Page 66 of The Key to the Last House Before the Sea

GABRIEL

Gabriel stood in the sitting room at Driftwood House, staring out of the window at the sea. He ran a finger inside the collar of his new polo shirt.

The weather had turned today. A thick blanket of grey cloud had blocked out the sun and it was uncomfortably humid. The cooling breeze usually found on the clifftop had disappeared and the air was heavy and still.

The view from Driftwood House was still amazing, and far better than the cornucopia of concrete from his London apartment. But he was missing his air-conditioning.

At least no Zoom calls were planned for today – no work meetings at all, in fact. So he’d dressed down, more in keeping with the sultry weather.

After the trip to the beach four days ago, he’d visited the boutique near the quay and had bought a couple of polo shirts, new underwear, and a pair of jeans.

Nessa’s month in the cottage was almost up – she only had three nights to go –and then he’d be heading back to London. But he’d determined to make his final few days here as comfortable as possible. He deserved as much because he knew what was waiting for him back at headquarters.

His father was furious that Nessa was still in situ and would take it out on him. Then, after he’d given his son a dressing-down, he’d bring in an expensive lawyer to take Nessa down. And he’d win. He’d have to spend time and money to do so, which would anger him even more, but he’d get the result he wanted in the end.

Gabriel shook his head. Perhaps it wouldn’t come to that. There was still a slight chance that Nessa might change her mind about living there with Lily. Or slip up. That’s why he was still knocking on her door at seven in the morning and ten at night.

He stared at the churning sea, which seemed to change colour every minute. Right now, it was a mossy green close to shore, with bands of grey stretching to the horizon.

It would make a wonderfully atmospheric painting, he thought, his fingers itching to sweep a brush across a canvas.

He was so deep in thought he didn’t hear Rosie coming into the room and he jumped when she tapped him on the shoulder.

‘Sorry.’ She laughed. ‘You were miles away. I did call to you from the door but you didn’t hear me.’

Gabriel smiled, pleased to see her. In spite of the circumstances, he was enjoying his stay in her isolated guesthouse above Heaven’s Cove. His room was comfortable and spotlessly clean, and Rosie had gone out of her way to make him feel at home. And there was something else about being up here, on the clifftop… It made him feel freer somehow. Less weighed down by corporate responsibilities, in spite of his father’s frequent terse texts.

‘How can I help you?’ he asked.

‘It’s not so much helping me,’ she answered, biting her lip. ‘I’m just heading off with a couple of friends to Sorrel Cove, and I thought you might like to come along.’

‘Why?’

Rosie shrugged. ‘I know you and Nessa aren’t the best of friends but whatever happens in the end, she’s had a tricky month and we want to offer her some support. So we’re going to give her another hand with doing the place up.’

‘You do realise it’s a waste of time because the cottage is going to be pulled down? If she completes thirty days there, my father will simply contest the lease.’

He couldn’t help wincing at how harsh that sounded. But there was no point in sugar-coating it.

‘Maybe. But don’t underestimate Nessa. People underestimated me when I started renovating Driftwood House after my mum died, but I proved them wrong.’ Rosie smiled. ‘Nessa’s a fighter who’s had a lot to cope with in her life, and if she thinks she can save the cottage and make a better life for her and Lily, I wouldn’t put it past her.’

‘You’ve obviously never met my father. I’m afraid Nessa is fighting a losing battle.’

He felt rather ashamed as he said that, but it was the truth, and there was no point in getting sentimental about it. He couldn’t afford to feel sorry for Nessa or admit that she’d grown on him. Once you got past her pig-headedness, she was kind and vulnerable. And he already found himself thinking about her far more than was sensible.

‘Maybe she is wasting her time but it’s good to have a dream, don’t you think?’ said Rosie. ‘Turning this place into a guesthouse was my dream and it came true. Anyway, I’m leaving in fifteen minutes if you’d like to join us.’

She’d reached the door before Gabriel asked: ‘You and Nessa are good friends, so why don’t you resent me for what I’m doing here?’

She regarded him with her warm brown eyes. ‘I don’t like it, but you’re doing your job. I get that. You have your reasons for wanting to destroy the Ghost Village, and Nessa has her reasons for wanting to save it.’

‘And you think that me seeing how hard Nessa is working to save it might change my mind?’

‘Perhaps. But mostly I thought you might want to do something other than work. You’ve had hardly any time off since you arrived, and Heaven’s Cove is very nice, you know.’

’A break would be nice,’ Gabriel admitted. ‘But it would be hypocritical of me to help Nessa out when I’m waiting for her to fail. Don’t you think?’

‘I don’t think you lending a hand will be the deciding factor in whether Nessa succeeds or not. But you don’t have to help. You don’t have to do anything other than relax. And I thought you might like to meet some other people while you’re here.’

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