Page 32 of Summer at the Cornish Garden Café

‘Thank you.’

‘No problem. I’ll go and rinse Fifi off outside under the outdoor shower.’

‘You have an outdoor shower?’

He nodded. ‘I got it installed for when I get home from the beach and am too sandy to wash indoors. Also, it’s handy for washing off clothing and towels if they’re particularly sandy too. Not that I’ve actually gone swimming for a while, but I have paddled a few times over the years and it’s good to be prepared.’

‘Should I use the outdoor one too?’ Lena asked, worrying about getting sand in his sparkling shower.

‘No, it’s fine. It will all go down the plughole. As much as the idea of you showering in my garden is… a very nice one, you must stay here and take a long shower and enjoy it. Take your time because there’s plenty of hot water.’

‘Thank you.’ She accepted the pile of clothes, and he left the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him.

She pressed her face against the clothes and breathed in the scent of his washing liquid and her heart fluttered. It was clear as day to her that she already cared deeply about him, and she could only hope he reciprocated the feelings because she knew she was already in too deep to walk away without being hurt.

She turned the shower on then undressed and stepped under the hot spray, sighing with delight. So she wouldn’t get any more words written today, but at least she was getting some inspiration for it with her own real-life romantic hero.

And what a hero he was…

19

LENA

Lena padded down the stairs feeling fresh and relaxed after enjoying a lovely shower. She smelt like Thomas because she’d used his shampoo, conditioner and shower gel and she was wearing a pair of slim fit jogging bottoms, a fitted vest and a hoodie that smelt like his washing liquid. The clothes were soft and warm, and her hair was damp. Even though she’d worn sunblock and her hat for most of her time on the beach, her scalp was tingly from where it had caught the sun. One of the reasons she wore a hat most of the time in the summer was because her pale scalp burnt easily, but when she was in the water she’d taken it off and now she could feel the after effects of that. However, the shower had washed away the salt and the sand and all the activity had worked up an appetite.

Thomas was in the kitchen chopping onions and mushrooms and Fifi was lying in a bed near the open bifold doors, her eyes flickering in sleep.

‘Hi,’ Lena said, noticing that he was wearing jogging bottoms and a clean T-shirt. ‘Did you dress already?’

‘I showered Fifi then myself.’ He grinned.

‘You showered in the garden?’ she asked.

‘It’s very private out there with the high walls and no cottages overlooking me.’

‘I’m sorry. You should have had the bathroom before me.’

‘Don’t be. I feel great.’ He flashed her another grin. ‘But I am starving now.’

‘Me too. Can I do anything to help?’

‘Do you make a good gin and tonic?’ he asked.

‘I think so.’

‘Well, the gin is in the cupboard there and the tonic is in the fridge, so if you fancy a drink…’

‘I’d love one.’

Lena got two glasses from one cupboard then looked in the lower one for the gin and found a selection of bottles.

‘Blame Marnie. She buys me gin for birthdays and Christmas but it’s mainly for when she comes over with Bligh. Not that she’s currently drinking but she came over once and I didn’t have anything in, so she said I’m now prepared. She also said it’s good to have gin in the cottage in case I have guests, which I never do.’ He shrugged. ‘But she lives in hope.’

‘Guests of the female variety?’ Lena asked as she poured generous measures of gin into the glasses then opened the fridge to find the tonic.

‘Yes, those kinds of guests.’ He widened his eyes as if the idea was preposterous.

Lena got some ice out of the freezer and dropped it into the glasses then she handed one to Thomas. ‘What will she think if you tell her about me being here?’

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