Chapter Four
‘ Y our turn, Erin.’ Brooke pulled her apron over her head and placed her handbag back behind the counter. ‘Go and enjoy your lunch break. You deserve it.’
‘Oh, thanks.’ Stepping back from the counter, Erin took her apron off before picking up her own bag. She glanced at the clock. She couldn’t believe how quickly the hours had passed. And apart from the pain in her feet from standing all morning whilst breaking in her new sandals, she’d had fun.
As she pushed open the door and stepped out into the blanket of heat, she glanced towards the beach. The peaceful, serene atmosphere of the early morning swim had been replaced with a gentle hubbub of chatter and laughter, interrupted by small children screaming with glee as they ran in and out of the waves. She grinned. She’d miss the beach when she did move.
Pulling her mobile from her shoulder bag, she scrolled through to Tim’s name and tapped the Call button.
‘Erin?’ Tim’s voice was clear down the line.
‘Hi, Tim. Guess where I’m standing?’
‘Ooh, I’m guessing you’ve just got to the train station in Trestow? Give me a couple of minutes to finish up here and I’ll come and get you.’
‘No need. I’m standing outside The Cornish Bay Bakery and looking down at the beach. Where are you and I’ll come to you?’ She grinned. She literally couldn’t wait to see him. He may only have moved away three months ago, but it felt like three years. At least.
‘You are? No way!’ Tim sounded as excited as she felt. ‘If you walk along the promenade and turn left up the hill. I’m just at the pub.’
‘Seriously? At this time?’ Erin laughed. ‘I’ll be there in five.’
Replacing her phone, she quickened her pace. They’d met each other in primary school after their parents had practically forced them to play together so they could grab a coffee one day. From then on, they’d become inseparable. Both moving to London to go to the same uni, both moving into the same shared accommodation. After that, they’d shared a flat between them until she’d met Kyle and moved out. She picked up her pace again until she was almost jogging along the path, weaving in and out of tourists ambling down to the beach below.
There it was. The pub. Slowing down, she stood aside as a family with three young children walked past before she could turn into the small outside sitting area in front of the pub.
‘Hey, Erin. Hold up.’
Erin looked around her. She could hear Tim’s voice but couldn’t locate him. As he called her name again, she held her hand above her eyes, shielding them from the sun as she glanced from table to table. Nope. No Tim.
Maybe he was calling her from inside. Perhaps he’d seen her through a window. She made her way towards the door before jumping as someone tapped her on the shoulder. Slowly twisting on the spot, she came face to face with her lifelong best friend. ‘Tim! Where were you?’
‘Up on the roof.’ Tim nodded to a ladder a couple of metres to their left before drawing her into a huge all-encompassing hug. ‘It’s so good to see you.’
Reaching her arms around him, she laid her cheek on his shoulder. ‘I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you.’
‘Me too.’ Leaning back, Tim glanced down the hill. ‘Do you fancy grabbing a bite to eat at the pub or walking down to the beach?’
‘Ooh, the beach sounds good.’
‘Great. Give me five minutes to pop this lot back in the van and then we’ll grab some chips or something on the way.’
Erin nodded and perched on the edge of a nearby wooden picnic table. She watched as he loaded his van. So, this was the new Tim then. She hadn’t believed him when he’d first announced that he was retraining as a roofer and moving to the beach. It had sounded such a far cry from his job in marketing.
‘Ready?’ Walking back towards her, Tim held out his hand.
‘Absolutely.’ Jumping up, she looped her arm through his as they set off back down the hill towards the bay below. ‘It’s suiting you, the new job and the new location.’
‘You think?’ Tim ran his fingers through his hair and grinned, laughter lines appearing at the corner of his eyes.
‘Yes, I do. You look happy. Relaxed.’ She thought back to the evening he’d announced the move. He’d spent the whole day in gruelling meeting after meeting and then had a phone call from his boss to return to work for some emergency or other. It had been the moment he’d ended the call that he’d told her he just couldn’t do it anymore, that the hours were too long and he wasn’t happy anymore. He’d told her there must be more to life. There must be a balance.
‘I am. I set my own hours and living in the bay...’ He held his hand out in front of them, indicating the bay. ‘Well, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.’
She smiled and squeezed his arm. ‘I’m glad. You deserve it. You deserve to be happy.’
‘Thanks. And so do you. Congratulations on the promotion! We should go out for dinner and drinks, celebrate. I know I sent you a card, but it’s not the same as celebrating together.’
‘I’m up for that.’ Erin grinned. ‘I feel as though I’ve been on autopilot ever sinceI was told about the promotion and transfer, sorting out accommodation, packing, all the boring bits, so it’ll be lovely to actually have a chance to celebrate properly.’
‘I bet it’s been crazy. Two weeks to arrange the flight, where you’re going to live, everything...’ Tim shook his head.
‘Yes, I know what people mean when they say talk about something being a whirlwind now.’ Erin laughed. ‘Anyway, enough about me. How about you? How’s the business going? Have you settled into your place yet? Please tell me it’s one of these lovely cottages? They’re gorgeous!’
‘Ha, it is. It’s further up opposite the village hall actually, but, yes, it’s thatched and beautiful.’ As they reached the bottom of the hill, Tim led them towards a chip van. ‘And the business is going really well. I know it’s still early days, so I’m not fully booked or anything yet, but I think word is getting around. I’ve been working on the pub roof all week and Gerald, the landlord, has just told me he’s given my number to a friend of his, so that’s promising.’
‘That’s great. It means you’re building your reputation then.’ She paused as he ordered them each a cone of chips before taking hers. ‘Thanks.’
‘No worries. And this is another plus point of moving down here.’ He lifted his cone, the delicious aroma of seaside chips surrounding them. ‘They have the best chips around for miles.’
Popping a chip into her mouth, she savoured the taste before stepping down onto the sand. ‘Yum, these are good.’
‘Yep.’ Looking across at her, Tim shook his head. ‘I still can’t believe you’re moving to America.’
She nodded.
‘You’re here for four weeks, though, right?’ He waited until she’d nodded in confirmation before continuing. ‘So, we’ve got a month to make a ton of memories and spend as much time as we can together.’
She swallowed. ‘Don’t. You’ll make me cry. I don’t know how I’m going to cope without you.’
Pausing, Tim turned to look at her, stabbing his little wooden fork into his chips and using his now-free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair from her eyes. ‘You will. You’ve managed these past few months.’
‘Only just.’ And that was the truth. She didn’t know how she’d got through the days of trying to avoid Kyle, having to wait until the evenings when she could ring Tim and tell him about her day. One thing she knew, though, was that it would have been a whole heap harder if she hadn’t had this holiday down here, this time with him, to look forward to.
‘Nah, I don’t believe that. You’re resilient. The more resilient of the two of us. You’ll love America. It’s been a life goal of yours for years.’
‘That’s true. It has. Ever since I started working for Hyde and Smith Financial Services, I’ve dreamt about being transferred.’ She took a bite from another chip. She’d been over the moon when she’d heard about the promotion and she still was, but reality had started sinking in too. ‘I’ve got nothing to lose, right?’
Tim was quiet for a few moments before he shook himself. ‘Nothing at all. And I can visit. You know I’ve always wanted to spend Christmas in New York. Maybe we can take a trip there when I come over?’
‘At Christmas? That’s ages away.’ Erin widened her eyes. She supposed he was only being realistic. After all, she wouldn’t have a lot of holiday time and now he had his own business any time off he had would affect his earning drastically.
‘Sooner hopefully.’
‘Yes, hopefully.’ She nodded as she popped the last chip in her mouth and glanced at her watch. ‘I’d better get going. My lunch break was over five minutes ago.’
Tim nodded. ‘How about dinner tonight, then? For your celebration meal. There’s a lovely restaurant by the sea, Baywater Delights. They make a mean mac and cheese.’
‘Sounds good. Message me the details and I’ll be there.’ Erin gave him a quick hug before turning and hurrying back up to the bakery.