Chapter 29
The celebrations went on for some time. Champagne was produced from Sarah and Darren’s hut, lemon poppy seed cake made by Lavinia was passed around and the small group spent the next few hours lazing on the deck of the two pink huts, going over the adventures of the past few weeks and feeling quietly pleased with their victory.
The tears made a brief return when Beth found Lizie’s old deckchair on her terrace, beautifully restored with a bright candy-striped canvas seat and wood that had been stained and polished until it shone, and she had clung onto Sarah, blubbing her thanks into her friend’s shoulder.
With a glass in her hand and a faintly woozy head from the overwhelming relief of saving Number 4, combined with champagne on an empty stomach, Beth sank into the old chair, watching Jake out of the corner of her eye. He and Darren were examining the side of the hut where the pink paint was decidedly patchy and hastily applied, and having a manly chat about second coats and sealant.
With a contented sigh, Sarah flopped down beside her, clinking her glass gently against Beth’s own.
‘Happy?’ she asked with a grin.
‘Very. I still can’t believe what you did. I mean to help me is one thing but to paint your hut pink to stop Dom! I can never thank you enough.’
Close to tears, although more from relief and happiness than desperation, Beth sniffed and shook her head.
‘How did you persuade Darren to paint your hut?’
‘Actually,’ said Sarah with a smile that stretched from ear to ear and made her whole face glow with happiness, ‘it was his idea.’
‘What? Darren suggested changing the colour?’
‘Mmm. We had the mother of all rows,’ admitted Sarah, not looking at all upset about it. ‘I phoned him in Hamburg and told him our marriage was over.’
Beth gasped. ‘No!’
‘Yes. I was so upset that he’d given his vote to Dominic without even talking to me. It was the final straw. And I told him so.’
Beth’s eyes were wide as she took a slurp of her champagne. ‘You would have left him because of my beach hut?’ she asked in amazement.
‘Probably not,’ conceded Sarah with a chuckle. ‘I do actually love him. But I was so angry.’
‘What did he say?’
‘Not much actually. He listened to me rant and rave about how he was going in a direction I didn’t want to follow, how we weren’t a couple any more, how lonely I was, what a good friend you were even though we’d only known each other for a few weeks.’
Beth smiled, her eyes pinned on Sarah’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. Her friend had never looked so happy and relaxed.
‘I think it’s fair to say he was surprised. Well, stunned really. Then he said he would make it right and hung up. Next thing I knew, he was walking in through the front door. He’d walked out of his meeting and flown home. We had a good long talk about our life and he’s agreed to stop working quite so hard and spend more time together. He was doing it all for me, you see. All the work, the meetings, the business plans. It was all because he wanted to give me the perfect life. But it wasn’t perfect, not without him. I would rather go back to struggling to pay the mortgage at the end of the month and have my husband back.’
Beth could feel tears shimmering in her eyes. There was nothing but love blazing from Sarah’s face and Beth couldn’t help but feel a pang of loneliness. It wasn’t Matthew she missed as much as being with someone she loved. Holding hands with someone who you were happy simply being with. She remembered the feeling of Jake’s fingers closing around hers and shooed the image away. That was a path she couldn’t afford to take. It only led to more heartache.
‘I’m so happy for you,’ she whispered, ‘so very happy.’
Sarah’s smile was content and a sigh of pure joy drifted from her. ‘Let’s see how it goes,’ she said, looking supremely confident that it would go in exactly the direction she wished. She glanced over at Number 4, catching Darren’s eye. Beth watched as they held each other’s gaze, a gaze of such love and promise that it was almost her undoing.
‘Anyway,’ continued Sarah, her cheeks decidedly pink, ‘After we had sorted out our problems, he said that the only way to combat Dom was to change the standard. Dom had the agreement of the beach hut club that we would all stick to the same standard of décor and appearance, so we had to nudge that a little closer to your hut. And what better way than I ce Cream Sprinkle Pink !’
The two huts now sat, proud and pink, side by side on the golden yellow sand.
‘They look perfect,’ murmured Beth. ‘Absolutely perfect.’
‘Actually,’ giggled Sarah, ‘they’ve been quite a hit. I know of at least two other Beach Hut Club members who have decided to go for a pastel repaint! Dom is going to be furious,’ and she tipped her head back to laugh out loud with sheer joy before wandering off in search of her husband.
Beth closed her eyes and let the gentle sea breeze drift across her skin. She could hear the sound of the gulls and the occasional shouts from tourist walking along the sea edge, shoes in hand as they let the waves wash over their feet. She felt so at home in Welby and for a moment her heart ached for the loss of her aunt. She would have been so proud of them all today, standing up to Jemima and the beach hut club and defending her pastel pink dream.
Answering Lavinia’s call, Beth wandered onto Sarah and Darren’s deck to find that the BBQ had been fired up and sausages and burgers were now grilling gently, their aroma filling the air and making Beth’s stomach growl appreciatively.
She allowed Sam to top up her glass before looking around and asking as casually as she could, ‘Has Jake gone?’
‘Only for a minute or two,’ declared Sam. ‘He had to pop back to his house for something.’
Shielding her eyes from the sun, Beth stared towards the town. She could see the little cottage next to the beach, its bright blue door reflecting the sun, the window boxes trailing their scented flowers against the ancient stone.
‘He’ll be back soon,’ reassured Lavinia, and Beth turned to see her watching Beth with a curious expression on her face.
Shrugging, Beth took a sip of bubbles, wrinkling her nose as they exploded against her skin. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘I was just wondering.’
‘He had to go home,’ Lavinia said softly. ‘It was time.’
‘I think he was getting far too comfortable at Welcome ,’ interrupted Sam with a grin. ‘Don’t we all! Who wouldn’t want to wake up to that view?’
He was looking at Lavinia as he spoke and her plump cheeks filled with colour.
‘Oh, get on with you,’ she said gruffly, wafting her arm in his direction, even as she smiled at him, a small secret smile that made everyone else on the deck join in.
‘He’ll miss having his breakfast made for him every morning. And endless cups of tea produced. And your biscuits. And lemonade,’ listed Sam softly.
‘Yes, and I’ll miss him. But he couldn’t stay at Welcome forever, it was time for him to go back,’ said Lavinia with a sigh. ‘But it’s been so lovely having the company of young people these last few weeks.’ She sent a fond smile in Beth’s direction. ‘So very lovely.’
Beth’s eyes were fixed on the cottage again, even as she listened to Lavinia and Sam’s chatter. Lavinia clearly approved of Jake returning to Portia and his little cottage by the sea. Beth needed to be pleased for him as well. Her life with Matthew may not have had its happy ever after ending but Jake still had a chance. He and Portia could be like Sam and Lavinia in years to come, sitting by the sea in companionable silence. Her heart gave an unhappy lurch. Jealousy, she told herself firmly. That’s all it was, jealousy that it had worked out for Jake and not for herself and Matthew.
A movement caught her eyes and she saw the blue door open and Jake walked out, standing on the cobbled path for a moment. Holding her breath, Beth watched as the door remained open and a woman emerged behind him. Slender and almost as tall as Jake, a sun hat covering her head, a straw bag over her shoulder, she stood perfectly still as Jake locked the door behind them.
It must be Portia, Beth decided, her heart beating a strange unhappy rhythm. Jake had returned to the cottage to see Portia. They stood facing each other as though in conversation and then moved closer, heads meeting and disappearing beneath the large straw hat.
Teeth pressed down on Beth’s bottom lip to still any trembling. Jealousy, she reminded herself. Envy that they had worked out their problems while Beth had ended up alone.
‘Food!’ announced Darren’s voice and the terrace became a hive of activity, people grabbing plates and topping up their glasses, laughter and conversation flowing easily. Smiling and responding automatically, Beth’s eyes never left Jake as he strode down the beach, closer and closer until he stepped onto the terrace.
‘Perfect timing!’ he declared, taking a plate from Darren and turning to catch Beth’s gaze. Giving her a smile, he came to lean against the railing by her side, his shoulders relaxed, his eyes as usual hidden behind his glasses.
‘Lavinia tells me you’ve moved back home.’ Compelled to make herself as miserable as possible, Beth couldn’t stop the question. ‘I’m happy for you, that you sorted everything out. You must be happy to be back in your own house?’
Watching his fingers toy with his burger, she forced herself to continue breathing.
‘I was getting very comfortable staying with Lavinia,’ he answered eventually. ‘But despite the … attractions, it was time to leave.’
Her heart was thumping so loudly that she wondered if he was able to see its movement beneath the thin fabric of her dress. Which attractions had he found so endearing she wondered? The terrace, Lavinia’s cooking, the company?
‘Everyone needs to move on with their lives,’ she agreed in a croaky voice.
‘Indeed. I heard that Matthew proposed.’
He’d abandoned the burger, his hands gripping the plate as he spoke in a low voice meant only for the two of them.
Beth gave a jerk of surprise. Sarah must have mentioned it.
‘Yes. Yes, he did,’ she answered, wondering what else Sarah might have told him.
‘And I heard you said no.’
She’d apparently told him everything.
‘I did.’
They were both looking at anything rather than each other, bodies stiff, fingers fidgeting.
‘Good for you.’
Was he being sarcastic? No, there was no amusement in his tone. He sounded sincere.
‘I know you loved him. But he wasn't good enough for you. Not at all.’
The tears were back, prickling at her eyelashes, threatening her cheeks.
She nodded. ‘It was the right thing to do,’ she said through numb lips. ‘It’s well and truly over between us.’
He put his plate down on a nearby table and half turned in her direction.
‘And now?’
The lilt of conversation surrounded them but it was as though they were the only two people on the beach. She could smell the faint tang of his aftershave, cedar and sandalwood, and see the hairs on the back of his arms. She could even see the faint rise and fall of his chest.
‘Who knows,’ she managed. ‘It’s time for me to make my own new start.’
‘You’re going back home?’
Beth had no home. Not anymore.
‘Yes.’
‘Don’t fancy staying in Welby?’
If only he knew.
‘No. I mean, I love Welby but I won’t be staying here. It’s time to go back to Bristol and get on with my life,’ she said trying to sound confident. ‘But I’ll be coming back to visit, after all, I’ve got my very own beach hut now.’
She imagined strolling along the cobbled lane in the direction of Number 4. Would she ever be able to walk past his house without her heart racing in expectation of catching a peek of him, the back of his head as he moved around inside, the sight of him emerging from his front door to walk along the cobbles, hand in hand with Portia.
She swallowed hard. Why on earth was this hurting so much? She didn’t even like the man!
He was staring at her from behind the sunglasses. ‘I see.’
Maybe she would leave it a little while before coming back to Welby. She needed some normalcy in her life. Some shopping, even some cleaning, anything to take her mind away from green merman eyes.
‘Well, let me know when you come back. we could meet, have a drink. Or a meal.’
He sounded stiff, strained.
‘Maybe that’s not a good idea.’ She wouldn’t be able to bear that. Sitting opposite him as he updated her on his wedding plans with Portia. She offered a smile to take the edge from the words. ‘I mean, we both need to move on, don’t we? The last thing you need is me turning up, reminding you what a pain all this has been.’
‘All this?’ his eyebrow was arched, his face giving nothing away. ‘The hut?’
The hut. Her. Them.
‘Er, yes. The hut.’
He turned away, his profile, strong and severe, the only thing she could see.
‘It wasn’t a pain.’
‘You were very kind,’ she murmured.
‘Not really. In Welby, we help each other out. And I did it for Lizzie.’
Of course. He’d once chided her for not visiting her aunt enough. He said he didn’t want Lizzie’s legacy to be wasted. She had to remind herself why he’d held out the hand of friendship, and it wasn’t because of Beth.
‘I’m sure she would have appreciated it,’ she said gruffly.
The conversation on the terrace had lulled. Everyone was sitting quietly in the afternoon sun, replete and content, their eyes turned to the sea whilst Beth and Jake remained side by side, stiff and unmoving, the tension between them almost crackling in the air. Beth saw Sarah’s eyes rest on them, Lavinia’s keen gaze watching them.
‘Well, if you change your mind, you know where I live.’
He stood up, pushing away from the railings to turn his back on everyone else and face her. His lips were straight, unsmiling. She wondered if Portia was full of relief that Jake had forgiven her. That she was back in his life, his cottage, his bed. The thought made her gasp slightly.
‘Good luck in your new life, Beth Carter.’
If only she had one.
‘You too, Jake. I hope you and….’ why did she find it impossible to let Portia’s name escape her lips? ‘You too,’ she whispered.’
And he was gone, waving at the group as he turned his back and strode down the beach and out of Beth’s life.