A Perfect Cornish Summer. Phillipa Ashley
in anyone’s life, but not one Sam had to worry about for a good while yet … even so, the years could fly by and she’d once thought – hoped – she might have settled down and possibly be thinking of a family by now. The trouble was she’d never been able to see herself with anyone but Gabe. Once again, the idea that he might be – probably was – in a relationship with a partner he might bring to Porthmellow churned away in her mind.
The meeting broke up as twilight descended over the harbour. Usually the committee rewarded themselves for their hard work with a trip to one of the local pubs, meeting up with others who helped with the organisation.
Chloe slotted her tablet and files into a leather case. ‘I’ll join you later at the pub if it’s OK. I need to make a call first. It’s work again.’ Her grimace was apologetic.
‘OK,’ said Sam. ‘We’ll keep your seat warm.’
‘Thanks.’
After Chloe had left, Zennor and Ben scooted off to the pub to get a round in and Troy decided to head home to Evie so only Sam and Drew were left behind to pack up.
‘Want a hand with your stuff?’ he asked as Sam put her iPad in her bag and picked up a box of files.
‘Thanks. I’ll have to cart it to the pub with me so I could do with some help.’
‘It should be quiet at the Tinners’ tonight. The Smuggler’s has a folk band on and it’ll be noisy and packed.’
‘Oh. I wondered why Zen and Ben were so keen on the Tinners’. Mind you I wouldn’t have minded a bit of a sing along. And a very large glass of wine.’
‘I can do the wine … but I can’t stay too long this evening.’ He took the box from her while Sam locked the room. She followed him down the stairs and returned the key to a hook on the wall.
‘Plans?’
He smiled. ‘Maybe …’
‘Oh. Sounds intriguing.’
Drew answered with a cryptic smile and Sam walked out of the Institute and skirted the harbour. There was no point taking the boxes back to the house, as the Tinners’ was conveniently half the way home in one of the back streets behind the harbour.
Drew carried the box in his arms, while Sam had her laptop and bag. They passed by the Harbour Café where the closed sign was turned over. Faint music drifted over the water from the Smuggler’s on the opposite side of the water. Now the meeting had ended, Gabe had been on her mind again. She knew she’d be googling him as soon as she got home.
‘Tell me to mind my own business but are you OK?’ Drew asked, breaking into Sam’s thoughts
Sam had a sinking feeling. ‘Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Because I know you too well and we’ve been friends for too long. I know how you felt about Gabe and how he felt about you. We were all mates, after all, even if I was a few years older than you both. How do you feel about him coming back to take part in the festival?’
‘Not thrilled, but you’ve worked that one out.’ She threw a smile at her friend. He deserved her honesty, or something like it. ‘There’s nothing I can do about it and the simple fact is that we need a headline chef, and one that’s going to appear for free – well, I’d be nuts to turn it down. Think how it would look, if I refused his offer because of a family dispute that half the town will have forgotten by now?’
‘I can see you’re in an impossible position. I just wanted you to know that I’m aware it’ll be tough for you.’
Sam laid her hand on his arm. ‘You’re a lovely guy. Has anyone ever told you that?’
‘Not as often as you might think.’ His eyes twinkled.
‘Is that going to change?’
‘I can’t possibly answer that.’
Sam narrowed her eyes. Drew did seem jaunty this evening and his mysterious comments led her to put two and two together.
‘Yes! I thought you were seeing someone new.’ She stopped in her tracks. ‘There’s a new woman, isn’t there? Don’t try to deny it.’
He appeared to be considering then smirked. ‘OK. She’s very new. She’s called Caitlin.’
Sam gave a little whoop of triumph that her guess had been right. ‘Caitlin? Do I know her?’
‘Don’t think so. As a matter of fact, I’m seeing her later this evening only I didn’t want to say so earlier. This is only our third date.’
She let out a mock gasp. ‘Third date? My God, should I buy a hat?’
‘Not just yet, but I don’t mind admitting I’m pretty smitten.’
‘Wow.’ She planted a kiss on his cheek, delighted to have been trusted with the news about his new girlfriend. ‘But you’re not bringing her to Chloe’s party?’
‘Oh, I’m not sure she’d fit in. After all, would you bring a new bloke to one of our committee booze-ups?’
‘On careful reflection, no. Not unless I wanted to split up with them. And besides, there is no one in my life at the moment.’
‘At the moment, eh? I heard you were seeing Hunky Carl Trenow.’
She gasped, shocked that Drew knew about her most recent ‘relationship’ with the handsome helm of the Marazion lifeboat. ‘What? I only went out with him three times and we were meant to be keeping it quiet.’
‘Not quiet enough. It was all around Porthmellow.’
‘In that case, you’ll know we called it a day,’ she said curtly, still taken aback at how fast the gossip had spread.
‘Word has it you wouldn’t let him wear his yellow wellies in bed. Most women beg him to wear them, apparently.’
‘What? That’s outrageous!’ She huffed loudly. ‘I hope Carl didn’t say that or I’ll sort him out. Things never even got that far …’ She paused, realising she’d shared too much information with Drew. ‘Who told you about the wellies?’
‘Oh, it was a bit of banter at the station and on the quayside. We all knew it was rubbish. Most people thought it was more likely that Carl bored you to death.’
She made a mock strangling gesture. ‘This bloody place. The gossip is terrible. Carl – and I never called him Hunky Carl – and I decided not to see each other again because we didn’t click, and that’s all. He was obsessed with playing with his Xbox and he thought gourmet food was having HP sauce on his chips rather than tomato ketchup. To be honest, I was sooo relieved when he was called on a shout before our final date, and when he asked me to go to a lifeboat barbecue, I told him I couldn’t make it because I had a meeting about the Portaloos. He didn’t call me again and that suited me fine.’ Sam’s cheeks turned warm, thinking of people discussing her sex life – or lack of – with Hunky Carl, the most boring ‘hero’ on the planet.
Drew laughed. ‘What are we like, eh? Both as bad as each other at romantic stuff.’
‘Yes, but you have the mysterious Caitlin now … Where’s she from? When do we get to meet her?’ Sam asked.
Drew grinned. ‘She comes from Falmouth way. Penryn as a matter of fact.’ Drew pushed open the pub door. ‘You’ll see her soon, I promise. I don’t want to introduce her to you until we’re both ready.’
‘Fair enough. I’m very happy for you,’ she said, burning with curiosity yet trying to respect his privacy.
‘Thanks.’ Drew left Sam’s stuff by their table in the pub and delivered the news that he couldn’t stay to a wide-eyed Zennor before heading off out of the door, whistling a sea shanty.
Sam smiled to herself. He loved to