Page 59 of The Path to the Last House Before the Sea

‘She’s out,’ said a voice behind him. ‘Gone for a walk on the beach.’ When he turned around, Maisie, one of the teenagers Magda employed part-time in the ice-cream parlour, was watching him. As the parlour was next to Magda’s cottage, staff members sometimes sat in her garden during their breaks.

‘If it’s Alyssa you’re looking for, she’s out,’ repeated Maisie slowly, as if he, around twice her age, couldn’t be relied upon to grasp her meaning. ‘She said she was walking to the cove when I bumped into her earlier. To clear her head, or something. She looked upset.’

‘Upset about what?’

Maisie sniffed and reached into her jeans pocket for a packet of cigarettes. ‘I dunno. But Magda’s in a right mood, too.’ Her lighter flared when she lit the cigarette she’d pushed between her lips. ‘Personally,’ she mumbled, ‘I think people should keep their bad moods to themselves.’

Jack wondered if he should list the scientifically proven risks of smoking but decided that Maisie wouldn’t take kindly to his interference. Instead, he said, ‘Thanks for the info,’ and left Maisie to her cigarette break. The good news was that Alyssa was alive and well – albeit in a bad mood, like everyone else that morning.

Back in the lane that ran past Magda’s cottage, Jack stood on the pavement, hardly aware of people stepping into the road to avoid him. It made sense to head back to the shop. That was the logical, sensible thing to do, and what the Jack of a few weeks ago would have done.

But, instead, he found himself walking towards the beach. Maybe Alyssa didn’t want to see him, after yesterday’s embarrassing kiss, but the truth of it was, he wanted to see her.

He walked past the castle ruins and along the lane that led out of the village, until he reached the cove. The morning was so grey and blowy, tourists had given the beach a miss. Their loss, thought Jack. This place was beautiful in all weathers. Low tide had exposed a wide expanse of sand, dotted with water-smoothed boulders, and rock pools fed by the retreating waves.A few dog walkers were out on the sand, and Jack paused for a moment to watch their pets careering around and barking at birds who flew too close. Where was Alyssa?

By the cave at the corner of the cove, Jack suddenly spotted a flash of daffodil-yellow. There she was, sitting on the sand with her knees drawn up under her chin. She cut a solitary figure, staring out to sea.

Now that he’d actually found her, Jack hesitated. Alyssa had chosen not to come to the shop, even though yesterday she’d agreed that she would. Instead, she had walked to the beach, to be alone or to avoid him. Either way, it probably wasn’t a good idea to disturb her – except that Maisie had said she was visibly upset.

Why? he wondered. He wasn’t egocentric enough to believe that kissing him had sparked such an extreme reaction hours later. He was hardly Brad Pitt.

Jack walked across the beach and, without a word, sat down beside Alyssa on the cold sand. Waves were lapping close to their feet and the dark mouth of the cave yawned behind them.

She looked around, alarm sparking in her blue eyes before she realised it was him.

‘You stood me up,’ he said, over the sound of waves crashing and seagulls screeching.

‘I did what?’

‘We arranged that you’d come to the shop at ten o’clock this morning.’

‘Oh no, I’m sorry.’ Her hand flew to her mouth. ‘I totally lost track of time.’

She looked so pained, he nudged her arm with his. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ He smiled at her. ‘Are you sitting here hoping a sea dragon will lumber out from the cave?’

‘That would be marvellous,’ said Alyssa, her tone strangely flat. ‘Why are you here? Were you out for a walk?’

‘I came to find you because I was worried.’

‘You were worried about me? Why?’

‘When you didn’t turn up, I thought you might have done an accidental nose-dive off the cliff.’

Or stood me up on purpose.

‘As you can see, I didn’t fall off the cliff, though some people might wish I had.’

‘Which people?’

Alyssa picked up a handful of sand and let it trickle through her fingers. ‘Magda.’

Jack hadn’t been expecting that. Surely, Magda and Alyssa were thick as thieves? They’d been amicably working together only yesterday.

‘What’s happened with Magda?’ he asked.

‘We had a row. Well, not a row, exactly.’ Alyssa puffed out her cheeks. ‘Let’s just say she’s not very happy with me at the moment, and I don’t blame her.’

Jack frowned, finding it hard to imagine placid Magda rowing with anyone. ‘She wasn’t bothered that you and I…? I mean, you only kissed me to make a point to Miri and I can’t see Magda being upset about that, even if she saw us.’

---