She pauses and takes a breath. ‘Dave Coombes was an attractive man back then. He had a Harrison Ford look about him; tall, well built, square faced and wavy brown hair. Dave had quite a few admirers in Blue Cove Bay.’
I gesture for her to continue.
‘What you need to understand, Alice, is that your father has never had much confidence. When we were all teenagers, he was the shy one. Your mum made the first move with their relationship and asked him out, which was a big thing back then. I don’t think he’d had many girlfriends. After they got married Brian would always joke and say that your mum could have done better.’
She takes a sip of water and I recall the old photos of Mum and Dad in the family albums. Dad would always be at the back of any gathering and if there was one of him and Mum, he would always stand behind her. I never picked up on Dad not having much confidence.
Rose continues. ‘Your father used to get upset at hearing she’d been walking with Dave. Your parents had a series of rows and there were a few occasions where your mum ended up sleeping in my spare room.’
‘I never knew this.’
‘They made friends the next day but talking about the hiking club became difficult for your mum.’ Rose fidgets in her chair. ‘It got to the point where she chose not to mention Dave being at hiking club and if Brian asked her whether Dave had been there, she lied and said he’d stopped going. She claimed it wasn’t worth the hassle. Looking back, she should have talked to your father about his insecurities, I think your dad assumed Dave had left the hiking club. But Dave hadn’t left.’
An uncomfortable feeling passes over me.
Rose takes another sip of water. ‘Your dad also has a lot of guilt over not being with your mum when she died. He’s very protective – which I am sure you know. Anyway, on the day she died, your dad didn’t want her to go hiking. He claimed the conditions were bad. Your mum loved an adventure, and she loved difficult hikes. Brian told me she’d shrugged off his worries and walked off telling him she’d see him later.’
I sense Rose is building up to something as she keeps wetting her lips. ‘Dave Coombes was with your mum when she died on the coastal path.’
Noah’s dad was with Mum in her final moments. ‘But I thought she was with her hiking club when she slipped?’
Rose nods. ‘She was with her hiking club and there are few in the town who were there. The trouble was that Dave was there too. Your mum died in Dave’s arms.’
‘Mum died in Noah’s dad’s arms?’ Tears rush to my eyes, and I blink them away.
‘Your father was told this and he took it badly,’ sighs Rose. ‘He thought Dave had left the hiking club. He claimed Julie had been lying to cover up their affair. I don’t know whether it was shock or grief, but your dad became obsessed with the rumour that before she died, your mum and Dave were having an affair. He confronted Dave Coombes at a wedding reception, and you know how that ended. All this negativity and fear has turned Brian into a different person. I spent years trying to convince him Julie would not have been unfaithful. This is why Brian hated the Coombes family so much.’
‘This is why he’s getting stressed about Noah being back.’
Rose nods. ‘He’s scared, Alice. He’s been afraid of you knowing the truth for years. Seeing you with Noah has reawakened all that bad stuff.’
‘Thank you for telling me, Rose.’
She shakes her head. ‘I shouldn’t be the one telling you this. I’m sorry it got to this.’
‘I appreciate you telling me.’
Frankie gets back in his chair. ‘Look, Alice, you’ve been through a lot. I am not going to fire you. I have messaged this Matilda and asked her to take down the YouTube video. Even though you deleted it on Facebook, the link has appeared on Instagram and X.
‘Thanks, Frankie.’
‘You look like you need a glass of wine. Before I go, how is everyone in Blue Cove Bay? Any local drama I should be aware of?’
‘Joy is selling the gift shop. Wants to move to North Devon.’
Frankie’s eyes widen. ‘How’s Esme taken this?’
‘She doesn’t want to go and has started standing up to Joy.’
He scratches his stubble-coated chin. ‘Esme has spent years telling us all she’s not going to let Joy walk all over her. It never happens.’
‘I think you might be surprised to hear she’s changing. After all these years I finally think she’s going to do the unthinkable and stand up to Joy. I lent her a book which she loved and she got her hair cut into a short bob a few days later. Can you believe that? Esme has cut her hair. It looks amazing. She has also revealed she and Keith from the bookshop have started dating.
Frankie’s mouth has fallen open in surprise. ‘Blimey, Alice, that’s big news. What book did you lend her?’
‘The Approval Listby Celia Black – you know the one…’
He grins. ‘The one you read and a week later you asked Pete to leave. A word of advice – do not leave that book around The Little Love Café or I’ll come back to no business whatsoever.’
