The Little Book Café

‘Wonderful view,’ Kit said quietly, echoing her thoughts.

It was. Tash’s eyes followed the trickle of white houses descending the river valley. The white lights strung along the prom like a diamond necklace leading to the harbour and its still, black water. ‘I love it here,’ she whispered, not knowing if she meant Berecombe or the intimate peace of the bench shaded in its arbour of trees. She turned to Kit. He seemed very close. She could hear his breathing. It was uneven and ragged. Was it possible he felt what she did? He inched nearer. She sensed rather than saw his lips move towards hers.

‘Tash?’

‘Oh, Kit.’

A flare of headlights blinded her and she jolted back. What was she thinking? She was in a relationship. ‘I have to go,’ she panicked. ‘I have to get back to Adrian.’

‘Of course,’ Kit muttered.

Was that regret in his voice, or was it her fevered imagination?

Chapter 17 (#ulink_5e365723-2343-5df1-8506-1aa15f1c3d54)

Adrian bounced into the sitting room brandishing an enormous bouquet. ‘Roses for my rose. Lilies for my lily,’ he exclaimed.

Tash was touched. He used to buy her flowers every week when they first got together. She took them and inhaled. ‘Oh, they’re gorgeous Ade. And the creams and whites even match the colours in the room. I’ll go and find a vase. They’ll look perfect on the sideboard. Thank you.’

Adrian looked abashed. He pursed his lips. ‘Thought they might make up for my behaviour lately. I know I’ve been a grump. Work’s a bit—’ he paused ‘—tense at the moment.’

Tash stood up. ‘Oh Ade, why didn’t you say?’ She gave him a hug. ‘You know you can talk to me about stuff. It’s not good to bottle it all up.’

‘Yes well, I don’t like to bring it home.’ He huffed. ‘Nothing more tedious than a work bore. Your training going well?’

Tash, disconcerted by the change of subject, disentangled herself. She went into the utility and hunted for the Waterford crystal vase she’d stashed in the cupboard. A pang of guilt shot through her as she remembered the bliss of sitting on the bench next to Kit. Of so nearly kissing him. ‘Yes, fine. Didn’t I say?’

Adrian followed her. He lifted her hair off her neck and kissed it, sucking hard. It would leave a bruise later. ‘You just headed for the shower last night without a word.’ He gave a short laugh.

Tash frowned as she cut off the cellophane. She was sure they’d had a brief conversation about how far she’d run. She dismissed the thought and concentrated on arranging the flowers. Adrian was so thoughtful sometimes. He really liked to spoil her. ‘You still up for the meal at my parents on Friday? I’d like to spend some time with them before they go on holiday.’

Adrian pouted and then rearranged his face as he caught her look at him. ‘Nice to be able to jet off to the Algarve for six weeks.’

Tash didn’t rise to the bait. ‘Well, Dad worked hard. He retired early so he could do things like that and he loves his golf.’ She pressed her nose into the bouquet. Disappointingly, they had no scent. She wasn’t sure why Adrian was so jealous of her father. Tweaking the flowers, she said, ‘These are really lovely Ade. You’ll enjoy the meal when you get there. They always make such a fuss over you.’

As it turned out, Tash and Adrian didn’t make the meal with her parents. Just as they were about to leave, Adrian rushed to the bathroom and Tash heard him being violently sick. Coming out, he clutched his stomach saying he must have caught the bug she’d had.

Tash got him to bed. Putting a glass of water by his bedside, she was about to leave when he caught her hand.

‘Don’t go, Natasha,’ he pleaded. ‘You know how awful I am at being ill.’

She sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Oh Ade, it’s the last time I’ll see Mum and Dad before they go on holiday.’

He pouted. ‘They’re only going to Portugal. They’ll be back before you know it.’ When she didn’t say anything, he continued. ‘I don’t see my parents from one year to the next.’

This was true. Adrian was detached from his family; he rarely saw them. Tash had never met them. ‘That’s not fair Adrian, they all live in Cumbria. It’s not easy for you to get to see yours. And you know how close I am to mine.’

‘I wouldn’t be ill if it wasn’t for you.’ He sighed mutinously. ‘This must be the bug you had.’

‘That’s not fair either. I recovered days ago. It might just be something you ate.’ The words came out more sharply than she intended and made her feel guilty.

‘Oh Tash, stay,’ he pleaded as he grabbed her hand. ‘Keep me company. Let’s watch some television and be all cosy.’ He jack-knifed in the bed and groaned. ‘I feel awful.’

Tash looked at him in concern. Adrian was prone to stress-related stomach upsets and was a dreadful patient, but this looked much worse. He was clammy with sweat and had gone a peculiar puce. Perhaps she shouldn’t leave him. It was doubtful it was the same bug she’d had after the party; she’d been fine after sleeping it off. ‘Should I call a doctor?’

‘No, no,’ he answered weakly. ‘They always take ages to come out after hours.’ He turned and opened his eyes, a brilliant blue in his flushed face. ‘I’ll be okay as long as you stay with me, darling.’

Tash gave in. ‘I’ll just go and ring them and apologise.’

‘Good girl.’ He pulled the duvet up around his shoulders and relaxed. ‘And put the heating on, will you? I’m freezing.’

Tash’s parents were understanding. ‘I haven’t seen you for weeks, though, Tash,’ her father said on the phone. ‘I missed you when you collected Benji the other day. And didn’t you get the message your mother left on Thursday?’

‘That must be the answerphone having a fit,’ she explained. ‘It’s been a bit erratic lately. Look, I’ll try and pop over in the morning before you go. Have a quick coffee.’ After chatting a little more, she hung up and went back upstairs.

Two hours later, after a couple of episodes of The Crown, Adrian declared himself suddenly better. ‘And you know what?’ He said with a grin. ‘I’m ravenous!’

Chapter 18 (#ulink_e125850c-9cbc-5896-9f6d-8e509588e99a)

The following morning, Tash arrived at her parents’ house to find them in a state of panic.

‘Tash darling,’ Keith Taylor kissed his daughter. ‘Thank goodness you’re here. The kennels have just rung to say there’s been a mix up with the booking and they can’t take Benji. Your mother’s on the phone to them now.’

The Westie cowered in the corner of the hall, looking deeply unhappy.

Tash picked him up and soothed him. She kissed the top of his white head. ‘Poor Benji.’ His trembling lessened slightly. ‘He hates the sight of suitcases.’

They went into the kitchen where Nadia, Tash’s mother, was having a terse conversation on the phone. Tash could tell from her clipped speech that her mother was furious. She sat down with Benji on her lap and fed the dog a sneaky fragment of biscuit. Keith gestured to the coffee pot and she nodded.

Nadia put the receiver down very, very carefully. ‘Well, that’s that. I’m never, ever using them again.’ She registered Tash’s arrival, gave her a swift kiss and stroked the dog’s ears. ‘Poor boy. Homeless.’ She sighed, melodramatically and sank onto a kitchen chair.

‘Have you tried anywhere else?’ Tash pushed a mug of coffee towards her.

‘Of course I have! And once they realised their appalling mistake, the kennels rang around everyone they knew.’ Nadia spread her hands wide. ‘It’s August. Everyone’s on holiday. Everywhere they tried was fully booked.’

‘It’s outrageous,’ Keith began.

‘Darling,’ Nadia warned. ‘Think of your blood pressure.’

‘But we’ve got to go in an hour. You know what security’s like nowadays, it takes forever to get through it.’

‘They’ve not been the same since the new owners took over. Basil and Jenny were so good.’ Nadia drank her coffee and then pulled a face. ‘Ugh. No sugar. I must have yours, Tash.’

They swapped mugs. ‘I’ll have to have him,’ Tash offered.

Nadia stared at her daughter. ‘But you can’t.’

‘Why not?’ She gave the dog a hug. ‘We’ll get on just fine. Don’t you trust me?’