Page 10 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
Thea raised her head to see him standing on the path, halfway between their two front doors. He was staring at her, and she couldn’t tell whether he looked surprised, horrified or worried, or a combination of all three.
‘Hello,’ she said, and when her knees protested at kneeling for so long, she thoughtwhat the hell,and sat down fully, her back against her front door. Scooter shuffled closer and laid his head in her lap.
‘Are you … is … did you—?’
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘Fine as a dandelion.’
He frowned, and she did too because that wasn’t the expression.Fine and dandy,that’s what she should have said.
‘Did you have a nice walk?’
Thea couldn’t detect any sarcasm or humour in his voice, though she thought he must be laughing at her. She didn’t have the energy to fib.
‘Not really,’ she admitted. ‘It was way too hot and I forgot to take a hat, I didn’t have enough water and that coast path is really scaryin places, don’t you think? Properly, genuinely terrifying. And then, on the way back, I …’ she thought of how to explain her encounter with the old woman, but it seemed too difficult. ‘I twisted my ankle.’
Ben’s brows lowered, and he took a couple of steps towards her. ‘You walked here on a twisted ankle?’
‘I’m exaggerating, I think.’
‘But it hurts?’
‘It’s uncomfortable, but then all of me is uncomfortable. You should probably leave me alone so I can grumble and ache in peace, because this is … I’m not at my best.’
For the first time, she saw a glimmer of warmth in Ben’s expression. He was wearing shorts, she noticed now, and had on a different T-shirt from earlier. This one was apricot, and it made his skin look even more tanned, highlighted the pink of his cheeks that suggested sunshine, exertion and all-round good health. She noticed a tiny spot of white in his hairline, which proved thathe’dbeen sensible enough to wear suncream.
To her surprise, instead of nodding and walking away, he stepped closer and held out his hand.
Thea paused for a moment, then lifted her arm and let Ben take hold of her. His pull was gentle, but got her effortlessly to her feet. She put her weight on her ankle, and the spark of pain made her yelp. Scooter cocked his head on one side.
‘That doesn’t seem like exaggeration,’ Ben said.
‘I think I have a really low pain threshold.’ Thea watched his gaze roam over her face, now she was closer to his level.
‘Have you got any aloe vera?’ he asked, and she laughed.
‘I’m a walking poster about the perils of too much sun, I know.’ She pointed to where the bottle rested on the step at her feet.
Ben looked at her a moment longer, then bent to pick it up. Then he picked up her rucksack, and the plastic wrappers that Scooter had begun to sniff.
‘You don’t have to—’ she started, but he’d already found her key and was leaning over her to put it in the lock. He smelt of suncream and sugar, and he radiated warmth. She thought she would have had enough heat by now, but the warmth Ben was emitting was moreish.
‘Here,’ he said. He waited for her to stop leaning on the door. When she stood up straight, he pushed it open, then turned towards her.
‘Thanks,’ she said, taking the rucksack, holding it open so he could drop the other items into it, one by one.
‘Put some cream on after your shower,’ he said. ‘More than you think you need. Believe me, I misjudged the strength of the sun when I first moved here, and you can …’ his words drifted away. ‘Sorry. You don’t need me telling you what to do.’
But she found she was touched by his concern, especially after earlier, when he’d seemed almost allergic to her. ‘No, but thank you,’ she said. ‘I feel like an idiot, for—’ she gestured at herself, and his hazel eyes flickered down to her walking boots, up her bare legs and sweaty torso, then met her gaze again. His cheeks seemed pinker now, a muscle ticking in his jaw. ‘It hasn’t been my finest hour,’ she added.
‘It can’t be that easy,’ he said, after a beat. ‘Coming here on your own, even if it’s what you wanted to begin with. Sometimes, even if you’re determined to make a go of things, all the bravado in the world can’t make up for having someone else to talk to, or …’ He shrugged, glancing away from her. ‘I don’t know.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Have you got peas for your ankle? If you need some, knock on my door. I’ve got frozen hash browns, which won’t be as good, obviously, but they’re better than nothing.’
‘Thank you,’ she said sincerely, hoping she was conveying how much she appreciated his words. What had made him friendlier? Had Finn given him a talking to, or was there something about her forlorn, lonely state that he identified with? Awkwardness radiated between them, apalpable force that was as strong as the sunshine. ‘Do you want to—’
‘I’d best be getting on,’ he said, talking over her. ‘Come on, Scooter.’ He clicked his fingers and the dog trotted from her side to his. He started to walk away, then turned. ‘If you need anything, just knock. I’ll be in.’
‘OK, thanks,’ she said. ‘This was really …’ What? He’d helped her up and opened her door for her. It was a small thing, but he hadn’t needed to do it. ‘Really nice of you,’ she settled on, and he nodded once, quickly, as if he’d already had enough of talking about it. He led his dog back to Oystercatcher Cottage, and Thea finally,finally,stepped into the cool, airy embrace of her holiday home.
Thank God that was over. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for solo adventures after all.
