‘No, it hardly seems worth going home now,’ he said, glancing at his watch. ‘I’m happy to hang around here until they’re finished, if you are.’
‘Sounds good.’ Lou waved to Jack as they headed for the door, but he didn’t even see her. He was too busy racing around chasing a football, looking like he was having the time of his life.
Aidan was quite touched by Lou’s apology. Combative seemed to be her default mode and he could tell it wasn’t easy for her to back down. He could relate. But he was glad they were back on friendly terms again.
The café overlooking the bay was already busy, obviously bolstered by parents with kids at the sports camp as well as the usual tour groups stopping off on the Slea Head drive, but he was glad they managed to get a table outside, because the view from here was spectacular and he wanted Lou to see it. It was a bright, sunny day, and mild enough to sit outdoors. Lou’s reaction didn’t disappoint.
‘Wow! This is amazing!’ she gasped as they sat next to each other at a wooden table facing the sea.
Aidan smiled. It was truly stunning, and no matter how many times he’d been here, the view never failed to take his breath away. He was glad Lou was seeing it at its best today, the sun sparkling on the turquoise water, the huge cliffs and jagged rock formations jutting out of the sea, with the Blasket Islands rising majestically out of the water in the distance.
‘It doesn’t even seem real,’ Lou said. ‘It’s like graphics of some strange, mystical land from a video game. Can you walk down there?’ she asked, nodding to the winding pier below.
‘Yeah, we can go down there later.’ He smiled to himself, suddenly reminded of Emma. ‘So, what’ll you have?’ he asked, standing. ‘They do great cakes here.’ He waved to a blackboard positioned near the door.
Lou ran her eyes down the list. ‘Ooh, rhubarb crumble cake, please. And an Americano.’ She reached for her bag, but he held up a hand to stop her.
‘Please. It’s on me.’
‘Okay, thanks.’
He was glad she didn’t argue as he went inside to order. She was so stubbornly independent, it was a battle to do anything for her. He returned to Lou a few moments later and unloaded a couple of mugs of steaming coffee and two thick wedges of rhubarb cake topped with cream onto the table.
Lou curled both hands around her mug as she took a sip.
‘Are you cold?’ he asked. ‘We can go inside if you’d prefer.’
‘And miss this?’ She nodded to the view. ‘No, it’s lovely out here. I’m warm enough.’
‘This was a good choice,’ he said, as he lifted a forkful of cake to his mouth.
‘Mmm. It’s gorgeous.’
They ate in companionable silence, enjoying the view. ‘So what’s it like living over the shop?’ Lou asked eventually.
Aidan shrugged. ‘It works for us. It’s handy that I find out right away if there’s an issue, like a leak or something, instead of discovering it the next day. And I’m not wasting time driving back and forth between work and home, which gives me more time with Bo. Plus the staff are like a second family to her.’
‘They are all very fond of her.’
‘And it was great during lockdown.’
‘Did you do takeaway?’
‘Yeah, and being in the one place meant we could pivot pretty quickly. And then when things started to open up again, we already had the outside space, so that worked well.’
‘So, have you anything else planned for the week?’ she asked.
‘Nothing too strenuous. We’re going to go out on Abbie’s boat one day to see the dolphins. You’re welcome to come, if you like.’
‘Jack would love to see the dolphins. He’s been talking about it since we got here.’ She tapped her fingers on her coffee cup and he got the feeling she was thinking about the cost.
‘My treat,’ he said.
‘Thanks. Jack would love that. Me, not so much.’ She grimaced. ‘I can’t stand being on boats. I feel really sick.’
‘Oh no! That’s a shame.’ He smiled. ‘You didn’t think through moving here, did you?’
‘Oh, I love being by the sea. I love the scenery and sea swimming. It’s just being out on it…’ She gave a little shudder.
