Will opened the passenger door for her, chewing the inside of his cheek so not to grin as she passed him to clamber inside without making eye contact.
The silence on the drive to Harbour End Road wasn’t as unnerving as he thought it might be. Just the fact she was sitting by his side was settling.
He parked outside the B&B and went to open the truck door, but Ginny touched his arm.
‘Will, there’s something I want to say.’
‘What is it?’
‘I want to apologize for how I spoke to you on Christmas Day at the pub. I was out of line.’
‘I was the one who put my foot in it, sharing your secret.’
‘I know, but I could have handled it better. Again, it was more about my mum than anything else. Having therapy has helped me see these things now.’
‘I’m still sorry for opening my mouth about your business.’
She smiled softly. ‘I’d like to move on from all that now.’
‘Me too.’ He pointed at the window. ‘Follow me.’
Ginny got out the vehicle and went to walk towards Seaview B&B.
‘No, this way,’ said Will, gesturing towards the tea shop, with a roll of the arm.
She didn’t look too impressed when she came to an abrupt halt outside his new business. Okay, so it wasn’t finished, but the sign was up, even if covered by tarpaulin.
‘Now, hear me out,’ said Will, pointing at the dust-covered window.
Ginny folded her arms and shivered, and it was at that moment he noticed she didn’t have a coat on. He quickly whipped off his dark jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
‘Right,’ he added, trying not to shiver himself. ‘You once had a dream about owning Harbour Light Café, right?’
She didn’t respond. Her eyes fixed only on the window of the shop.
Will continued. ‘Okay, well, then your dream changed, but before you could do anything about it, I came along with my own tearoom idea.’
Still no response.
‘So, here’s what I have in mind,’ he added. ‘See what you think.’ He moved away from her side to go over to the door, then with one robust tug on a rope, he pulled down most of the tarpaulin, as some of it refused to budge, not that it mattered. What he wanted her to see was clear enough.
Ginny gasped, and he hoped it was one of delight.
‘Erm, so . . .’ Will swallowed hard. ‘Here’s my proposal. A swap. I take the café, and you have this place. Obviously the café is worth more, so I’ll pay the difference. So that’s my idea. I get to have a business that pretty much runs itself, which is what I wanted, and you get to have your dream.’
She was still staring wide-eyed at the sign. ‘Ginny’s Tearoom,’ she read aloud.
‘That’s just so you get the idea of where I’m coming from.’ Will cleared his throat. ‘You can call it what you want.’
Watery eyes met his. ‘I love it,’ she whispered, shivering into his jacket.
‘I love you, Ginny. I want you to be happy.’ He also really wanted her to be warm. ‘Sit back in the truck. It’s cold out here.’ Before she could respond, he bundled her inside and switched the engine back on.
‘Thank you,’ she said quietly.
‘That’s okay. Your lips were starting to turn blue.’
‘No, I meant for thinking of this. Of me. Swapping shops.’
