Page 76 of The Key to the Last House Before the Sea

GABRIEL

The shrill ring of a mobile phone in the distance dragged Gabriel from sleep. For a moment, he thought he was at Driftwood House. But his aching back and cold feet soon reminded him of reality – he was sleeping on the floor in an old cottage on the Devon coast. And Nessa, the woman he’d kissed just a few hours earlier, was sleeping in the room above him.

It was pitch black and, when he fumbled for his phone, it lit up with a ghostly glow. It was three thirty in the morning and a mobile was ringing, but it wasn’t his. Who on earth was calling Nessa at this time?

He unzipped his sleeping bag and was about to stand up in the cold room when he heard footsteps from the room above. Then, a torch beam shone down the stairs, growing brighter until Nessa appeared.

She was in a rush. She ran to the door, her body a dark shadow, and pushed her feet into her trainers.

‘What’s going on?’ he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Nessa jumped violently. She’d obviously forgotten he was there. He’d lain awake for ages in his chilly sleeping bag, thinking of the woman sleeping only feet from him. But she’d forgotten all about him.

‘Who was that on the phone?’ he asked, his voice low and croaky.

‘Valerie,’ said Nessa tersely before cursing as she fumbled tying her laces. ‘Lily’s very poorly so I need to go.’

‘Now?’

Nessa straightened up. ‘Yes, now. I’m her mum and I should be with her. Valerie sounded really worried and said she’s thinking of taking her to A&E if her breathing doesn’t improve.’

‘I’ll come with you.’

Gabriel stood up and stretched out his legs. But Nessa shook her head.

‘No. There’s no need. Valerie will only freak out if I turn up in the middle of the night with you.’

‘But how are you going to get there?’

‘Rosie left her car here when you all walked home earlier. I’ll use that.’

‘That old rust bucket?’ Gabriel dug into the pocket of his jeans. ‘Here. Take my car.’

He held out his keys, which glinted in the glow from his phone.

‘I’ll be fine in Rosie’s car,’ said Nessa, shoving her arms into her coat and grabbing her handbag.

‘No, you won’t. The storm’s died down but the roads will still be treacherous, and according to Rosie, her car’s always breaking down. What if you break down in the middle of nowhere on the way to see Lily?’

‘You don’t want to lend me your car.’

‘I do, so take it. You need to get to your daughter.’

Nessa hesitated for the briefest of moments before rushing across the room. She took the keys, her fingers brushing against his, and with a brief ‘thank you’ she was gone.

He heard the front door slam in the blackness and, a minute or two later, the low growl of his car engine as it revved anddisappeared into the distance.

Gabriel sat back down on his thin bedding roll and put his head in his hands. He hoped that Lily was all right. He hated to think of the child being unwell, and Nessa was right to go to her.

She’d gone, he realised, even though she was so close to completing the obligatory month in the cottage. Now, she hadn’t met the terms of the lease. Which meant her efforts had been for nothing.

His father would win, as he always did, and this cottage would be razed to make way for luxury homes that people like Nessa could never afford.

But that was business. It wasn’t always pretty and it wasn’t always kind, but it was the way his world turned. And securing this deal would help prove to his father that he was worthy of taking over the family firm. For once, he wouldn’t be a disappointment.

Around him, ghosts of the past seemed to crowd the darkness. Giving himself a mental shake for being so spooked, Gabriel wriggled back into his sleeping bag and zipped it up.

Losing this place would hit Nessa hard but she would survive, he told himself. She was the type of woman who would carry on fighting to do the best for her child.

He focused on the whoosh of the waves nearby and tried to sleep. But he was still staring at the ceiling, remembering their kiss, when beams of dawn light slid across the flagstones two hours later.

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