Page 56 of Love from Pretty Beach

D arby was not in a fancy dress with ruffles.

She was sporting a raincoat over jeans, although it wasn’t technically raining, but it was threatening to drizzle.

All scraps of makeup from her face from the night before were long gone, bar a tinted moisturiser that performed miracles.

Her hair was in a ponytail, a bounce was in her step, and life felt good.

It had been very nice to dress up, the supper club in the bookshop had been fantastic, and the gift that had just kept on giving, but ultimately, Darby was happy to be in jeans and ballet flats.

On her way to Archie’s house for the afternoon, she was so pleased to be back seeing him again that she had to keep pinching herself.

So much so that the force of her feelings surprised her.

Yes, she’d thought she’d liked people before.

Yup, she’d told herself in previous years that she’d been in love.

Now she knew that that had all been playacting.

Now the real deal had strolled into her life and presented itself.

She was a bit scared, but, you know, what did you do?

Did you jump in and let life lead you? Did you think stuff it and let yourself grow?

Or did you continue to shelter in the low of the lows so that nothing could upset the apple cart?

Darby was pleased she’d taken the option to grow.

Walking past the harbour, all sorts of cloud colours topped the water; Pretty Beach even did incoming rain clouds well. Arriving at Archie’s front door, she was surprised to see him ready to go out. He looked up at the sky. ‘Any rain on your way here?’

‘Not yet. I actually think it might blow over.’

‘Right, excellent.’ Archie handed Darby an umbrella and a small wicker picnic basket.

Darby frowned and did not compute. ‘I thought we were having tea here.’

‘Tea is in a flask. I thought we would walk up to the picnic tables at the lighthouse. Remember, we said we’d go up there more often when we were there that night. If it’s drizzling, we’ll be under cover.’

Darby wasn’t really up for it. She stayed quiet.

The man had packed up a picnic and a flask of tea.

Who was she to complain? Swooping in a circle around the harbour, they were soon going up towards the lighthouse and the rain had indeed blown over.

Spots of blue punctuated the sky here and there, the lighthouse gleamed, and the air coming in off the sea worked its magic.

Chatting all the way, Darby felt happy. ‘Wasn’t it great last night? I loved that setting.’

Archie nodded. ‘Yep.’

‘It was my first supper club and hopefully not my last.’

‘It’s hard to get tickets. I was lucky. I had to call in a favour…’

‘So I’ve heard. You can stay.’ Darby joked.

‘You can’t really go wrong with it, though, right?’

‘No. I have to say Lottie’s food was outstanding too.’

‘You’re not wrong.’

A rriving at the lighthouse, both Darby and Archie gazed up for a bit at the top. Then they found a bench overlooking the sea, sat down and got settled. The flask of tea came out, but tucked in the basket was also a mini bottle of champagne, plus two flutes.

Darby made a funny face. ‘Is this a champagne moment? I thought you said you made tea.’

‘There is tea, yep, this works too.’

‘And champagne? Strange combo.’

Archie put two glasses on the table. ‘I wanted to toast something.’

Darby made a face and frowned. ‘Right. Like what?’

Archie popped the bottle of champagne and poured it slowly into the flutes. He then pulled out a square white cake box from the picnic basket he’d been carrying.

Darby chuckled. ‘I think I know what that is. Not another expensive cake, is it?’

Archie smiled, turned the box around so that the opening was towards Darby and slid it across the table. He did the same with the glass of bubbles. ‘There you go.’

‘Champagne and tiramisu. A new combination. One I believe I will like.’

‘Yep.’

Darby opened the box and stared for ages. Flicking her eyes up to him, she shook her head. ‘What?’

‘What do you mean what?’

‘What is that?’ Darby tapped the box in confusion.

‘What does it say?’

Darby looked down into the box. The fizzle that had ended her previous year arrived at the bottom of her nose. This time it wasn’t a sad fizzle. Far from it. ‘What?’

Archie laughed, got up and leaned over the table to peer into the box. ‘You scared me for a second then. I thought it had got messed up.’ He kissed her.

Darby felt tears in both eyes and then running down both cheeks. She turned back to the tiramisu and read again the four words in cocoa powder on top of the cake. I love you, Darbs.

Darby looked out over the sea and Pretty Beach, up at the lighthouse, back to the cake and then at Archie. Here she was sitting by a lighthouse, looking out to sea with the love of her life, telling her that he loved her back. Unreal, unbelievable, unfathomable.

‘I love you, too.’

Darby sipped her champagne. Wow, he loved her. She loved him more. There was something else she was now in love with: her life.