Page 53 of The Secret Beach

‘You’ve got nothing to hide, Mum. You’re squeaky clean. But don’t tell him too much.’

‘Of course not.’ Helen put her hand to her chest. All this analysis was making her panic.

‘Don’t worry, Mum.’ Nikki cast her eye over everything Jess had found so far. Ralph looked as if he had a nice life. Nothing too flashy but very comfortable. A decent-sized flat converted from a big old house in Somerset. His clothes looked lived in but good quality. He looked as if he’d fit in at the table here. He looked kind, she thought. As if he’d always have a packet of Polos on him. ‘I’m sure he’s above board.’

Jess wasn’t so reassuring.

‘You want to know everything about him, and for him to know nothing about you when you first meet. You can’t be too careful. There’s loads of scammers out there. You’ve heard the stories. Women falling in love and then getting taken in by a sob story and handing over their cash.’

‘I’d never do that.’

‘You say that. But these con men can be very clever.’ Jess was still typing, scanning the information, processing it. Nikki had to feel sorry for Ralph Potter. By the end of it, Jess would know his inside leg measurement and which way he dressed.

Finally, Jess came to a halt. ‘OK,’ she said. ‘If you want to meet him, I think he’s legit. But we’ll have rules. We need to know when you’re going. And where you’re going.’

‘You’re not going to stalk me?’

‘No,’ said Jess, but Helen didn’t look convinced.

‘I think he looks lovely,’ said Nikki.

‘Make sure he pays, as well,’ said Jess.

Nikki and Helen exchanged amused glances.

‘What are you like?’ asked Nikki.

‘What am I like?’ Jess put her hands on her hips. ‘Not an idiot. That’s what I’m like. Nothing gets past me anymore. I’ve learned from bitter experience that people have to earn your trust. Even those close to you.’

Nikki felt her heartbeat falter for one moment. She closed down her laptop. ‘If I don’t make a move, I’m going to be late for my meeting. See you on Friday, at the bar opening?’

‘I’ll see you there,’ said Helen. ‘I’m going to drop in for ten minutes to see what it’s like.’

‘I’m on duty so I’ll miss it,’ said Jess. ‘No peace for the wicked.’

Nikki tried not to show that she was relieved her sister wasn’t going. Sometimes life was easier without Jess to compete with, even now. And her conscience was pricking. But she hugged her sister just the same. She loved her. She always had and always would.

26

‘This is out of this world.’

Phoebe and Alec stood arm in arm in the middle of the field, gazing at the cobalt sea in the distance. The breeze rummaged amidst the grass and flowers – cornflowers and poppies and red campion shimmered in its wake. Overhead a buzzard wheeled across a pale blue sky, spying on proceedings, ready to report back as to why there were four people standing in the meadow when usually there was no one.

‘It’ll be a challenge, pulling this together,’ Nikki told them. ‘And it’s a bit of a risk but because you’ve got the budget, I think Tamsin and I can make it work.’

They were in the middle of arguably the most picturesque farm for miles around. Perched high on a cliff overlooking the ocean, Nikki had been trying for years to persuade her oldest friend to diversify into weddings. Tamsin was standing next to her now, in her trademark jodhpurs and boots and a big fleece, looking part doubtful, part optimistic.

Contrary to popular belief, holding a wedding in the middle of a field was not a cheap option. Customers often wanted a festival feel for their nuptials, and thought sticking a marquee up and serving street food would be half the price of using a big hotel or wedding venue. The opposite was true. There were no facilities here, so everything would have to be hired in and transported, from loos to a mobile kitchen to water for washing up. But because Phoebe and Alec had given her a generous budget, Nikki thought she could make it happen. Then she could prove to Tamsin that it might be worth investing in all these facilities.

Tamsin had also lost her father the night of the disaster. They had both found it incredibly tough, losing their wonderful dads, but they’d been equally determined to follow in their fathers’ footsteps, even though they’d had big shoes to fill. As an only child, Tamsin had been catapulted into running Windcutter Farm. Over the years Tamsin had tried various schemes to make money alongside the sheep that had been the Amory livelihood for generations, and because of its glorious location, tourism had been her friend. Her biggest earner was riding holidays, but it was becoming more and more difficult to make a profit as the cost of looking after the horses had shot up.

Nikki felt a surge of affection for her brave, hardworking friend and was determined to make this wedding work as a blueprint for the future. She prayed that Alec and Phoebe would fall in love with the location and give her plan the go-ahead.

She drew breath, ready to begin her pitch.

‘As you can see, we’ve got a beautiful wild-flower meadow here with the sea as a backdrop. So, I want to keep everything as close to nature as we can. And the best thing is this site has very little light pollution. Obviously, it’ll be summer, so it’s not as good as autumn or winter for stargazing, but the moon is a waning crescent on the night of your wedding, so the sky will be at its darkest. My idea is to get a marquee with a clear roof, so everyone can look up and see the constellations. I’ve sourced some powerful telescopes, and I’ve found an astronomer who can come and mingle with the guests after dinner and show them what to look out for. All very relaxed, but I think it could be very special and a bit different.’

‘I can’t believe it.’ Phoebe looked shell-shocked. ‘This is better than anything we imagined.’

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