The Little Book Café

‘What do you mean?’

‘Did I seem too drunk?’

Emma shook her head. ‘Nah, don’t think so. You seemed normal drunk. Bit tipsy. Having a good time.’

Tash took a deep breath. This was mortifying. ‘I didn’t do anything too outrageous then?’

‘Not that I saw.’ Emma shrugged. ‘But I went to sit on the beach for a bit. I got hot – if you know what I mean.’ She winked. ‘Me and Ol have to make the most of any opportunity we can.’

‘I didn’t … I didn’t do anything like read the naughty bits out of books?’

Emma hooted. ‘Wouldn’t put it past you but, like I said, I was otherwise occupied with erotic thoughts of my own. You just looked like you were having a good time, Tash. Why all the questions?’

Tash didn’t reply. She was too embarrassed to press Emma on the matter. A wave of nausea overwhelmed her and she shot off to the bathroom.

When she returned Emma insisted she go home, assuring her she would cope with any appointments booked and would cancel those she couldn’t cover. Steering Tash towards the door, she said, ‘And if management don’t like that, they can sodding well put in another person. We’ve been saying for months we can’t cope with just the two of us now Pete has been promoted. You alright to drive home? If not, I can drop you off on the way to the Smiths’ place.’

Tash nodded and staggered up the hill to where she’d parked her car half an hour earlier. She was never ill. She fumed to herself, – she couldn’t afford to take time off.

The estate was deserted when she drove onto the drive. The house seemed hushed and slightly disapproving as she padded upstairs, took off her work clothes and sank into bed.

She came to a few hours later feeling much better and, to her surprise, hungry. Taking some dry toast and a glass of water into the garden, she sat in the shade. It was hot and the cloudless blue sky hurt her eyes. Going back in to find her sunglasses, she was distracted by the plop of a letter onto the doormat. The post. She was rarely at home when it arrived. Adrian was more often back from work before her and he put her post on the kitchen island. Not that she got all that much. Picking up the letter she frowned. It was to a Mrs Anna Williams. Right address, though. She flipped it over but there was no clue where it had come from. Probably a rookie postie seeing the surname and assuming it was for them. Williams was a common enough surname. Putting it on the kitchen table she found her sunglasses and went back to the garden. She’d investigate later and return it to the sender.

Adrian got back from work early. When she told him, she thought she had a stomach bug his attitude changed. He fussed over her, insisted she return to bed and said he’d go to his meeting on his own. Tash gave in to him with relief; the dinners with his business contacts were excruciatingly boring. She went back to bed, slept for another two hours and woke up feeling her old self. Coming downstairs in her dressing gown to watch some mindless television, she noted without interest that the misdirected letter had disappeared. Adrian must have dealt with it.

Chapter 15 (#ulink_c8e240cb-b41a-5cf6-8f88-983215a7b385)

‘We missed you on Saturday night.’

Tash tore her eyes away from the computer screen where she was updating the agency’s website and glanced up at Emma in surprise. It was Monday morning and, after a quiet weekend at home insisted upon by Adrian, she was fully recovered. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, I assume you were still too poorly to come but thought you might have rung me back. We’d arranged to go out to Laughsinnit, remember?’ Laughsinnit was the new open mic comedy slot at the Regent, Berecombe’s little theatre.

Tash pushed her chair away from her computer and looked blank. Her heart began to pound. Was this something else she had forgotten? She put a thumb to her temple and massaged. Was she going mad? Having a breakdown? She had been working too hard for months now, probably because, as Emma had said, Pete’s promotion had left them short-handed. ‘I don’t remember.’

‘I rang you on Saturday morning,’ Emma explained impatiently. ‘I mean, fair enough, it was all a bit last minute, but I thought it was just your sort of thing. Millie mentioned it at training, which you also missed. Honestly Tash we hardly see you these days. Amy came along, Millie and Jed were there and Kit tagged along too. He said he’d hoped to see you,’ she added meaningfully. ‘It was brilliant fun. Why didn’t you want to come?’

‘I didn’t know about it! Did you ring the mobile or the landline?’

‘Your mobile was dead, so I left a message on the landline. Didn’t you get it?’

‘No.’ Tash thought quickly. She’d slept in on Saturday morning and Adrian had gone to get the papers but they had an answerphone. ‘Maybe the phone’s not working properly. It goes through phases like that. I’ve missed one or two messages from Mum as well. I’ll get Ade to have a look at it. He normally fixes it.’

Emma gave her an odd look. ‘Well, shame you missed out, it was a good night. They’re doing them monthly though so maybe you can come for September’s?’

‘I’d like that.’ Tash smiled. She felt her well-ordered, efficient life was being eaten away at the edges. She hated this sense of losing control.

‘Training tonight. You going to come? Feeling up to it?’

Tash nodded and then picked up the ringing phone. ‘Good morning, Hughes and Widrow Estate Agents. Tash speaking, how may I help you?’ She took a deep breath. ‘Ah, hello Mrs Morrison.’

Chapter 16 (#ulink_1df38794-62e6-59d2-b353-e72d6d8be5aa)

Tash jogged to the end of the beach and stopped, putting her hands on her knees. She was out of puff and they’d only been running for ten minutes. The rest of them were way ahead of her so she straightened and concentrated on getting her breathing controlled. Maybe she wasn’t over the stomach bug quite yet.

She’d checked the answerphone when she’d got home. It was blank. All old messages deleted, it stated. Adrian had arrived home as she was reading the user manual. Assuring her he would sort it, he’d suggested she went for her run. For once, he seemed desperate for her to go out. She’d shrugged and had run upstairs to get changed. She really couldn’t keep up with his moods these days. Maybe Emma had rung the wrong number? Maybe the phone was faulty? The things were so complicated.

Putting it to the back of her mind, she concentrated on the view instead. The light was just going, leaving a rippled orange streak above the dark sea. It was very calm this evening, with barely a suggestion of a wave at the shoreline. The pubs and restaurants in town were packed and there was a steady stream of people wandering along the promenade. They stopped every now and again to admire the scenery or enjoy the planted flowerbeds. Berecombe was dressed in its summer party outfit, with red and orange begonias bursting out. It was still warm and Tash felt sweat cooling on her neck. Tying her hair up in a ponytail and repeating her thigh stretches, she hoped it was still the after-effects of her illness. Otherwise, it meant she had let herself become very unfit.

Emma jogged back to her. ‘What did Mrs Morrison want?’ She stretched her arms over her head. ‘Was it a complaint about me?’

Tash straightened. ‘No, actually. She wants one of us to go over and discuss the house going on the market.’ She grinned. ‘Mrs Morrison especially asked for the enthusiastic young lady who was so positive about her conservatory and was a big Poldark fan.’

Emma giggled. ‘That would be me.’ She pulled a face. ‘And conservatory? It’s a mildewed lean-to. It’ll take some selling, that place.’

‘It’ll sell as long as it’s on at the right price. The market down here is hot at the moment.’

‘All the more reason to have another agent working with us.’ They began jogging along the beach to catch up with the others.

‘I agree, Em. I’ll mention it to Pete at the next meeting. Again. Oh, and here’s a thought. Maybe Biddy and Arthur might like a look at the Morrisons’ place?’

‘Worth a try.’ Emma hiked up the strap of her running vest. ‘We deffo need another member of staff, though. I mean, look at you, Tash,’ she continued. ‘You’re never ill and you’ve been really poorly lately. We’re both doing too much and we can’t keep up. When was the last time you had any time off? And being off sick doesn’t count.’

As they joined the group, Kit looked over at Emma’s indignant voice.

Tash shot Emma a warning look. ‘Hi everyone,’ she said. ‘Didn’t mean to hold anyone up.’

‘You didn’t,’ Kit answered. ‘We’re just taking a breather before tackling the hill.’ He came closer. ‘Are you alright? You disappeared very quickly the other night.’

Tash looked up at him. She couldn’t help but take in the way his jogging bottoms clung to his muscles, how strong his arms looked and, more importantly, the warm concern in his eyes. She wished she could tell him what was happening. But she wasn’t even sure herself. Was she losing her mind? Was she run down or was she simply overworked as Emma had pointed out? ‘I’m fine. Thanks. Just laid low with some bug or other.’ She smiled at him and felt something fluttering inside. It was happiness. He made her happy and she hadn’t felt that for so long. She liked him. Would like to get to know him more. She gave herself a little shake. She’d told Emma off when she’d lusted after him and here she was, doing the same. Except it wasn’t just physical. She sensed a gentleness in Kit. A deep-rooted gentleness borne from his innate confidence. He was content being who he was. Adrian was always twitchily looking to see what other people had got, what they drove, how much they earned. Where he sat in the order. How he could get one in front of them. Kit was simply Kit. Happy to be who he was. And she didn’t think winning money had anything to do with it. She thought it had everything to do with the man himself.

‘Are you okay Tash?’

His hand, firm and warm on her bare arm, brought her back. ‘Yes,’ she managed. ‘Just getting my breath back.’

‘Ready to carry on?’

‘Ready.’

As one, the group turned and began running back along the promenade. As they jogged past the bookshop, Amy peeled off apologetically. They dodged through the crowds that were gathering on Millie’s terrace to enjoy the sunset and Emma, Millie, Jed and some of the others soon gained speed and surged ahead. Tash, still feeling under the weather, maintained a steadier pace and was pleased when Kit slowed to run alongside her. They didn’t speak but she was comforted by his presence. They skirted around the tourists until making their way to the narrow lane which ran steeply parallel to the main street. It was a quieter route out of town, away from the throngs of people and the fumes of the traffic.

Tash had to pull up halfway. Leaning against an oak tree, she pressed a hand to her side and gasped in pain at the stitch which had developed. Kit took her by the shoulders and led her to a gap in the hedge. Next to the kissing gate leading onto the coastal path was a bench. Guiding her to it, he sat her down and let her breathe through it.

Eventually she was well enough to sit up. Taking the water bottle he offered, she murmured, ‘Thanks.’ They sat in silence. Screened from the streetlights, it was dark, with only the occasional car headlights flaring briefly. The air smelled damp and bosky, of deep greenness and secrecy. An owl hooted somewhere. It made Tash jump and she laughed.

‘Noisy at this time of the year. Out hunting I expect,’ Kit said and they lapsed into silence again.

Tash concentrated on the moment and felt her shoulders relax. Her whole body relaxed. It was very peaceful sitting here. She’d forgotten the bench had such a fantastic view over Berecombe. She used to walk Benji along the coastal path but hadn’t done it for months. They often used to sit on this bench before the rest of the walk. Benji was lazy and demanded frequent rests. A laugh rippled through her as she remembered how he’d squat on his fat little bottom, refusing to move.