Page 34 of Just the Beginning

‘What? That he’s all sports car on the outside but only a two-stroke engine under the bonnet?’ Chloe pulled a face as they all giggled again. ‘God, we need to stop talking about this – he is my cousin.’

Kat shot her an amused look. ‘Come on now, you were the one who brought it up, and Anya’s got a point. It’s best to find out these things sooner rather than later.’ She turned to Issy. ‘Remember that gorgeous surfer I met a couple of summers ago?’

Issy chuckled. ‘I remember the disappointed call I got from you the morning after you’d finally persuaded him to shimmy out of his wetsuit.’

‘The sea can be quite cold, even in the summer,’ Chloe pointed out, though she was grinning from ear to ear.

‘Unless he’d been surfing in the Antarctic, I’m afraid there was no hope.’ Kat heaved a huge sigh. ‘And it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if he’d at least been a bit creative.’

Issy snorted. ‘What were you expecting from the poor man, a puppet show?’

Kat shrugged. ‘Wouldn’t have hurt.’

Anya pressed her hand to her side where a stitch was forming because she’d been laughing so much. ‘I don’t want to start speculating about Rick like that, it’s disrespectful. I just meant that if we don’t gel in the bedroom then it’s kind of a non-starter.’ She took a big swig of her Prosecco. ‘And the problem might not be with him, anyway.’ She looked around at her friends, knowing she could trust them and yet still struggling to find the words to express how she was feeling. ‘Drew was… he was the only person I’ve ever been with. I don’t know how to be with anyone else.’ She gulped at her fizz again. ‘What if I can’t?’

‘Oh, sweetheart!’ Chloe rose up on her knees and leaned over to hug her. ‘Is that what you’re worried about?’

Anya nodded. ‘You probably think I’m being silly.’

Issy set down her glass and reached across the table to take her hand. ‘It’s not silly at all. It’s completely understandable. But if I can offer you a bit of advice, talk to Rick. He’s a good guy and he’ll want to do the right thing. Give him the information he needs to be able to do that; don’t make him second-guess because you’re too embarrassed to admit to him what you have to us.’

Kat come over to sit on the arm of Anya’s chair and put an arm around her. ‘I agree. Whatever else, you can always trust Rick.’

17

Rick had been a little disconcerted to receive a text from Anya asking to postpone their call. He’d been less bothered when he’d been scrolling through his social media later that evening and came across a photo posted by Chloe of her, Anya, Issy and Kat glassy eyed and grinning in a group selfie. He recognised the setting as the summer house and, given the empty pizza boxes and Prosecco bottles on the coffee table, it looked like a fun evening was had by all.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it. The local sailing club held their annual regatta on the first weekend of the school holidays, so the harbour would be a hive of activity over the next couple of weeks as people started getting their boats ready. A steady stream of customers trooped in and out of the chandlery, needing everything from varnish and paint to touch up their woodwork, to replacement ropes and even a couple of new life jackets. His dad was out and about around the harbour, shaking hands, catching up on the gossip and generally running a weather eye over the boats. When he spotted Rick helping oneof the customers carry their supplies, Jago came hurrying over to take the box out of his hands.

‘Thanks, Dad.’

‘My pleasure. Now get back in there and keep that till ringing,’ he said, making both Rick and the customer laugh. ‘I’ve got a retirement that needs paying for!’

‘Yes, sir!’ Rick raised two fingers to his temple and offered a mock salute before heading back inside, where his mum had everything in hand, of course. There was a lull around half-ten, so Rick volunteered to do a coffee run. They had a kettle out the back, but they tended to keep that for emergencies only. Plus it gave Rick a chance to be seen out and about if anyone needed to talk to him. Though his Hub sessions were well frequented, he reckoned at least half of the issues he came across were things raised by people who he bumped into in the street. ‘I’m going walkabout,’ he said to his mum. ‘What do you want me to bring you back?’

Rachel pondered for a moment. ‘I quite fancy something cold.’

‘What about an iced caramel macchiato?’

She nodded. ‘Oh, that sounds lovely. Best get one for your dad while you’re at it. The amount of gabbing he’s been doing this morning, he’ll be parched.’

‘He’d call it networking.’

Rachel rolled her eyes. ‘I’d call it skiving! At least I know where you get it from.’

‘I’m simply serving the needs of the community, Mother,’ Rick said, putting on a fake pompous voice.

‘Hmm.’ Her lips twitched. ‘You’ll be popping into the hotel, no doubt.’

Rick felt an icy chill ripple down his spine. ‘What do you mean?’ Had someone got wind of him checking up on Davy?

‘Oh, nothing, just something a little bird told me.’ She tapped the side of her nose and gave him a knowing smile.

Relief that no one was the wiser about his great-uncle’s health issues was tempered rather by the idea he and Anya were already the subject of gossip. ‘Well, you and your little bird’ – his aunt Helen, no doubt – ‘can keep your beaks out of my business.’

Rachel laughed. ‘Good luck with that!’

He’d considered it might be wiser to keep away from the hotel, but one look at Issy’s rather green-tinged expression behind the café counter made him wonder if Anya was also feeling a little worse for wear. ‘Good night was it?’ he teased as he reached the front of the small queue.

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