Page 12 of The Little Cottage by the Cornish Sea

‘Forget about it,’ I muttered as I shrugged out of my coat. ‘What are you so happy about?’ Scratch that. He was always happy.

He grinned. ‘I finally cracked the bastard!’

‘Eh…?’

‘There was nothing wrong with the cistern or anything except for a bunch of debris, but I’ve cleaned it out and now your water runs like a waterfall!’

He followed me into the house and turned on the tap as I slumped onto a chair in the kitchen. ‘Look, see? Hey, what’s wrong?’ he asked, hunkering down before me.

‘Huh? Oh, it’s Mrs Nankivell. We had to take her to the hospital this afternoon.’

‘Geez, is she going to be okay?’

‘Yes, but I was really worried for a moment.’

‘Can I do anything for you?’ he asked. ‘Get you a cup of tea?’

‘Tea would be nice, thanks,’ I said, suddenly very down.

This was happening to me more and more. I thought I’d been able to shut down the empathy button, what with my own tumultuous emotions taking up the brunt of my energy, but I simply couldn’t switch off my caring mode.

I tried to ignore it, but it was as if I actually felt the suffering of others in my own heart, and to be honest, it wasn’t a gift I was happy with.

All I wanted was to make myself a new life, far away from the source of my own problems. I asked for nothing more, except for my freedom and for my baby to be healthy and happy.

‘Here you go,’ Noah said, snapping me out of my misery. He’d had the time to make the tea and place some biscuits on a plate and I hadn’t even noticed.

‘Oh. Thank you, Noah…’

‘Are you going to be okay?’

‘Yes, yes, of course. Have a seat and sip with me,’ I said, trying to be flippant, but it didn’t work.

He sat opposite me on the armchair and slowly sipped his tea. ‘So, I was wondering, would you like to go to dinner some time? With me, I mean?’

I looked up at him. ‘Dinner?’

‘Just as friends,’ he said hastily. ‘I’m still new here and really don’t know that many people, and you seem like a nice person.’

He was a nice bloke. Well-mannered. Kind. And I could use some company right now.

‘That would be great,’ I said, tucking my legs under me.

He grinned, his teeth white and straight. ‘Yeah?’

I nodded. ‘Yeah.’ Why not?

‘So, I’ll give you a bell?’

‘That would be nice.’

He drained the last of his tea and jumped to his feet as if his seat had caught fire. ‘Great. I’m off, then! See you!’

I sat up. ‘Oh? Okay.’

After Noah left, I sat, listless. I had been looking forward to a chat with him.

With anyone, really. But I couldn’t just ring people up and start chewing the breeze, could I?

As kind as Emmie and her friends were, people had their own lives and their own worries.

I certainly didn’t want to add to their problems.

I fished out my mobile and dialled Tamsin’s number.

‘Hello?’ she said. She sounded as if she was a million miles away, on another planet.

‘It’s me,’ I whispered.

‘Kate?’ came her gruff voice.

I hadn’t heard my real name in what seemed like ages.

‘Where the hell have you been? ’ she cried. ‘Are you all right?’

‘I’m okay. The signal’s pretty iffy at best here.’ I had been lucky that I’d manged to call Robert about Nan. That would have been terrible otherwise. I’d have had to take action myself and… I shuddered at the thought of not being able to help her.

‘If you would only tell me where here is,’ she pleaded.

‘I’d rather not, in case Will or the police ask you.’

‘They have asked me.’

‘What did you tell him?’

‘That the theft and the blackmailing have absolutely nothing to do with you.’

‘I’m so sorry I ran, Tamsin!’

‘Well, it doesn’t make you look good, with Will insisting that you are the thief. I quietly suggested to the police that he was having financial problems… so now they are also looking into him. He had it coming.’

‘Thank you for doing that for me, Tams. You always said I should leave him, but I could never find the courage, until the day I ran. I had gone to his house to break up with him, you know?’

‘Good for you, Kate. God, I could kill him…’

‘I am okay,’ I said truthfully. I hadn’t realised how okay I was. I was just a little lonely, but Emmie had promised to introduce me to even more of her friends. ‘I miss you, though, Tams.’

‘Oh, sweetie, we miss you too!’

‘How is my little Jake?’

‘He’s great. He’s already asking after you.’

‘Give him a big cuddle for me. And Mike?’

‘He went in for more chemo yesterday. He’ll be okay.’

‘Oh, Tams, I’m so sorry for leaving you at such a difficult time in your life, but it all happened so fast and I had no choice…’

‘Kate?’

‘Yeah?’

‘We both know he was bad for you.’

I sighed heavily. Tamsin didn’t need to hear any of this. She had her own problems with Mike.

‘Well, on top of everything else that you already know, when I got to his home, it was full of women’s clothing. And let me tell you, he isn’t a cross-dresser.’

‘The scumbag!’ she spat.

‘Yeah…’

‘Honey, come home, talk to the police, I’ll testify in your favour…’

‘Tams, I can’t risk it. I’m okay now. Really, I am. I’ve met some very lovely people who seem to be protective of anyone who lives here.’

‘I’m happy to hear that, sweetie. But financially? How long can you live on your savings? Do you want me to send you some money?’

‘I’m fine. I’ve got a job,’ I lied. ‘And I’ve rented a lovely little cottage.’ If it weren’t for her own troubled life, Tamsin could move down here too, and maybe find some peace herself. It seemed that people from broken homes attracted each other in life. ‘Maybe one day, you can come and see me?’

She sighed. ‘Does this mean you’re not coming back at all, not even when your name is cleared? What about… about…’ she floundered, looking for my oh-so-many reasons to be happy. ‘…everything else? Me and Jake?’

‘You three are the only people I really care for in the world,’ I croaked. But even as I said that, the faces of some of the villagers came to mind. Emmie and her daughter Felicity, for instance, and Mrs Nankivell. Even Robert and Noah.

Everyone else, Mum, Dad and my grandparents were but a distant memory now.

‘Can I come and see you?’ she asked. ‘Just to make sure you’re okay?’

I wasn’t yet ready to tell her I was expecting a baby. It would be too much and she already had enough to worry about. I’d tell her later. ‘The police are probably watching you. I am okay, Tams, really.’

‘Okay. But just in case, you know I’m a phone call away. Just so you know, I’m listing you here as Maria.’

I chuckled. ‘I’ve always wanted to be a Maria…’

‘No, you haven’t.’

‘I cut my hair,’ I said out of nowhere. Tamsin and I were like that.

‘Good job. Although your honey-coloured mane was your trademark; maybe you should dye it too.’

‘Maybe. We’ll see.’ Of course, it would make me disappear completely. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it myself.

‘I miss you,’ she said.

My throat constricted. ‘So do I. I miss you and Mike and Jake…’

‘Promise you’ll call me, whatever you need?’

I nodded as if she could see me. ‘Promise.’

When we rang off, I felt more homesick than ever. I felt affection -sick.

I wondered whether Mrs Nankivell was okay, so I texted Dr A.

How is she?

He texted back immediately.

What are you still doing up? She’s rallying, thanks to you. Go to sleep now. Rx

Aw. R for Robert and X for a kiss. How sweet was this man, and how much of an effort did he make to hide it?