decide whether she’d won or lost.

One thing became clear, and it took her by surprise that, considering all the tragedy she’d endured in the past few months, it was Bilbo’s death that had crystallised the epiphany for her. She had to make peace with her own family. Life was too short, too unpredictable to allow the current situation to continue. What if something happened to her dad and she hadn’t ever made the effort? She’d never forgive herself. As for Caitlin, if she didn’t reach out soon, she was going to lose her for good. Whatever their differences in the past, Caitlin was still her sister, and Eden loved her. Eden’s dad had forgiven her long before this moment, but Caitlin was going to take more convincing – not that Eden was surprised by that; she hadn’t exactly been kind to her. In fact, she’d been a total nightmare – it was no wonder Caitlin got so frustrated.

For a few silent minutes, she stared into space, internally composing the right text to send to her sister, each time abandoning it to try again. But when nothing would come, she wondered if the best thing was simply to call and speak from the heart.

When Caitlin answered on the fourth ring, she was almost surprised. She’d called but half expected to get no answer, wondering if her sister would be out or working. There was surprise in Caitlin’s tone too – and perhaps some distrust.

‘Hello, Eden.’

‘Caitlin, hi, I…Can you talk?’

‘Yes, let me…’ There was a pause. ‘Just turning my laptop off.’

‘You didn’t need to—Sorry, you were working?’

‘It can wait. Sounded as if you needed my full attention.’

‘That depends on how you feel about what I’m going to say. I’m sorry. Sorry doesn’t even cover it, I know that, but I am. About so much. I’m sorry about how awful and selfish I’ve been recently, but…God, Caitlin, I’m sorry for my entire life. I’m sorry for being such a horrible sister. Can you forgive me? I can’t stand the way we are, and I miss you. I’d even take us bickering all the time over this…nothing. I don’t even feel like I have a sister right now, and I hate that. I know it’s my fault and?—’

‘Eden, stop. I never thought you were a horrible sister. I love you, you idiot. Yes, you could drive me mad, and yes, sometimes it was like chastising one of the kids at my school whenever I talked to you, but that’s just how sisters are sometimes, isn’t it? It never made me love you any less.’

‘But that day with Mum…the thing I did.’

‘I was angry that day, and I blamed you for doing what you did over the community centre, but it wasn’t your fault Mum died. You’ve got to stop thinking that. Mum had something wrong with her heart – you didn’t do that.’

‘I made her stressed.’

‘You and plenty of other things in her life. Don’t you realise that I’ve felt just as responsible for her death as you have? It takes two to argue, and I was giving as good as I got that day. I contributed to her stress, so if you want to see it that way, then we both have to take the blame.’

‘It was never your fault!’

‘Both of us take the blame or neither of us. So which is it to be?’

‘Cait…it’s not your fault.’

‘Then it’s not yours either. Stop punishing yourself because every time you do that, you punish me and Dad too. I’ve been angry when I’ve called because I’ve been hurting and I’ve needed you, but I see now my anger only made things worse. I’m sorry for that.’

‘You had every right.’

‘Maybe, but that doesn’t make it better.’

Eden’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m so glad we’re talking about this.’

‘Me too. So does this mean you’re ready to come home, or at least back to Essex?’

‘Well, that’s the other thing I want to tell you – I’ve decided to stay here for good.’

‘In Sea Glass Bay?’

‘Yes.’

‘Wow…I never saw that coming.’

‘I can imagine,’ Eden said with a watery smile, assuming that her dad had told Caitlin where she was. ‘But if you get some time off work over the next few weeks, I’d love you to come and visit. And Dad too, of course. I’m making a new life here, one I love, and I’ve made so many new friends, and I want you both to see how amazing it all is.’

‘If that’s really true, then I’m glad.’

‘It is. So you’ll come? I get if you don’t feel like you want to, but?—’

‘Of course I want to! You want me to talk to Dad? Or would you prefer to call him yourself with his invite? I know he’d love to hear from you, and he’d be happy to know you’re doing so well.’

Eden watched a fat tear drop onto the kitchen table in front of her and soak into the wood. And then another one. Before she knew it, they were coming thick and fast, and she had to sniff hard to pull herself together enough to answer.

‘I’ll call him,’ she said. ‘I’ll do it right now.’