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“She can come now,” Trystan said. “It’s fine with me.”
“Are you sure?” She flashed him a grateful smile. “I won’t be long.”
“Take as long as you want.” Trystan’s forehead crinkled as he frowned. “Not that you need to spend a long time cleaning. You really don’t need to clean at all … I just meant that you don’t need to rush on my account. I’ll find something to keep Ellie entertained.”
“Thank you.” She switched her attention to Ellie. “Be good, okay?”
“Okay,” she said as she skipped out of the door.
“I really won’t be long,” Beth said to Trystan, the warmth of his gaze making her wish she wasn’t up to her elbows in cleaning supplies and feeling so dishevelled.
“See you in a bit.” His eyes lingered on her for a couple of seconds too long before he went after Ellie.
Left alone, the last of the cleaning hardly took any time. Once she’d finished, she scraped her hair into a ponytail and inspected her face in the mirror before deciding there wasn’t much she could do about her appearance. Collecting up the last of their things meant she was laden down with various tote bags and jackets and a balloon in the shape of a giraffe when she set off up the lane.
Ellie and Trystan were out in the garden playing with a kids’ tennis set.
“Thanks for keeping an eye on her,” Beth said.
“You’re welcome.” He held the ball out to Ellie as he crouched to her level. “I have to go and do some work now.”
“Can we play again another time?”
“Yes.” He straightened up and his eyes locked with Beth’s. “I guess we’ll be seeing a bit of each other, if you’re staying for the whole summer.”
“Let’s see. Mirren might be sick of us in a few days and send us packing.”
“I can’t see that happening.”
Mirren stepped outside, offering Beth a welcoming smile. “Me neither.” She looked to Trystan. “Are you staying for a coffee?”
“No. I should get going.” He held the plastic tennis racket out to Beth. His fingers brushed hers as she took it, and she deliberately avoided catching his eye in case her cheeks were as red as she suspected they were. He ducked inside for his bags before saying goodbye to them and striding away to the cottage.
“I’ll show you around, then let you get unpacked and settled,” Mirren said. On the tour of the house she told them repeatedly to make themselves at home. She couldn’t have been more welcoming and even entertained Ellie in the garden so Beth could unpack in peace.
They spent the day in the garden and down on the beach, then ate dinner on the patio with Mirren. Having another adult around made a welcome change, and Mirren commented that she enjoyed the company too. Once Ellie was settled in the large double bed, Beth poured herself a glass of wine and took it out onto the patio to enjoy the sunset. Mirren was tucked away in the living room, reading a book.
As Beth listened to the sound of the waves washing onto the shore, everything felt wonderfully peaceful. Occasionally, she glanced down to the row of cottages on the lane, her eyes pausing on Peswera Cottage and the gentle glow of light seeping from the living room window. As the wine relaxed her further, Beth wondered when she’d see Trystan next. His remark about seeing a lot of each other came back to her, and she found herself hoping he was right.
The only sign of him the following day was the paddling pool and sun loungers that had appeared in the garden before they even got up. Apparently, Mirren had messaged Trystan the previous day, asking him to dig the pool out of the garage and set it up. The slight pang of disappointment Beth felt at having missed him was quickly replaced by an immense amount of gratitude as she lazed on a sun-lounger and read while Ellie happily splashed away.
Late in the afternoon, she coaxed Ellie into a walk to the town, where they made a quick trip to the supermarket so she could cook dinner that evening. Mirren had already offered, but Beth had insisted that while she’d love for them to eat together, there was no way she could let Mirren cook every evening. She glanced into Peswera Cottage as they passed it, feeling her heart quickening as she did. Sadly, she didn’t catch so much as a glimpse of Trystan and chastised herself for thinking about him so much.
On Saturday morning, Beth’s mind had shifted firmly away from Trystan and was somewhere else entirely. Her stomach was knotted so tightly when she woke up that she couldn’t manage breakfast. When Ellie asked to go on the train, she couldn’t be bothered to try to persuade her otherwise.
Down at Porthcressa Beach, Beth felt slightly relieved to find that Kit wasn’t working, so she avoided the embarrassment of taking yet another train trip. Noah’s girlfriend, Keira, took the tour. She was enthusiastic as she gave information about the island, and her love of the place shone through.
Despite Keira’s energy, Beth struggled to concentrate on the tour and her mind wandered constantly. She felt as though she was on autopilot as she led Ellie to a cafe for lunch after the train trip. They were tucking into thick slabs of chocolate cake when Beth’s phone rang.
“Happy birthday!” Dee crooned down the phone.
“Thank you.”
“Are you having a nice day?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Actually, she wished she could crawl into bed and only emerge when the day was over.
“You don’t sound fine,” Dee said sadly.
