The Beach Reads Book Club: The most heartwarming and feel good summer holiday read of 2021! (The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection, Book 5)

by Kathryn Freeman

  As Sally calmed Freddie down again, Lottie eyed him curiously. ‘I didn’t have you down as a baby guy.’

  ‘I’m not.’

  ‘Yet you looked perfectly at ease with him. Most non-dads would panic at the first sound of crying.’

  ‘I panicked inside.’ The talk of babies made him feel slightly off balance. Or maybe that was down to Lottie, and the expression on her face. Was she interested in him, like he was in her? He swallowed and forced himself to carry on talking, where his usual modus operandi would be to shut up. ‘I tried to remember how my mum had told me to hold Amy. There’s nine years between us.’

  ‘Ah, that explains your proficiency.’ She glanced over at Freddie who was now gurgling happily as Gira cooed at him.

  ‘Did you have a useful discussion after I’d gone?’ he asked quietly.

  When her eyes found his again, he knew she got his meaning. ‘I think it was helpful, yes,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Good.’ He knew he should walk away and let them get on with it, but somehow he found himself rooted to the spot. ‘What was the verdict on The Player?’

  ‘If he really is having an affair, he’s a bastard,’ Sally answered as she pushed the pram into the corner. ‘But we don’t yet know for sure.’ The whole place went quiet and Sally, who’d been distracted by Freddie, looked up in alarm. ‘Oh buggeration, you meant the book, didn’t you?’

  Christ, his conversation skills were lacking at the best of times. He really couldn’t do awkward. ‘The book,’ he confirmed, deliberately keeping his eyes away from Gira. ‘That’s what I was referring to. Enjoy the rest of your meeting. I’ll be round the back if you need me.’

  He walked swiftly to the back office and buried himself in paperwork.

  He became so absorbed that he didn’t realise Lottie was standing in front of him until she spoke.

  ‘We’ve finished.’

  ‘Oh.’ He glanced at his watch, which confirmed it was already 7.30 p.m. ‘That went quickly.’

  Her lips curved. ‘Probably because you spent a lot of it pushing a pram up and down the seafront.’

  ‘Perhaps.’ His eyes swept over her: the purple hoodie, slim-fitting jeans, big yellow coat in her hands. She did casual like she was born to it … He glanced down at his cashmere jumper. He felt he was trying to play the part of chilled shop owner, and mainly failing.

  As if she could read his mind, she smiled. ‘I’d give the outfit eight out of ten.’

  ‘Only eight?’ He frowned, pretending to be upset. ‘That won’t do. I’m a high achiever.’

  ‘Don’t get me wrong, it looks really good on you.’ She raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘Oh God, now it sounds like I’m, you know, buttering you up.’

  ‘Are you?’

  Her cheeks went pink. ‘Not intentionally, but there is a favour I wanted to ask.’

  He was surprised how disappointed he was to realise the compliment hadn’t been real. ‘Ask away.’

  ‘I know you’ve been kind enough to allow us to bring snacks, and for Audrey to ply us with alcohol, but today we talked about having a pizza or some other take-out delivered. Partly to absorb the alcohol, partly because by the time we get back it’s late to start cooking, but mainly because it seems like a nice, social thing to do. We’d make sure to clean up afterwards, but I understand if you think it’s shifting the goalposts. I mean, you agreed to a book club, now it’s a boozy meal out while we talk about books.’ He noticed her hands tighten round the coat she was holding. ‘We could always shift the group to someone’s house, but I don’t want people to feel pressurised to host.’ She gave him a weak smile. ‘I’d have it at mine, but it’s not quite ready for receiving guests, which is a polite way of saying it’s as much of a dump on the inside as it is on the outside.’

  ‘I never said it was a dump,’ he protested. ‘I believe I said it had the potential to be charming.’

  ‘We both know that potential is a long way in the future. Or you would know if you’d come in, which you didn’t, though I can’t say I blame you.’ She drew in a breath. ‘Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked here—’

  ‘Whoa, wait a minute.’ He studied her face: the cute upturn of her nose, the freckles, the dizzying clarity of her eyes. ‘Did you want me to come in for a drink the other night?’

  Her brow wrinkled. ‘Why else would I ask you?’

  ‘To be polite?’

  ‘So you always turn people down when they invite you into their homes, on the basis you don’t think they mean it?’

  ‘No … I mean I can’t remember the last time I received such an invitation.’ His heart began to beat against his ribs. ‘Should I be lucky enough to receive another, I won’t make the same mistake.’

  A slow smile split her face. ‘Okay then.’ Silence descended, but it didn’t feel awkward. It felt charged, buzzing with unspoken messages. Eventually she glanced towards the door, where he could hear them all helping Sally push the pram out. ‘I guess I’ll see you next time.’

  ‘Yes. With pizza,’ he added, his eyes finding hers.

  She smiled right into his, causing everything inside him to sit up and take notice. ‘Thank you. We’ll save a slice for you.’

  As she turned to leave, he couldn’t pull his gaze away from her retreating figure, which unnerved him. He’d felt strong attraction before. Hell, he’d married – naively – because of it. Yet he was older and wiser now. He knew the damage that losing his head over a woman could do.

  Still, whatever his mind was saying, it appeared his body wasn’t prepared to listen.

  Chapter Nine

  May meeting, nominated book:

  The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin

  ‘Who doesn’t want to go to Tokyo now, having read this?’ Heidi sighed wistfully, picking up the book they’d all been avidly reading this month. ‘It’s given me really itchy feet to go travelling again. Since the girls grew too old to holiday with their old mum, I’ve not been away. The thought of going by myself just never seemed as exciting.’

  Lottie looked over to her. ‘You shouldn’t let being single stop you. There are so many holiday companies out there who cater for people exactly like you. You’d have a ball, meeting like-minded singles your age. I bet they do a trip to Japan, too.’

  ‘You really think so?’

  ‘Hang on a minute.’ Sally’s fingers flew over her phone. ‘Yep, there you are. This company do a tour of Japan for solo travellers, starting and ending in Tokyo. It says you can linger in the gardens of Kyoto, shoot through the mountain air on a bullet train, and stay in a traditional ryokan for the ultimate in Japanese luxury.’ She grinned over at Heidi. ‘Maybe, like Fiona in the book, you can meet an old crush and fall in love.’

  Heidi smiled. ‘Julie does write such beautiful romances. Still, I’d be happy if, like Fiona, it helped me, I don’t know, find myself again, I guess. Work out what I want to do with this next phase of my life.’

  ‘Shall I book it then?’ Sally waggled her eyebrows. ‘Just tell me when you want to go, hand over your credit card, and Japan could be yours.’

  ‘Good heavens, you young things are always in such a rush.’ Heidi gave a gentle shake of her head. ‘It will take me months to make a decision like that.’

  Lottie laughed. ‘Not with Sally around. She’ll hound you, so be warned. I remember once saying I fancied scuba diving. Before I knew it, she’d booked me a week in Croatia.’

  ‘Yeah, and you didn’t regret it,’ Sally protested. ‘That’s where you met Henry.’

  ‘Yes.’ The reminder sent a dart of melancholy through her. What a holiday that had been. Her first solo venture and she’d not only come back as a certified diver, she’d come back in love with a guy who, amazingly, had been a student at the university not far from where she lived.

  Had she been right not to follow him to California? Even now, eighteen months on, the decision haunted her. Usually late at night, when she missed a pair of arms around her.

&n
bsp; ‘Tell us more about this Henry.’ Audrey reached for another slice of pizza. What a genius idea it had been to order in something to soak up the gin, though clearly not enough to keep the eldest member of their club quiet. ‘Is he really out of the picture?’

  ‘He is,’ Lottie confirmed. She waited for the familiar tight feeling in her chest, but this time it was so slight it was barely there.

  ‘It’s high time you moved on from him then.’ Audrey took another swig of her second, or was it her third, large gin with a dash of tonic. ‘Pretty young thing like you should be having regular sex.’

  As Lottie tried to avoid choking on the pizza she’d just swallowed, they were interrupted by a strangled cry coming from the kitchen.

  ‘Stupid machine!’

  ‘Sounds like Amy’s having trouble. I’ll check on her.’ Grateful to get away from a discussion of her sex life, Lottie dashed into the room behind the counter where she found Amy pulling dirty plates out of the dishwasher. ‘Hey, anything I can help with?’

  Amy shook her head. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that so loud.’

  ‘You can say it as loud as you like. We’re in your space, not the other way round.’

  ‘Yeah, not really. It’s Matt’s. I’m just helping out.’ She continued to haul items out of the dishwasher.

  ‘This might sound daft, but shouldn’t you be putting dirty stuff into the dishwasher, rather than the other way round?’

  Amy huffed out a laugh. ‘It’s not working.’

  ‘Let me take a look.’ She flipped the switch to turn it on, and winced. ‘That sounds like a blocked pipe. You’ll need a plumber. If you don’t have one, I can recommend a guy.’

  ‘We don’t have one.’

  The sound of Matt’s voice behind her caused Lottie’s heart to jump. ‘Hi.’

  He slotted his hands into the pockets of a pair of dark blue jeans, and smiled back. ‘Hello.’

  Her stomach did a somersault and Lottie groaned inwardly. Now she knew why she’d felt a bit, well … flat this evening. She hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it, but there was no escaping the fact. When Amy had greeted them earlier, explaining her brother was out running errands, Lottie had been disappointed.

  Now she was like a battery that had just received a full charge.

  And God, she couldn’t stop staring at him. No jumper today, just a slim-fitting blue/grey collared shirt with a discreet pattern. It showcased his broad shoulders and hinted at the curve of his pecs, the trimness of his waist. It made her want to undo the buttons, slip her fingers beneath it and trail them across his skin.

  Heat rushed through her and Lottie had to force her gaze away. ‘So, my mate Shaun’s a plumber.’ Her voice didn’t sound like her own and she swallowed a few times. ‘I’ll give him a call if you like.’

  ‘Thanks, yes.’

  Amy exhaled sharply and Matt looked pained. ‘That’s if Amy agrees. The café is hers.’

  ‘Yeah, right. That’s why you were phoning new food suppliers yesterday.’ She glared at him. ‘I heard you.’

  Lottie watched as Matt briefly hung his head. ‘I suggest we talk about this later.’ His gaze locked on Lottie’s and beneath the rigidly controlled expression, she saw a glimpse of pain.

  Giving her a final, stiff smile, Matt left the room.

  ‘Shit.’ Amy wiped her eyes. ‘Sorry, that wasn’t cool. I’m going to be in trouble now.’

  She could see Amy was close to tears and Lottie’s heart went out to her. ‘I don’t know him very well, but your brother looked more upset than angry.’

  ‘Yeah, upset that I embarrassed him in front of you.’ Amy wouldn’t look her in the eye.

  Lottie would like to bet Matt’s reaction had been more than embarrassment. ‘Shall I call Shaun? He owes me a favour. I might even be able to get him over here tonight.’

  ‘Really?’ Amy heaved out a sigh. ‘Tomorrow will be mega hard if we don’t have a dishwasher.’

  A quick call later, and Lottie smiled at Amy. ‘He’s on his way.’

  ‘Phew, thanks.’ She gave an awkward shrug. ‘Sorry I made you interrupt your meeting.’ She gave Lottie a shy smile. ‘That book you were talking about sounded well good.’

  ‘It was.’ Sensing Amy’s interest, Lottie added, ‘I know you said books were more your brother’s thing, but if you think you might enjoy it, you’re very welcome to come and join us. We’d love more members.’

  Amy stared down at the flooded dishwasher. ‘I don’t know. I mean, I’d like to read more books, sure, but I couldn’t talk about them. Not like you guys do.’

  Again, Lottie felt her heart go out to her. Amy was only a few years younger than she was, yet that lack of confidence made the gap feel much wider. ‘You don’t have to talk, not if you don’t want to.’ She laughed. ‘We’re not short of people happy to do that. But talking is no good if there isn’t anyone prepared to listen.’

  The edges of Amy’s mouth curved upwards. ‘I’m good at that.’

  ‘Then you should join us.’ Lottie glanced at the dirty dishes. ‘And as you can’t do anything about this lot until Shaun arrives, why not come now? Last I heard, Sally was booking Heidi a trip to Japan.’

  Amy’s eyes widened. ‘Seriously?’

  ‘I think she would have done, if Heidi had handed her credit card over. Still, it has got Heidi thinking about planning a holiday.’ She gave Amy an encouraging smile. ‘You never know, joining the club might spark some ideas for you, too. And I’m not just talking about which book to read next.’

  Matt gave Amy half an hour to calm down. And himself half an hour to do the same. Had she been right about him interfering when he shouldn’t? Probably, but he was used to being in control of things, or maybe he should say he liked to be in control. It wasn’t a power kick, it was more about grounding him, keeping him on the level. The shop was his business, so he needed to know what was going on. It was the same reason he meticulously ordered his finances and watched his diet. The same reason he’d got up at the crack of dawn every morning to get into the office in his previous job. And stayed until most people had left.

  It cost you your wife, pushed away your family and nearly made you lose your mind. He drew in a deep breath and rose from his chair. Damn it, Amy had been right. He’d put her in charge and then undermined her. He had to learn to let go.

  Feeling contrite, he made his way back to the kitchen, only to pull up short when he pushed open the door. Those definitely weren’t Amy’s legs sticking out from under the sink.

  ‘I take it you’re the plumber?’

  The body sat up with a start. Early twenties, blond shaggy hair, amused blue eyes. Muscular physique with arms covered in tattoos. ‘And if I said no?’

  ‘I’d say you were looking in the wrong place if you’re hoping to find a book.’

  The guy laughed and jumped to his feet. ‘I’m Shaun.’ He stuck out his hand for Matt to shake. ‘Lottie’s friend.’

  Matt shook his hand, unnerved by the sudden dart of jealousy. ‘It’s good of you to come so quickly.’

  ‘Yeah, no worries.’ He grinned. ‘Lottie’s a hard woman to turn down. And that’s before I saw the cute café manager.’

  Okay, he really wasn’t sure how to deal with that comment. He was relieved Lottie and Shaun appeared to be exactly what they’d both said – friends – yet he didn’t want to be relieved, because he didn’t want it to matter. Then there was the big-brother part of him that was wary about this stranger’s interest. ‘Amy is my sister.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ Shaun clearly heard the warning in Matt’s voice. ‘Look, I didn’t mean anything stalkerish by that. Lottie will vouch for me. I’m a straight-up guy.’ He rubbed his hand on his jeans. ‘If you were looking for Amy, she’s talking books with Lottie and the others.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Well, well, had Amy joined the book club? He was about to go and find out when his sister appeared in the kitchen doorway, Lottie behind her.

  ‘Shaun’s fixing the dishwasher problem
,’ Amy announced abruptly, clearly still annoyed with him.

  ‘So I figured.’ He caught sight of Lottie over Amy’s shoulder and the embarrassment from earlier came crashing back. Bad enough he and his sister were arguing, but to have it witnessed, and by Lottie? ‘Thank you for staying behind to sort it.’

  ‘You don’t have to thank me for doing my job.’

  She looked so disgusted with him, Matt had to turn away, it hurt too much. It seemed that everything he said to Amy upset her.

  ‘You’ve got yourself a clogged pipe,’ Shaun said cheerfully, ignoring the tension. ‘I’ll have it fixed in no time. Especially if that old bird keeps plying me with gin.’

  Lottie groaned. ‘Audrey was supposed to be coming to the kitchen to find more tonic.’

  ‘Don’t fret, she found it. Not before she’d poured me a stiff drink and invited me back to hers, mind.’ Shaun waggled his eyebrows. ‘Best offer I’ve had all week.’ His eyes rested on Amy. ‘Then again, it’s only Thursday. Who knows what the next few days might bring?’

  Matt watched as Amy’s face turned a deep shade of red. Mortified? Or pleased? He wished he understood her more. Wished he was the sort of big brother she could discuss this stuff with. Give it time.

  Lottie coughed, drawing his attention. ‘Matt, have you got a minute?’

  ‘Sure.’

  Her gaze drifted between Amy and Shaun and then back to him. ‘Err, maybe we can go to your office?’

  And just like that, his mind began to play back images he had no right to be thinking. Her closing the door firmly behind them. Then stalking towards him. Him lifting her onto the desk so he could slide between her thighs. Their mouths crashing onto each other.

  As if she could read his mind, her cheeks flushed a little. ‘That way we won’t interrupt Shaun. He’s easily distracted and I know Amy needs this fixed tonight.’

  ‘Of course.’ His voice sounded rough to his ears. It didn’t help that his gaze fell to her pert backside as she turned and walked out ahead of him.