Page 28 of Summer at the Cornish Garden Café

Aweek had passed since Lena’s shopping trip and she’d been writing, walking, eating too many cream teas and generally enjoying being in Cornwall. The story Thomas had told her about Branok and Demelza still haunted her thoughts and sometimes her dreams, but she was thinking about how to incorporate it into her story. It would be a lovely addition to the romance she was writing about two lost souls falling in love and healing each other.

Today, after a morning of writing, she’d decided to pack up some lunch and a flask of tea and to head down to the beach. She included a notebook in case inspiration struck then walked down to the beach.

The sun was high in the sky, the breeze whipped her hair around like a crazed hairstylist and she smiled as she walked. It was a glorious Cornish day and she was filled with a sense of hope and joy.

When she reached the seafront, she removed her shoes and strolled across the sand towards the cliffs. She set up camp there on the picnic blanket that she weighed down with her trainersand rucksack then she got out her notebook and pen and set them next to the flask of tea and her camping mug.

For a while, she just sat there, gazing at the sea, watching as each wave rolled in to the shore, catching the sunlight like diamonds had been scattered across the surface. She had her sunglasses on but even so, it was bright, and so she got her baseball cap from her bag and pulled it on, tucking her hair underneath it to stop it tickling her face. She’d smothered herself in factor 50 sunblock because she didn’t want to burn, and she stretched out her legs in their cropped white jeggings and closed her eyes for a moment.

The more time she spent in Porthpenny, the more it embedded itself in her heart. She’d heard that Cornwall could do this, steal your heart with its beautiful coastlines, superb sunrises and sunsets, and the rich history that emanated from every tree, cottage, rock pool and grain of sand. It was the most beautiful place on earth, and she wished she’d been born there so it was her home.

And yet, it could be her home.

She didn’t have to have been born there to make it her home now, did she? Lena had always thought that the world should be without boundaries, that people should be entitled to have a roof over their heads, food in their bellies and a safe place to call home. Did it matter where that was? Colleagues of hers back in London had left the UK to live as far afield as Dubai, New Zealand and Switzerland. It was true that money and skills opened doors, of course. Lena had always thought people should be free to live where they chose as long as they were prepared to work for a living and to contribute towards society. The fact that wars still happened, and people still suffered such horrors broke her heart, and she wished humanity could find a way to exist inpeace. There was enough suffering in life without people adding to it.

She lay down and pulled her cap over her face, listening to the sea as it rolled inwards, lapping at the shore then dragging at the sand as it retreated. It was like an endless dance between two unrequited lovers, a push-pull of love and desire without a satisfactory conclusion. Further along the beach, a dog barked, and someone whistled a familiar tune. The fresh sea air caressed her bare skin, and she was soothed by the sensation. She felt herself drifting and let herself lean into the feeling of detaching from consciousness while the world carried on around her.

She was rudely awoken when something cold and wet landed on her legs then nibbled at her hand. Sitting up quickly, her cap fell from her face, and she squinted against the brightness, patted the mat behind her to locate her sunglasses. She put them on, finding instant relief from the glare of the afternoon sun.

‘Sorry!’ Thomas was running towards her, and she saw that a large brown and black dog was running towards him. ‘She was chasing her ball.’

Lena stood up and waited for Thomas to reach her. ‘That dog is with you?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’ He beamed. ‘This is Fifi.’

The dog dropped a ball at his feet and he laughed, his face brighter than she’d ever seen it before. It was like all the stress and pain had fallen away and Thomas was a different person, possibly more like the man he’d been once upon a time before life changed him.

Lena realised he was wearing shorts, and her eyes wandered down, drawn to his left leg. It was thinner than the right one, adeep red scar running from the ankle to the knee, punctuated by indents on either side where the screws must have been.

She looked up and saw something flicker in his eyes, the joy fading like the setting sun.

‘And who is Fifi?’ she asked, louder than was necessary, but she felt a need to divert their attention from the fact that she’d just been staring at his leg.

Thomas seemed to visibly collect himself then he leant over and picked up the ball. ‘She’s from the rescue sanctuary. I’m fostering her for a while.’

‘Of course you are! You told me as much in one of your messages. I’m so sorry, I was dozing off just then and I started awake and hadn’t connected the dots. Gosh, she’s big, isn’t she?’

The dog stood at Thomas’ side, panting, dripping wet and sandy from her fun at the beach. She was gazing up at him like he was the best thing since sliced bread.

Thomas reached down and smoothed a hand over Fifi’s head, and she leant against his leg, closing her eyes as he stroked her ears. ‘She’s lovely.’

‘It looks like she’s very fond of you.’ Lena smiled, and to her relief, Thomas did too.

‘Would you like a cuppa? I’ve got a flask of tea with me.’

‘I’d love that, thanks.’ He sat on the sand in front of Lena’s picnic blanket and Fifi sat next to him. He pulled his rucksack off his back and got a portable bowl out of it then filled it with water from a metal bottle. When he set it in front of Fifi, Lena’s heart melted. What a gorgeously caring man he was.

She poured tea into the camping mug for him then filled the metal cup from the top of the flask with tea for her. ‘So how long are you keeping her?’ she asked, making sure to keep her eyes off his leg.

‘I’m not sure yet. But I’ve officially started volunteering at the sanctuary now, so I take her with me every day and then she comes home with me at night. To be honest, I’ve grown very fond of her already and the thought of returning her for someone else to adopt isn’t very pleasant. Of course, I want her to have a good home, but I want her to have one with me.’

‘That’s amazing, Thomas. What happened to her?’

He told Lena Fifi’s story, and she bit the inside of her cheek as tears threatened to fall. ‘That’s so sad.’

‘I know, right? Who could desert a precious girl like this?’ He rubbed a hand over his face. ‘I shouldn’t say that. It’s not fair for me to judge anyone. I don’t know what their circumstances were, and they did leave her at the rescue centre, so they were trying to do the right thing. Perhaps they were ill or had children and had to choose between the dog and the children. Who knows? The important thing is that she’s here with me now and she’s safe and well.’

‘She adores you,’ Lena said, watching as Fifi had a big drink then lay down next to Thomas and rested her head on his thigh. Her eyes closed and she visibly relaxed. ’She feels safe with you.’

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