Page 94 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
‘Except that it’s going to cost an absolute fortune to restore the building, and they can’t afford it.’
‘But it’s their responsibility, and they have a duty to everyone in the town to manage its upkeep. It’s not big enough to be a museum, and if they have someone like you looking after it, making a feature out of it and also giving it a purpose, then some of the responsibility is off their hands. They’d be madto turn you down. You’ve got this, Thea. We should celebrate!’
‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘Not until I’ve heard back from them. Do you know if their meeting is in the morning, or the afternoon?’
Meredith laughed. ‘I’ll message Nish. Let’s have a drink this evening anyway, as a distraction if not a celebration. I’m sure Finn would want to come.’
‘That sounds great,’ Thea said, but she deflated slightly.
‘You could, just casually, ask Ben if he wanted to come, couldn’t you?’
‘I could,’ Thea admitted. ‘I don’t know if he’ll say yes.’
‘No harm in trying though, is there?’ Meredith squeezed her arm. ‘At the very least, I’m sure he’d want to hear your news.’
‘There isn’t really anything to tell, yet.’
‘Notyet,’ Meredith said. ‘I’ll see if I can book us a table at the Happy Shack again. Now I’ve been there, I don’t want to go anywhere else.’
‘Isn’t it always booked up?’
‘At the weekends, definitely, but this is mid-week. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to ask. If you don’t, then you’ll never know.’ She said it pointedly, and Thea laughed. She couldn’t letherself feel excited quite yet, but if she was honest, she didn’t think that meeting could have gone any better.
They were back with the stunning views and friendly ambience of the Happy Shack, out on the terrace again because, Meredith had explained, there had been a last-minute cancellation. It felt strange being just the three of them. Thea had checked with Meredith and then called Esme, to see if she and Alex wanted to join them, but they were still up in the north of the county, and Esme didn’t think they’d make it back in time. While that eliminated the potential awkwardness of bringing her old friends and her new friends together, the empty chair at their table still felt conspicuous, because Ben hadn’t answered Thea’s message.
‘Thank you for this,’ she said. ‘For coming out with me again, especially now that I’m the enemy.’ She held her wine glass out, and was about to clink it against Finn’s beer when he pulled his bottle back.
‘What do you meanthe enemy?’
‘You know: me versus Ben.’
‘That’s not how it is,’ Meredith said, as Finn rolled his eyes.
‘I spoke to Ben earlier,’ he explained. ‘I invited him, and he gave some pathetic excuse about having to sand down a worktop, as if the piece of wood would turn to dust if he didn’t do it this evening. You were both invited; he’s choosing to stay away.’
‘Because ofme,’Thea said. ‘I don’t want him to feel like his friends have abandoned him.’
‘I’ll make sure he knows we haven’t abandoned him,’ Finn replied. ‘I’ll go around to his place tomorrow and beso in his face that he throws me out.’ He gave Thea a soft smile. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let him give up on our bromance. He’s just working through some things.’
Thea rested her chin on her hand. ‘I’ve hurt him, though.’
‘If heisfeeling hurt,’ Meredith said, ‘then it’s because he cares about you, and surely that means there’s hope?’
‘Agreed.’ Finn nodded. ‘What I’ve learnt about Ben is that he’s good at putting up emotional walls, as well as real ones. So many, in fact, that it’s like a pass-the-parcel of walls. You get through one, and there’s another one waiting, without even a sweet inside to keep you going. But, at the risk of sounding like a beauty advert, he’s worth it.’
‘So you think I might be able to get through to him?’
‘I do,’ Finn said.
‘And he’s got his barbecue thing on Friday,’ Meredith added. ‘He’s really focused on that, probably nervous, and I think if you’re there, showing your support … I don’t know.’ She shrugged and sipped her wine. ‘It wouldn’t hurt.’
‘That’s a great idea,’ Finn said. ‘Does he know about your meeting today?’
‘No.’ Thea sighed, just as a huge dish piled high with fresh seafood – cod goujons and dressed crab, mussels and half a lobster, the spread garnished with watercress and lemon slices – was brought to their table. Chunky granary bread and golden pots of butter came on a separate plate. ‘Bloody hell,’ she muttered.
‘Feast fit for a king,’ Finn said, handing out the plates that were stacked on the end of their table. ‘Why didn’t you tell Ben about your meeting?’
‘Because I wanted to see if he would reply first, so I sent him a message, inviting him tonight, and he never got back to me.’
