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“I came here to find out what’s going on between you two.”
Straight to it, at least. I drop the pen and take a breath. “You and me both. You and me both.” I lean forward on the counter and shake my head. “Has she spoken to you? About us, I mean.” It sounds odd referring to us as that.
“Kind of. But she won’t share details. And, well, I thought you’d be able to help there. Because you’re the reason for, well, so many of Zennor’s decisions.”
Well, it was nice to hear that, but I wished it was because of good memories and not due to the surprises she revealed the other day on the beach. “I think we should have this conversation over a drink. Molly’s? Or something stronger?” I offer.
“Oh, I’m driving, so Molly’s is fine.”
“Rob, I’m heading out for a bit,” I call and walk with Tegan out of the shop.
“I like what you’ve done with the place, by the way. And I hear there’s a surf school coming?” She makes polite conversation as we wander down to Molly’s.
“Thanks. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
“My daughter would love lessons. We don’t get to come to the beach as often as we should, considering we’re just up the road.”
“You bet. Give me a call when you’re ready, and I’ll be happy to give her lessons. On me.”
“You don’t need to do that.” She shakes her head and declines gracefully, but this will be a perfect opportunity to log some training hours for my certification.
I open the door for Tegan, and she heads inside.
“Coffee?”
Tegan nods. “I’ll grab a table.”
God, it feels like we’re on the most awkward first date, but I want answers as much as Tegan does.
With the coffees on their way, I take the seat opposite and think about how much I should share of what I know.
“Did you know I came back a few times, looking for Zennor?” I start.
“No. God, I had no idea. Did you come to the house?”
She’s all wide-eyed at that little bit of knowledge. “Yeah, it was a few years after that summer. I was travelling the world to surf but had some free time to head back, and we stopped here.”
“We?” she asks, her eyebrows telling me she needed to know who I meant by we.
“My buddies. We surfed together. And I wanted to show them Tregethworth.”
“Wow. I wish I’d have known.”
“I wished I’d seen Zennor or anyone who could have let her know I was looking for her.”
“I know you wrote her postcards. I gave her the two that arrived.”
“Really? Huh. I hoped that they never arrived in a way, although I wrote a hell of a lot more than two. You don’t know what could have happened to the rest?”
The coffees arrive, and Tegan nurses her mug between her hands.
“No, although the address wasn’t complete. I’m surprised they reached us in the first place. I thought you’d stopped writing. I know Zen was really upset and miserable when you left. And she only seemed to get worse. We all knew she was hurting, but she just pushed us away.”
“I wanted her to write to me, but she didn’t. I hoped she’d change her mind, but she never did, or at least I never received anything. When I came back here and saw her at the pub, I couldn’t believe it.”
“You didn’t come back for her, then?” She tilts her head and looks at me.
“No.” And that was the truth. “I came back for me. I didn’t even know she was here. I had a surfing accident, which finished my career. I needed to change my way of life and so decided to set down roots.”
