Page 101 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
Of this one thing, Thea was certain. ‘Don’t worry, I love it – warts and all.’
‘Great. I can’t make Ben’s event this afternoon because of work, but I’ll message you later and find out where you are, so I can pick up the keys. Or – actually – give them to Meredith, and she can give them back to me.’
‘Perfect,’ Thea said. ‘Thank you again. This means such a lot.’
Anisha grinned. ‘Enjoy!’
Thea waved her off, then stood for a few moments looking at the view. Maybe whirling, frantic seabirds and a terrifying drop weren’t what she needed right now. Maybe she needed to look around her new bookshop, her decades-long dream made real, with nobody peering over her shoulder. There, she might be able to process the news about Esme and Alex, come to terms with the fact that Ben wouldn’t be a part of her future, and most importantly, start thinking about this town, this life, as hers.
Then she would go to Ben’s event, try not to think of herself as an unwelcome distraction, and enjoy the last afternoon of what had been a life-changing holiday: perhaps even toast this new, miraculous chapter she was about to embark on with her friends. She wondered if Ben would clink glasses with her, or if she’d sullied their friendship, and the possibility of more, too much even for that.
She pushed the thought away. Now was the time to be positive, to put negative thoughts to the back of her mind.She hadachieved a lot, and she was going to revel quietly in it, to share her triumph with some spiders and sleeping bats. She gave a quick, involuntary shudder, then lifted her chin.
With the sea sparkling to her left, Sunfish and Oystercatcher Cottages behind her, and the wind spurring her on, Thea set off again, striding along Port Karadow’s clifftop path towards her future.
