Page 22 of Autumn at the Cornish Garden Café

‘It’s OK, Rosa. I have lived, you know. You don’t need to avoid sex talk for my benefit.’ Christopher chuckled.

‘Oh my god, what am I going to do with you two?’ Rosa picked up her coffee again and drained it then set it on the tray. ‘I get what you’re saying, that life is short and not all men are the same and I promise I will think about your points. But let me take some time to gather my thoughts and to process how I’m feeling because it’s hard to trust my gut these days.’

‘You can trust your gut, though.’ Christopher nodded. ‘Whatever happened to you before … I’m sure you had a feeling that something wasn’t right.’

She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. ‘I did, but I didn’t know what. I wanted everything to be OK and so I didn’t listen to my gut instinct.’

‘And what is that same gut instinct telling you about Henry?’ he asked.

Rosa looked over at Henry, where he was standing with Johan and his family waiting for the next round to begin. He was talking and laughing and seemed to glow with an easy happiness at being a part of the community. Henry had been nothing but nice to her and to others, and she did have a good feeling about him. There was no edge to him, nothing to suggest that he could change at the flip of a switch or that he had any ulterior motives. He’d recently moved to the village to start a new life there, so just like her, he wanted to be happy and settled. There would, no doubt, be reasons he’d moved to Cornwall and one day, perhaps he’d share them with her. Could she share her past with him? Was she brave enough?

Perhaps…

But for now she would enjoy the afternoon and consider asking him to the line dancing at the beach later on. After all, there was no harm in dancing with him, was there? And it might just get Vinnie and Christopher off her back for a bit.

Turning back to them, she smiled because she knew that they only had her best interests at heart, and she wanted to give them something back for caring. These two men who were quickly becoming her found family as she started her new life.

13

HENRY

After bobbing for apples, Henry went inside the café to warm up a bit. In the toilets, he put his head under the drier to dry his hair and face, then he looked at himself in the mirror and laughed. His hair stuck up like he’d been shocked, and his face was bright red from the heat. He pushed his hands through his hair to tidy it as best he could, then he went back outside.

Rosa was sitting with Christopher and Vinnie and she looked contented, like a woman sitting with her grandpa and brother. They could have been family, and it made him wonder about her and if she had an actual family to turn to. If not, how did she manage? Henry had his parents, sister and friends too. Not having family would be hard, he suspected. Despite his difficult relationship with his father and his father’s frequent disappointment in him, Henry knew his father would be there for him. His mother and sister would be there no matter what, he was certain of that, and his mum always made him feel safe and loved. Did Rosa have that security, or was she alone in the world?

Something fluttered in his chest and he rubbed a hand there as he wondered at it. He barely knew Rosa, and yet he felt like there was a connection growing between them. He’d felt this once before and it hadn’t worked out and it had terrified him. But this time, he was older and wiser, and not being influenced by what others around him wanted. He was an adult now, and he was more certain about who he was. He escaped his father’s expectations, a loathed job, and an unhappy relationship by moving to another part of the country. To him, it was a step toward self-discovery. The relationship he’d left had been wrong on so many levels, but he was in a position now to create a more equal partnership with the right woman. Previously, he’d been unable to devote himself fully because he wasn’t being true to himself. He was living a life that others wanted for him and not the life he wanted for himself. Now, the time had arrived for him to choose, to embrace love, and to develop as a person.

A woman like Rosa could be the perfect partner for him if she felt the same. There was something else, though — something deeper inside him that stirred whenever he thought about her. It wasn’t easy to admit, and others might baulk at it, but it was there, undeniable. He wanted to be there for her, to protect her. Not out of weakness or necessity, but out of a quiet, instinctive need. Rosa was clearly a strong and independent woman, but even the strongest people needed someone by their side. And maybe — just maybe — he could be that someone for her.

‘Mr Clay?’ A hand tugged at his arm, and he turned to find Johan grinning at him.

‘Yes, Johan?’

‘Can we carve pumpkins now?’

He laughed. ‘Yes, of course.’ Looking back over at Rosa he waved and caught her eye. She nodded, then said something to her companions before getting up and coming to him.

‘Yes?’

‘It’s time for pumpkin carving now. Would you like a go?’

‘Oh…’ She pulled a face. ‘My hands are a bit cold, to be honest. Could I just watch you instead?’

‘Only if you cheer him on,’ Johan said with a cheeky grin.

‘I can do that.’ Rosa nodded.

‘Come on, then.’ Johan led them over to a table where Pearl was standing with Jasper Holmes. His partner, Ellie, was there too, along with his two children, Mabel and Alfie.

‘Right then … first up we have Jasper versus Henry.’ Pearl ticked off their names on the list on her notepad.

‘Go on, Daddy! You can do it!’ Alfie said, his little face filled with determination. ‘Do the punkin face we planned.’

‘Punkin?’ Johan’s eyes widened.

‘It’s OK,’ Rosa whispered. ‘Pumpkin can be hard to pronounce.’

‘OK.’ Johan shrugged. ‘I understand that because my brother Willem, who’s also five, can’t say hippopotamus or elephant.’

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