Page 24 of Autumn at the Cornish Garden Café

He looked at her and at Vinnie. ‘I don’t want to go home at all, but … well, perhaps I need to have a nap. Dammed ageing.’ He sighed and rolled his eyes. ‘The mind is willing, but the body isn’t always up to it.’

‘Nothing to do with age,’ Vinnie said. ‘I love an afternoon nap and often need one. If I grab forty winks, I’m as good as new. How about if we take you back and I’ll stay with you while you nap, then bring you back out?’

‘Oh young man, I couldn’t ask that of you.’ Christopher shook his head.

‘I’ll come with you,’ Rosa said.

‘Oh no.’ Vinnie tutted. ‘You need to ask that dashing dude to the line dancing. Chris … You don’t mind me calling you Chris, do you? It’s just Christopher is such a mouthful … So, Rosa, Chris and I will be just fine. In fact, I’ll come home with you and have a wee snooze myself in the chair while you nap, then we can go to the beach for the dancing and drinks later on.’

‘Only if you’re sure?’ Christopher said.

‘I’m sure, Chris…’ Vinnie shook his head. ‘Nope. I have to call you Christopher because you don’t look like a Chris.’

‘That’s fine. Call me whatever you like.’ Christopher chuckled as he stood up and Bobby jumped down off the hay bale.

‘Shall I get the van?’ Rosa asked, concern making her shoulders tight. Poor Christopher looked exhausted.

‘No, no. I’ll walk slowly home.’ Christopher accepted Vinnie’s arm though, and Vinnie took Bobby’s lead in his other hand. ‘Thank you both. I’ve had a wonderful day.’

‘It’s not over yet.’ Rosa gave him a hug. ‘We’ll have more fun this evening.’

‘I sincerely hope so, dear.’

‘I have to know you’re OK, so I’ll walk with you and then I’ll come back here. I can’t let you two go alone.’

She took Christopher’s other arm, and they left the café gardens together. Three friends. Three people who cared about one another, along with a funny little dog they all adored.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Rosa was on her way to the café gardens when she saw a crowd of people heading down to the beach. It seemed she’d missed the rest of the pumpkin carving and now the focus had turned to the dancing. She didn’t mind because she’d helped Vinnie get Christopher settled and then she’d made them both a cup of tea and stayed to drink a cup, too. Once Christopher had dozed off on the sofa, she tidied up a bit, then left Vinnie to it. He’d been nodding off himself in one of Christopher’s large armchairs as the TV screen had flickered with an antiques programme, the volume down low. Bobby had curled up in his basket in front of the fireplace where a fire flickered, keeping them cosy all as the afternoon grew darker and the lamps glowed in the corners of the room.

Now, strolling towards the beach, she shivered as the bracing breeze coming in off the sea wrapped itself around her. On the beach, fires glowed in portable fire pits; near the cliffs, someone had erected a stage, illuminated by string lights and a spotlight that lit up the center of the stage. It seemed like everyone from the village had come down to the beach and she could hear people talking, singing, and the rhythmic caress of the sea as it lapped at the shore like it was keen to join in with the harvest festival.

In front of the stage, a makeshift dancefloor had been crafted from pallets topped with wooden planks. A band was setting up on the stage, testing the sound system with bursts of static and tuning instruments, and she realised they were getting ready for the line dancing. She’d never done it before and worried she’d be a complete failure at it, coordination not being her strong suit at all, but if she didn’t try, she’d never know. She’d watched others do it on YouTube videos and they looked like they were having fun, so she would try to relax and just enjoy herself. One life and all that, as Vinnie and Christopher liked to keep reminding her. Vinnie would be a king on the dancefloor anyway, so hopefully some of his confidence would rub off on her.

Realising she was thirsty, she looked for the refreshments stand and saw that it was just up from the sand on the way to the harbour, so she went to get a drink. When she had a cup of mulled cider, she carried it down to the beach and sat on the sand, watching as the small waves rolled in. As the sun sank in the sky, coral and amethyst hues bathed the horizon in a quiet symphony of colour, and the sea glowed silvery-purple, as if someone had substituted the water with liquid silver that shimmered in the dim light.

She sipped her cider, and emotion welled inside her, taking her by surprise. She wasn’t sad, but she was emotional because the sight before her was breathtaking and because she’d had such a wonderful day. Her life hadn’t worked out the way she’d thought it would, but that was OK because there was so much to be grateful for now. The journey that had brought her to this point had taught her a lot and left her with scars, but that was real life. No one got away completely unscathed, and no one had all the answers. She was still learning and she would be for as long as she lived, but that was all right too. She was willing and able to keep learning and she would do so gladly — learning about herself and about others and about all the beauty there was to be found in the world. Life had taught her it was easy to find the sadness and the darkness, but far better to look for the light because that was where the beauty, the joy, and the love resided.

Hearing her name, she looked up to see Henry walking towards her, so she dried her eyes and stood up, dusting the sand from the back of her jeans. In the glow of the setting sun, he was enchanting, his handsome face the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. In that moment, she knew she wanted to give things a chance with him. She wanted to get to know him better, to find out how he felt about her and to see if there was something special growing between them. For a long time, she’d shut herself off from the possibility of finding love again, but Henry was different. Henry was special. Who knew, perhaps Henry wasthe one.

Her one.

Her person.

Perhaps…

15

HENRY

As Henry reached Rosa, the band announced the imminent start of the line dancing. His stomach flipped over. He hadn’t line danced in years, not since he was a teenager, but he wanted to try again, especially if it gave him a chance to dance close to Rosa.

‘You coming?’ he asked.

She looked behind him. ‘I haven’t seen Christopher and Vinnie yet. Did you pass them on your way here?’

He shook his head. ‘No, but it was busy so they could be on the way or perhaps they’ve stopped in the village for something to eat or drink.’

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