Page 39 of Summer at the Cornish Garden Café

‘We need to speak to you,’ Bligh said.

‘OK. But we’d better keep an eye on Fifi and the children.’ Thomas led the way through to the kitchen where the bifold doors were open to the courtyard. Winnie and Wendy were already making a fuss of Fifi, and she was lying on her back enjoying every minute.

‘Tea? Coffee?’ Thomas asked as he filled the kettle.

‘I’ll make it.’ Bligh took the kettle from him. ‘Sit down with Marnie.’

Thomas felt his heart drop to his flip flops. ‘What is it? Are you OK, Marnie? Is the baby?’ All his worst fears flashed before his eyes, and his stomach churned.

‘No, the baby is fine. I’m fine too,’ she said, but she was very pale, and Thomas was instantly tense with worry.

‘What is it then?’ He glanced over at the doorway to check on things, but Bligh was standing there watching his daughters and Fifi play.

‘Have you seen the news today?’ Marnie asked. ‘I’m guessing not because otherwise you wouldn’t be so relaxed. Unless, of course, you no longer care which would be absolutely wonderful, but I can’t imagine that being the case and so… oh god… Thomas, please take a deep breath and brace yourself.’

‘What? Why?’ He frowned at his sister and wished she’d spit it out. There was nothing worse than being told there was bad news but having to wait to find out what it was. It reminded him of the phone call from Marnie nine years ago. It had taken her ages to explain that their dad had suffered a heart attack and was in hospital. He’d been alive, and later made a full recovery and moved to the Lake District with their mum — where they were still living their dream — but waiting for Marnie to tell him everything had been torture. Filling in the blanks had to be far worse than actually knowing the facts, surely?

Marnie opened her bag and got her iPad out then she scrolled down the screen and placed it on the table. She slid it over tohim. At first, he wasn’t sure what he was seeing but then it became clear and he froze. ‘Shit.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Shit. Shit. Shit. How could she?’

‘What?’ Marnie shook her head. ‘Who?’

‘Who do you think? It’s clear from this that it was her.’

‘Nooooo. She wouldn’t do that.’

‘How else would they know I’m here?’

‘Because everyone does now? Because it’s easy enough to track someone down, especially someone famous? You’ve been found and that’s all this is. It will die down again and they’ll leave you alone. But this is just a few photographs and salacious headlines.’

‘Is it?’ Thomas felt chilled to the bone. His hands kept clenching and unclenching and his jaw was tight. ‘Look at the photos, Marnie.’

Together, they scrolled through the dozen shots that showed him on the beach in his shorts with a red arrow pointing at his injured leg, at him playing in the sea with Fifi and with Lena, of him doing yoga on the beach at sunrise and of him sitting on the bench at The Garden Café with Lena next to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

‘This isn’t what you think.’ Marnie shook her head. ‘She wouldn’t do this. What has she got to gain?’

‘She’s a journalist, Marnie. What do you think she’ll gain? Money. Fame. A social media following that will sell her book to one of the big five publishers and make her a household name.’

‘No, Thomas. Listen to yourself!’ Marnie’s cheeks were red and her eyes glistened. ‘Not everyone is like that and Lena certainly isn’t. Don’t push her away because of this. You’re listening to that voice in your head that tells you bad things, but you don’t need to heed it. Trust your gut with this one and believe that Lena is a good person, and she wouldn’t do that to you. She really cares about you.’

Marnie shifted in her seat and grimaced then rubbed a hand over her belly.

‘What it is?’ he asked.

‘Just the baby squishing my bladder. Please Thomas, listen to me now. This isn’t Lena. This is someone else. A tourist who spotted you then followed you for a bit. A freelance journalist on holiday with friends who got lucky when they saw you. It’s probably completely random and not anything at all to worry about. This won’t come to anything.’

He rubbed his cheeks hard, scraping against the stubble, then sighed. His chest was aching with sadness and his mind was filled with a thousand confusing thoughts.

The headlines kept running through his mind on repeat:

Once a Hero, now a Hermit: Former Footballer Found in Cornwall

Cornwall’s Best Kept Secret: The Footballer Who Fled to the Coast After a Life-changing Accident

From Baller to Beast: How the Footballer Lost Everything then Found Love in Cornwall

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