Page 60 of The Path to the Last House Before the Sea

‘I don’t think she saw us.’ Alyssa turned her head to look at him. Her cheeks were damp with sea spray – or tears: he wasn’t sure which. ‘No, it’s nothing to do with what happened between you and me at the reception. It’s about something else entirely.’

‘Do you want to talk about it?’

‘Not really, but thank you for offering.’

Jack dug the toes of his trainers into the sand. Miri had stored up resentments and slights and would never discuss them, even when it was patently obvious that she was upset or annoyed. And that, with the benefit of hindsight, had been a nail in the coffin of their marriage.

In fact, it was only after she had decided she wanted a divorce that his perceived failings had come to light. She’d never stopped talking about them after that. But it was too late by then. She’d made up her mind and he didn’t have a chance to address her irritations.

He had his faults. There was no doubt about it. But, more and more, Jack was coming to realise that Miri hadn’t been the easiest of people to live with. The reasons for the failure of their marriage weren’t as one-sided as Miri, or he, had believed.

‘I’m thinking of leaving Heaven’s Cove,’ said Alyssa suddenly. She pulled her feet back from the edge of the incoming tide.

‘Why’s that?’ Jack asked, noting an uncomfortable sensation, as if his stomach was sinking into the sand. I should have eaten breakfast this morning, he thought, not wanting to explore why the prospect of Alyssa leaving the village might unsettle him so much. After all, he’d be off himself soon, heading back to London.

Alyssa hugged her arms across her chest. ‘I don’t think the caravan will be available for much longer.’

‘Has Magda asked you to leave?’

‘Not exactly.’

Why did she talk in riddles, as if her whole life was one of her fantastical stories? wondered Jack. Being straightforward was so much less confusing.

A sudden gust of wind carried the scent of Alyssa’s perfume. She smelled of summer roses and patchouli. And freedom.

Jack gave himself a mental shake. Freedom indeed! Alyssa was a free spirit, whereas he was a buttoned-up individual. He knew it, but what was the problem with that? Being buttoned-up kept everything under control. And who knew what would escape if the buttons were undone?

Jack moved on the cold sand, slightly away from Alyssa. ‘Even if you have to leave the caravan, couldn’t you move somewhere else in Heaven’s Cove?’ he asked.

‘Do you know how much I earn from my tours and part-time work in your dad’s store?’

Jack shook his head. He imagined it wasn’t very much, and rental prices in the village were steep. Lots of people wanted to live in such a beautiful place, and many properties were rented out, year-round, to tourists at eye-watering prices. Far more than Magda would charge for a rundown caravan at the bottom of her garden.

‘I’ll be sorry if you leave,’ he said, before he could stop the words tumbling out.

‘Are you sure?’ Alyssa turned her head and looked into his eyes. ‘I’d have thought you’d be glad to see the back of me.’

‘What, and lose my devoted girlfriend?’ said Jack, all fake jollity, even though it felt like the sand beneath him was shifting as the conversation veered back towards dangerous territory. ‘I guess you’ve got under my skin.’

‘Like an infection?’ asked Alyssa, the corner of her mouth lifting.

Jack laughed. ‘Yeah, exactly. Like ringworm.’ He blinked. Had he just compared this vibrant young woman to a fungal infection? He really was hopeless at anything approaching banter but, to his relief, Alyssa smiled at his useless joke.

‘Look.’ He got to his feet, deciding to be direct. ‘Do you want to come and see my cellar or not?’

‘Is that why you want me to come to the shop?’

‘I have something to show you.’

‘In the cellar?’ she asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘There’s something down there, something that your map reminded me of, that you might find interesting.’

Alyssa stared at him for a moment before standing up and brushing sand from her backside. Her hair was blowing around her face and she pulled it into a ponytail that she secured with a band from her pocket.‘I will come to see your cellar,’ she announced, ‘but you’re going to have to improve your chat-up lines considerably. Showing me your cellar ranks only slightly higher than inviting me in to see your etchings.’

Jack laughed again. She was funny. Once you got past the airy-fairy exterior, and if you ignored the secrets she was obviously keeping about her past, Alyssa was funny. And fun to be around.

Three point one four one five… he began to recite in his head, as they walked across the beach together. His life seemed to have switched to fast forward and he was being carried on a wave, no longer in charge.

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