‘I’m OK,’ she replied. ‘We’ve been all over the place. How are the preparations going at school?’
He made a grunting noise. ‘Lots to do, not enough time, but we’re making progress. Marion couldn’t possibly have managed on her own. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch,’ he went on and her ears pricked. She needed to hear this. ‘I felt sick about not being able to come. It’s been easier to bury myself in work and I’ve been so busy. Plus, you know I’m not very good at chat. I’m glad you rang me, though. I was worried you were furious with me.’
‘Disappointed and hurt, yes, furious, no,’ she replied honestly.
‘I’m sorry. I hope you’ll invite me to Mexico again,’ he ventured. ‘I hope I’m not persona non grata now.’ This made her laugh, despite herself.
‘You can come whenever you like.’ She swallowed. ‘The only thing is… I think I’ve had enough of Mexico City for the time being. I’m missing Tremarnock – and our swims.’
‘Are you?’ She could hear that he was smiling. ‘It’s not the same without you. Not at all.’
She paused for a minute, mustering courage.
‘Simon?’
‘Yes.’
‘I need to ask you something.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘If I said that I might pack in my job here and move to Cornwall permanently, or at least for a year or so, would you be pleased, horrified or indifferent?’
He was silent for what seemed like an age, but in actual fact it was only a few moments.
‘Very, very pleased,’ he replied warmly at last.
There was a song in her heart when they hung up and she was still humming it when Liz and the others joined her in the kitchen for breakfast.
‘You look cheerful,’ Liz said, putting on the kettle and making herself a cup of tea.
‘I am,’ Chabela replied, smiling at Rosie, who looked about twelve with tousled hair, and Rafael, who was still half asleep. ‘I’m in a very good mood. The best, in fact. It’s taken me a long, long time, thirty-nine years to be exact, but I think I’ve finally worked out what I really want.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next few days passed by in a pleasant sort of blur as they hurried from one place to another, keen to see as much of the city as possible before it was time to leave.
On their return to the UK, Simon drove to Bristol airport to collect Chabela, while Robert came with Lowenna to take home Liz, Rosie and Rafael. As soon as Chabela saw Simon waiting for her behind the barrier in the arrivals lounge, she knew that something had changed.
Gone was the stiffness, that feeling she’d always had that he was holding something back, keeping something in. His whole demeanour was more open and vulnerable somehow, and his eyes were soft and a little bit wary. It was as if he knew that he was exposed and was afraid of getting hurt.
She understood it so well because she felt it, too.
‘Hello,’ she said, gazing steadily into his eyes, wanting to reassure and be reassured at the same time. ‘Thanks so much for driving all this way.’
She was aware of the others, walking around the barrier to meet Robert, and hoped that they weren’t looking.
‘Thank God you’re here,’ he said, in a deep voice. ‘I thought I might never see you again.’
‘I was always coming back,’ she replied with a smile.
He looked so defenceless, almost naked, that she wanted to throw her arms around him right there and then, but there was a metal fence between them and besides, her friends might be watching.
‘Do you want to go straight back to Polgarry, or come to Kittiwake first?’ he asked, as soon as she joined him.
She didn’t hesitate. ‘Kittiwake please.’
He took her bag and started to wheel it towards the exit while she walked alongside.
‘Bye, Liz, Rosie and Rafael!’ she called, once they reached the car park. ‘You’ve been fabulous travelling companions.’
They all hugged and Liz said that she’d had one of the best times of her life.
‘Thank you for showing us your beautiful country and looking after us so well.’
Chabela did most of the talking as they headed back to Tremarnock while Simon listened. He made the odd comment, but seemed a little distracted. She put this down to the fact that he had a lot on his mind with the school inspection looming.
The head teacher had just come out of hospital and it didn’t look as if he’d be fit to return to work anytime soon. This meant that Simon and Marion would most likely have to manage on their own, and there was much at stake. A bad report would cause a lot of upset and it could take years to restore the school’s reputation. They simply had to get it right first time.
He left her bag in the boot of the car after parking, and they walked the final stretch across the cliff top to his cottage. As soon as she spotted the familiar whitewashed walls and slated roof, with patches of rough, orangey lichen, her pulse seemed to slow right down and a sense of calm washed through her.
Although it was autumn and the sky was grey, the grass in the front garden was newly mown and the lush spiky plants in tubs on either side of the front door had been cut back. She was amused and really rather relieved to see a line of mostly brown washing flapping in the wind. Simon had been busy.
Before going inside, she told him that she wanted to admire the view. They stood on the edge of the grassy headland for a few moments, gazing at the restless waves, the curved beach and Old Charley at the far end, looming large, dark and formidable, stretching his bony fingers out to sea.
‘He looks a bit grumpy today,’ Chabela commented.
‘He’s been like that ever since you left. Must be catching.’
She smiled at the joke and he told her that he’d made something for lunch, just in case she decided to stay. She was expecting to sit down straight away as it was gone two p.m. and she guessed that he must be hungry. She was, too.
As soon as they entered the house, however, he grabbed her around the back, pulled her to him and kissed her on the mouth with such ferocity that it almost took her breath away.
She was so surprised that her knees went weak and she nearly lost her balance, but he was holding on tight so she couldn’t fall. It was almost as if he feared that if he let her go, she would disappear again to Mexico. She hadn’t even had time to take off her jacket or put down her handbag!
The heat that he radiated melted something in her and before she knew it, she was tugging at his brown sweater and pulling it over his head. Next, her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt while he dragged off her jacket and sweatshirt.
‘Have you been swimming much?’ she asked distractedly, while he fiddled with her bra strap, yanked it off and threw it unceremoniously on the floor.
‘Not without you,’ he murmured, pulling her into him again so that they were skin on skin. Her body tensed as he ran his hands over her back, shoulders and breasts before moving down to undo the top button of her jeans.
‘Wait a minute,’ she whispered, pushing his hands away. Then she planted little kisses down the centre of his chest to his bellybutton, all the while breathing in his warm scent. She’d wanted to do that again all week.
She was about to undo his trousers but he stopped her.
‘Come with me,’ he said. Then he led her, half clothed, up the stairs and on to his bed, from where they had a fine view of Old Charley, gazing at them through the slightly open window.
‘We can’t!’ she gasped. ‘Not in front of him! Close the blinds! He wouldn’t approve!’
Simon laughed. It was a lovely sound – deep, infectious and decidedly naughty.
‘Oh, he won’t mind,’ he said, unzipping her jeans and tugging them off. He stopped for a moment to admire her red lace knickers, but before long, they were on the floor, too. ‘I reckon he’s seen it all in his time. He’s a wise old thing.’
Old Charley looked discreetly the other way.
*
It had been an emo
tional reunion for Liz at the airport, not least because she’d never left Lowenna before. The little girl had clung to her like a limpet all the way home, insisting that Liz should sit beside her on the back seat and hold her hand for the entire journey.
Liz had hoped that Robert would stay for a cup of tea at least when they got back to the cottage, but he turned her down.
‘I’ve got too much to do,’ he said, giving Rosie and Lowenna a goodbye hug. ‘Lowie’s been fab. We’ve had great fun, haven’t we, sweetheart?’
The little girl beamed at her dad. She looked very pretty in clean pink dungarees, her dark hair tied in two fat bunches on either side of her head. He’d obviously done a great job with her in Liz’s absence.
‘Thank you,’ Liz said, ‘for looking after her so well.’ He’d been staying at Bag End with her while Liz was away.
He grunted an acknowledgment. ‘I’ll pop in later to pick up my stuff. I haven’t got time now.’
It was strange walking around the cottage and seeing evidence of him everywhere: his sweater on the back of the bedroom chair; his toothbrush in their bathroom.
She guessed that moving back in temporarily must have been poignant and peculiar for him, too, and she was overcome once again with a sense of guilt and sadness. And yet… she couldn’t deny that she’d had these feelings for Max; they weren’t made up and at least she’d finally been honest about them. There was some small comfort in that.
She’d hoped so much that Robert might have softened a little in her absence and that he would be ready to talk, but this didn’t appear to be the case. Clearly the hurt ran very deep; perhaps so deep that it could never be erased.
She sighed as she opened her suitcase on the bed and started to unpack her things. For one whole week while she’d been gone, she’d mostly managed to put her troubles on the backburner and throw herself into all the new experiences. Now that she was home, though, she could feel the problems starting to crowd back in, making her quite sick and fuzzy.
Rosie shouted up that she and Rafael were going out to see friends.
‘When will you be back?’ Liz asked, walking to the top of the stairs and looking down at the pair, putting on their trainers in the hall.
‘Dunno,’ said Rosie in an off-hand manner. She picked up her phone and keys from the table and stalked out of the house, with Rafael trailing behind.
It seemed that she, too, had reverted to what had become her normal self now that they were in Cornwall again. During the holiday she’d been reasonably friendly towards Liz, and sometimes even quite loving.
Still, Liz knew that there was no point feeling sorry for herself. She had Lowie to look after, and friends to check on, and she was back to work on Monday, cleaning houses. There was no time to wallow.
Tabitha popped around with Oscar the following day and the four went for a walk along the coast and had lunch in a little café. Tabitha wanted to know all about the trip, of course, and she filled Liz in on what had been happening in Tremarnock in her absence.
Rick, having given up on Chabela, had wasted no time in finding a new amour through a dating website. Her name was Olga, she had red hair and wore leopard-print shoes. All in all, she seemed highly suitable.
Meanwhile, Tony and Felipe had had a massive argument one evening, which could be heard in the surrounding streets. Tony had stormed back to London, where he had a small flat, leaving Felipe bereft.
He’d been spotted several times wandering mournfully on the beach by himself and everyone had been worried about him. Fortunately, however, Tony had phoned quite quickly, they’d made up, sorted out their differences and now he was back in Tremarnock, behaving as if nothing had happened.
On top of this, Sally the Jack Russell had gone missing, which was a frequent occurrence, and had been found again in a side street, rootling in an upturned bin, much to Jenny, her owner’s, disgust. Nathan the postman had got engaged to Annie, the fitness instructor, but other than that, not a lot had changed.
‘Phew,’ said Liz, when Tabitha had finished. ‘Thanks for the update. Sounds like I’ve missed masses.’
Tabitha gave a wry smile. ‘At least it’s never dull here, is it? There’s always something going on.’
‘Too true,’ said Liz, thinking of her own dramas. ‘There’s something about this place; you never know what’s round the corner.’
They got on to the subject of Robert next, and Liz said how sad she felt, being in the house again without him in it. Tabitha said that she’d seen him with Lowenna a few times in the village and that he looked pretty bad – gaunt and weary – although he was obviously trying to put a brave face on it.
‘You’ve got to have a proper talk with him, Liz,’ she said seriously. ‘Being in limbo like this is crippling for you both. You need to sort things out one way or another. Do you want him back?’
She looked at her friend squarely and Liz’s eyes clouded over.
‘I do,’ she said, ‘I miss him so much, but I’ve tried so hard to have a conversation with him and he won’t.’
She was staring into the distance as they strolled back along the coastal path, past abundant gorse and wild grasses, with long, spidery tendrils swaying in the breeze.
‘Incidentally, I haven’t spoken to Max for ages, and I don’t want to. He just seems like a flash in the pan, now. I can’t believe I was so nuts about him; I must have been crazy. It could never have worked out. Besides, I have a feeling that he’s hoping to get back with his ex-wife. Relations between them seem to have thawed recently. Perhaps it would be for the best. I expect their daughter would be pleased. Apart from anything else, we live in different countries and I don’t suppose either of us would have wanted to move.’
‘You’re not a bad person for having had strong feelings for someone else, you know,’ Tabitha commented. ‘You and Robert were going through a bad patch and these things happen. But you need to resolve matters with him one way or another now, not least for the children’s sakes. Kids need stability and at the moment, you’re all over the place. I’m pretty sure Robert wants to get back with you but he’s going to need a lot of persuasion.’
Liz nodded. They were wise words and she was grateful for them.
‘I’m going to email him,’ she said decisively, ‘and ask again if we can meet up. You’re right, we can’t go on like this. Either we try our absolute best to make it work, or it’s time to call it quits.’
*
Chabela didn’t return to Polgarry Manor on the night she arrived back in England, she stayed in Kittiwake. Waking up the following morning in a strange bed to find Simon asleep beside her was a surprise to say the least.
At first she couldn’t remember where she was, then, when she glanced out of the window through the half-open blind and spied Old Charley keeping watch outside the cottage, it all came back.
Of course! She was in Simon’s cottage, with Simon, and they’d made love yesterday afternoon and again in the evening and both times had been glorious!
She gazed at his sleeping face, taking in the thick brown hair, dark eyebrows, straight nose and full lips. Without his glasses he looked younger and there was a light sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheeks.
She leaned over and pressed her mouth softly against his. He stirred slightly and made a grumbling sound but didn’t wake. All of a sudden, she was filled with a deep sense of wonder. Here was a man, she thought, whom she could really love, not in the way that she’d loved Alfonso, like a groupie, looking up to him and hanging on his every word, no – Simon felt to her like an equal, someone with whom she could stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder, each reflecting the exact same amount of light so that neither was forced to lurk in the shadows.
His eyelids fluttered open and when he saw her bending over, gazing at him, his face lit up in a smile.
‘Good morning!’ he said in a jokey voice, ‘Now, who is this very attractive lady in my bed?’
She laughed. ‘Your paramour. Had you forgotten you
have one?’
‘Ah yes,’ he replied, grinning, ‘I remember now.’
He sat up and took her head in his hands, staring deep into her eyes.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked softly. His look was tender and searching. ‘You don’t regret anything?’
She shook her head.
Reassured, he pulled her towards his chest and wrapped his arms around her, before gently kissing the top of her tousled hair.
She breathed in and out deeply, savouring the sense of comfort and safety flooding through her.
‘Chabelita,’ he whispered, rolling the name around his tongue, as if testing out the sound. ‘Cómo te sientes?’ How do you feel?
‘Muy, muy contenta,’ – very, very happy – she replied, meaning it.
They got up slowly and spent the rest of the morning taking a shower and eating breakfast: fresh eggs from the local farm, toast and locally produced honey, tea, coffee and orange juice.
Later, he drove her back to Polgarry, where she finally unpacked and caught up with Bramble and Matt.
‘You look different,’ Bramble commented, as she sat opposite Chabela on one of the sofas in the grand drawing room. ‘All sort of sparkly.’
‘Must be the holiday,’ Chabela replied. She wasn’t yet ready to tell anyone about Simon. In fact, she needed time to process it herself. ‘We had beautiful sunshine practically the whole time we were there.’
It was back to work the following day, but she scarcely needed to have bothered to open up the café because there were so few customers.
When she mentioned this to Robert, he agreed that it was time to shut up shop there until spring. He promptly offered her another job as a front of house manager at A Winkle in Time, which would free him up to focus on admin and other tasks.
The restaurant remained quite busy all through October, November and even into December, and with so much to learn, Chabela barely had time to think during the day. At nights, she mostly went to see Simon or had a drink in the pub with Liz, Tabitha and other villagers before going home to bed.
The Girl Who Came Home to Cornwall Page 31
