Page 13 of A New Arrival at Cwtch Cove

Alice watched him closely from under her eyelashes. ‘You’re not in love then?’

Henry shook his head. ‘Nope. Footloose and fancy free.’

‘Me too.’

‘I sometimes think it’s the best way to be. Or at least the safest way because then you can’t get hurt. Besides which, dating takes time and energy and I don’t know… If I met someone I really liked then I’d invest in my time with them but I have yet to meet that person.’

‘I’m the same. I’d have to really like someone to risk my heart.’

They gazed at each other and Henry felt as if time had stopped. When he’d said that he had yet to meet that person, he wasn’t being completely honest because he’d met Alice and he liked her a lot. Already. But obviously, he barely knew her and had no idea how she felt about him. Plus, of course, she was his employer’s daughter and getting involved with her would be risky because if anything went wrong, it could be really awkward.

‘Another drink?’ he asked, needing to break the spell that had settled over them. Alice was also in a vulnerable position right now with her career dilemma and so Henry had to forget about how much he liked her and to be there for her. As a friend. It was the decent thing to do.

‘That would be lovely, thank you.’ She handed him her empty mug and he got up and went to the counter.

Some lines weren’t meant to be crossed and this was one of those lines that he needed to tread carefully or people — himself and Alice — could end up getting hurt. But as he gazed back at her sitting at the table looking so vulnerable and confused, something deep inside him stirred. Alice looked at him like he was a man, yes, but not like he was a piece of meat the way some women did. She seemed to see that there was more to him than a ‘pretty’ face. Not that he was an egotist, but he’d always know he was considered handsome, had enough people tell him over the years and had photographers and agencies wanting to get him into modelling. But none of that had interested him. Henry hated superficial things and his looks were not important to him. He liked talking about books and movies, psychology and baking, about travel and animals. When he was with Alice, he felt that she saw him as a whole person and it made him feel like she respected him forwhohe was. It was a new feeling for him and he found himself wanting to explore it further.

If that was even possible or not he didn’t know, but he’d like to find out.

Chapter12

Trudy

The drive to Tenby took forty minutes and during that time, Trudy and Alice talked nonstop. They discussed the people Alice had seen and caught up with around Cwtch Cove since her arrival two and a half weeks ago, her thoughts on what she would do next career wise and about her ideas for Trudy ’s website.

Trudy was driving and so she only glanced briefly at her daughter every so often, but she enjoyed listening to her. Not having had extended periods of time with Alice for years, it was nice to have this time together and she secretly hoped that Alice might decide to stay in Cwtch Cove long term. It would be good to have Alice around permanently, but she’d never put any pressure on her to be around because she was firmly of the belief that Alice needed to live her life for her and to have all the freedom she needed to stretch her wings and fly.

What she had noticed recently though was that Alice and Henry seemed to have some sort of spark between them. Henry was a handsome man and she could understand why her daughter might find him attractive but whatever it was that the two younger people were feeling, it was, she thought, more than just physical. Alice had spoken about Henry and what a nice person he was. They’d spent time together at the café on more than one occasion and Alice said that she found him really easy to talk to. Henry had also let things slip at the bakery when he’d told Trudy that Alice was a lovely person. Trudy was doing her best not to interfere and try to matchmake, but she did think that Alice and Henry could be good together.

When they reached the outskirts of Tenby, Trudy drove through the heavy iron gates of the residential home and parked in a rectangular bay. The care home was a red brick Victorian building that had once been a stately home. It had been renovated in the eighties and turned into a residential home for the elderly.

Eighty-three-year-old Edith Worthing had been in a residential home in Manchester but four years ago, she’d asked Trudy if she could move to one closer to Cwtch Cove. Not too close, she’d said, as she didn’t want to cramp Trudy’s style or to have hers cramped, but close enough that they could see each other more often. They’d decided upon the home in Tenby together and Edith seemed to be very happy there. She was a sprightly octogenarian and enjoyed the activities that the home offered like Zumba, salsa, sea swimming, creative writing, choir and bingo, to name but a few. The home boasted a busy itinerary for its residents and from what Trudy could see, her mum took part in everything she could. She certainly knew how to get the most out of life. Bernard Worthing, Trudy’s dad, had passed away eleven years earlier. He’d been a kind and gentle man and her parents had been devoted to each other throughout their marriage. After his death, her mum had grieved for a few months then seemed to pull herself out of it remarkably well. Far more efficiently than Trudy had pulled herself out of her own grief. But then her mum had explained that she’d agreed with her husband that when one of them passed, the other would live their life to the fullest in honour of the love they’d shared. They’d also had concerns about their daughter as she’d lost her husband so young and so they wanted to ensure that they were always there for Trudy to support her whenever she needed them.

‘I’m looking forward to seeing Nanna,’ Alice said as they walked across the carpark.

‘She can’t wait to see you,’ Trudy replied.

The grounds of the home were beautiful this time of year with the changing colours of the leaves on the many trees, the large stone planters filled with shrubs and late blooming flowers and the fountain at the centre of a paved area where four stone mermaids sent water out into the air from the conch shells they held. The sound of the water flowing was soothing and Trudy often felt like she could have taken a seat on one of the benches near the fountain and enjoyed a nap.

They were buzzed into the reception area then Trudy led the way to the lifts and up to the first floor. Edith had a room at the rear of the building so she led the way along the corridors and to the door with her mum’s photo on.

Trudy knocked then waited. She’d sent a text to let her mum know when they were leaving Cwtch Cove so she knew her mum was expecting them.

The door swung inwards and an elderly man smiled out at them. ‘Hello?’ He raised bushy grey eyebrows expectantly.

Trudy looked at Alice and her daughter shrugged in confusion.

‘Is my mum here?’ Trudy asked. ‘Edith Worthing?’

The man nodded. ‘She’s just getting dressed.’

‘Dressed?’ Trudy gulped and next to her, Alice sniggered.

‘Yes. She won’t be long.’ He held out a hand. ‘I’m Donald Brain.’

‘Donald Brain?’ Trudy asked. ‘I haven’t heard your name mentioned before.’

Donald chuckled. ‘She tends to refer to me asBig Boyso perhaps you’ve heard of me under that moniker.’

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