Page 34 of Finding Love in Micklewick Bay

‘Sounds good to me.’ She nodded.

‘Great. A bottle of the Italian Pinot Grigio, please, Nikki.’ He smiled up at her.

‘Coming right up.’ She beamed between the two of them. ‘And can I get you a carafe of water for the table?’

‘That would be nice, thanks,’ said Stella.

With Nikki heading over to the bar, Alex asked, ‘So, I don’t suppose you fancy elaborating on the sort of day you’ve had? You described it as “mixed” when I asked you earlier.’ He helped himself to a chunk of bread and started spreading butter over it.

Stella sat back in her seat and puffed out her cheeks, wondering how she should answer that.

Before she had a chance, Alex glanced across at her, concern furrowing his brow. ‘That sigh doesn’t bode well. I hope you’re not finding my company boring already.’ He grinned at her, making her heart flutter.

‘Not at all, I’m really glad to be here.’ She smiled back. ‘It’s been quite a day actually. Not at all what I expected.’

‘In a good way or a bad way?’ He sat back, giving her his full attention.

‘Definitely a bit of both.’

‘Care to share any of it? I’m a good listener, I’d like to be able to help if I can.’

Before she could answer, Nikki returned with their bottle of wine in a metal cooler. Stella and Alex looked on as she poured them each a glass once Alex had tasted it and declared it delicious.

‘I’ll be right back with your water. I can take your order then, if you’re ready,’ said Nikki.

True to her word, she returned, nodding her approval as both Stella and Alex ordered the hot smoked salmon salad starter. ‘Ooh, that’s my favourite. The hot smoked salmon is to die for.’

For her main course, Stella opted for Oscar’s legendary fish pie with sea herbs and a side of samphire and seared vegetables, while Alex plumped for a steak with chunky chips and salad.

Stella’s stomach growled loudly, reminding her she’d had no lunch that day. She helped herself to a chunk of bread, telling herself it was best not to drink on an empty stomach.

With Nikki out of earshot, Alex asked, ‘Have you had a chance to think if you’d like to talk about your day? Maybe start with the good stuff?’

Stella chewed thoughtfully on her mouthful, wondering which part she could ideally describe as good. ‘Well…’ she said, swallowing, ‘cutting a long and very messy story short, today I discovered who my father is; his name at least.’

Alex was about to take a sip of wine but paused, setting the glass down on the table instead. He didn’t attempt to hide his shock. ‘Wow! That’s major news. Are you happy about it?’ The look in his eyes, revealed he’d sensed her uncertainty.

‘Confused might be a better word, I think.’

‘Right,’ he said slowly.

She looked at him, holding his gaze. Did she really want to tell him she’d been snooping around her mum’s house? She didn’t want him to think badly of her, but it was going to be difficult to tell him the full story without sharing that piece of information. After a brief wrestle with her thoughts, she decided a slightly edited version would suffice. ‘I’d rather not say how I found out, but I discovered his name is Johan de Groote.’ It felt rather strange saying his name out loud. ‘Anyway, it would appear he has a link to Micklewick Bay, and maybe even…’ She paused a moment.

‘Maybe even?’

She heaved a sigh and lowered her voice. ‘Maybe even to Pim, who’s joint-owner of The Cellar, but I’d be really grateful if you could please keep this to yourself; I haven’t mentioned anything to Pim yet. I’m sure it’ll come as much of a shock to him as it has to me.’

‘Course, my lips are sealed.’ Alex nodded, his expression calm as he absorbed her news. ‘And you’ve really never had a clue about a connection before now?’

‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘Not one. Had no reason to.’

‘So what kick-started it, if you don’t mind me asking?’

Stella found she didn’t mind him asking at all. In fact, it felt good to share it with him. She already knew from their chat yesterday he was easy to talk to, a good listener; didn’t judge. Something in her gut told her she could trust him. She went on to explain how she’d noticed Pim’s tattoo when she’d called round earlier that day, and how it had triggered a distant memory. She kept out the part where she’d gone snooping and taken the letter from her mum’s, and instead merely said that it was Pim mentioning the name Johan de Groote which had led to her putting two-and-two together, and finally realising who her father was.

‘It’s certainly quite a way to find out,’ Alex said, taking a sip of his wine.

Stella gave a wry laugh. ‘Tell me about it. The name’s never cropped up before, and it was the first time I’d spotted Pim’s tattoo.’ She paused. ‘The only problem is, my mum doesn’t know I’ve discovered this yet, so I’d appreciate you keeping this to yourself too.’ She didn’t want to say how she was concerned it was going to cause a huge rift between them and how that thought absolutely terrified her. Part of her also felt bad about sharing this with someone she’d known for barely five minutes before speaking to her mum about it. It set her wondering if her mother had told her the truth when she’d denied telling Rhys anything about Stella’s father. He’s bound to have asked about him.

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