A Home In Sunset Bay

by Rebecca Pugh

  Marnie urged her to carry on.

  ‘I’ve realised that I can’t go back to the life I led before Sunset Bay.’ She addressed Mia, too. ‘It’s not what I want any more. Since being in Sunset Bay, I’ve realised how happy the place and the people there have made me. I’ve never been happier in my life, and the thought of leaving it behind kills me. So, I’ve decided …’

  ‘Come on, Laurie! Spit it out!’ Mia was on the edge of her seat, eyes wide.

  Laurie laughed. ‘I’ve decided I want to leave London for good, and make a home in Sunset Bay.’

  The room remained silent for a few moments until Mia said, ‘What?’ and stood up. ‘You want to live in Sunset Bay?’

  ‘I do,’ said Laurie with a firm nod. ‘I can’t leave it. I can’t leave you, I can’t leave Marco, and I can’t leave the diner. I’ve fallen in love with the place and I’d be stupid to leave something that makes me this happy behind.’

  ‘I think it’s a wonderful idea.’ Marnie spoke quietly. ‘I want you to be happy, and if Sunset Bay makes you happy, then of course you should go. As soon as possible.’

  Laurie grinned. Relief washed over her and she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. ‘It will make me happy.’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘It feels so great to be back here in Dolly’s Diner. Don’t you agree, Mia?’ Laurie grinned like a Cheshire cat as she wiped down the tables and countertop with undisguised glee and enthusiasm. She was jiggling along to the track playing on the jukebox and swaying her hips from side to side in time to the rhythm. She was excited, that was for sure – so much so that she couldn’t seem to keep still.

  After finally confessing her feelings during Boxing Day at their parents’ house, Laurie had rung Brian, her boss. She’d told him that, despite the very generous time away that he’d given her, she couldn’t go back. To her surprise, he hadn’t sounded angry about her desire to leave. ‘I hope you’ll be happy, Laurie, and I wish you every success for your future. Merry Christmas, and have a great New Year. It’s been brilliant knowing and working with you.’

  She and Mia had decided to throw a New Year party at the diner. It had been very last minute but it hadn’t mattered. They’d only invited their nearest and dearest, including their parents. It had been a wonderful night full of celebration, and as the clock had ticked down to midnight, they’d screamed and laughed in delight, wishing each other a ‘Happy New Year!’ Laurie had looked around herself, at the diner and the people surrounding her, and knew she’d made the best decision. She was going to be incredibly happy in Sunset Bay, there was no doubt about it.

  ‘What are you so happy about?’ Mia stopped mid-prep of a banana milkshake and turned to scrutinise her sister. ‘You’re bouncing about like Tigger. Be careful, you might knock someone over in a minute.’ With a smirk, she turned back to the milkshake and continued.

  Laurie smiled at Mia’s back, feeling fit to burst any moment now. She needed Cal to hurry up and get out of the kitchen so she could reveal the big surprise. ‘What’s Cal up to?’ She attempted to sound unbothered about his whereabouts but knew she was doing a rubbish job. The corners of her mouth kept twitching as she fought hard to keep the smile from breaking free but the defence wouldn’t last for much longer.

  ‘Probably not much,’ replied Mia. ‘We’re not that busy today. They’re probably clearing up after breakfast and preparing for the lunchtime rush.’ She turned round and took off with the banana milkshake towards the booth. A small child squealed and clapped with delight when she realised the milkshake was for her and no one else. ‘Thank you!’ she cried happily, and began to dig in, using a spoon to scoop up the whipped cream from off the top before jamming her straw into the yellow frothy milkshake. The girl’s father told her off playfully, as she began to blow bubbles in the froth with her straw.

  ‘All right?’ Cal swept through the doors and announced his arrival in his usual cool and relaxed manner. ‘I’m off for lunch.’ He began to head towards the door. ‘Coming Mia?’

  Mia turned round and raised her eyebrows towards Cal questioningly. ‘What? Cal, you know I can’t have lunch at the same time as you. Someone needs to be behind the counter.’

  ‘Of course you can,’ Laurie laughed loudly. ‘Go on, I can take care of everything here. Don’t worry about a single thing.’

  Mia’s eyes narrowed. ‘What’s going on here?’ she asked as she crossed her arms and flicked her wary gaze between them both.

  ‘Nothing, darling,’ Cal said smoothly. ‘Just come to lunch with me. Please?’

  Laurie waited with bated breath as Mia glanced around the diner, trying to gauge whether it would cope without her for an hour or so. After a minute or two of hesitation, her shoulders drooped and she sighed in resignation. ‘Oh, fine. Come on then, let’s go. I don’t want to be away too long, just in case …’

  ‘Just in case nothing.’ Laurie ushered them both outside and felt her excitement rising as the moment she’d been waiting for inched closer.

  Cal and Mia paused once outside. ‘Why’s there a taxi here? Is it waiting for one of the customers? Should I go inside and check if someone’s called for one?’ Mia turned to head back inside but bumped into Laurie who was standing right behind her.

  ‘No one inside has ordered a taxi, Mia. Why don’t you go and see who it’s for?’ Laurie nodded towards the waiting vehicle and smiled.

  Rolling her eyes, Mia gave her a funny look and began to approach the taxi with trepidation. ‘Erm, excuse me?’ she called, tapping on the half-open window politely. ‘Can I ask who you’re waiting for?’

  A grey-haired man in the driver’s seat dropped the newspaper he was holding and smiled out at her. ‘Yes. I’m here to pick up a Miss Mia Chapman, and her partner, Cal?’

  Mia took a step back. ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘I’m here to pick up a Miss Mia Chapman, and her partner, Cal,’ he repeated, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes. ‘I believe that’s you, ma’am?’

  Mia furrowed her brow in confusion and looked back at Laurie, searching for an explanation. ‘What on earth is he talking about, Laurie? I haven’t ordered a taxi …’ her voice trailed off as she spun back towards the vehicle.

  ‘You’re right, you haven’t ordered a taxi,’ said Cal in a soft and gentle voice. Mia turned to look at him with her lips slightly apart, still trying to figure out why there was a taxi out front, with a man who was apparently waiting for her. ‘I have.’ He raised an amused eyebrow, clearly loving that he was winding her up.

  ‘Why?’ She really needed to get back into the diner and keep an eye on things. It wouldn’t do to have customers waiting while she pranced about outside. She didn’t have time for silly games like this. The smirk on Laurie’s face was clear to see, which in turn told Mia exactly what she needed to know. The entire thing was a practical joke of some sort. ‘Okay, okay.’ She put her hands in the air, indicating she’d given up. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but I really need to get back inside.’ She moved to sidestep Laurie but Laurie stepped to the side, too, blocking her way. Mia groaned. ‘Come on, Laurie, stop it!’

  ‘Not so fast, little one. Cal needs to speak to you.’ Laurie spun her round and pushed Mia back towards Cal who was still waiting beside the taxi with a stupid grin on his face.

  ‘Your bags are packed and in the boot. We’re ready to go, baby!’

  Mia blinked in confusion. ‘What?’ She glanced at the taxi, then back at Cal. She repeated his words in her mind until at last they began to make some sort of sense to her. ‘What are you talking about?’ Her voice sounded slightly hysterical and she began to laugh, although she had no idea what was so funny. Perhaps the bizarre situation she’d suddenly managed to find herself in? ‘You’re pulling my leg,’ Mia declared, glancing back and forth between Laurie, Cal, and the waiting taxi.

  ‘Your bags are packed and stored in the boot. He’s waiting,’ said Cal. He nodded towards the driver, who was watching the sce
ne unfold with interest. ‘I’m waiting. All you need to do is take off your apron and hop in.’ He patted the top of the vehicle, twice for effect, and hitched a questioning eyebrow. ‘Okay?’

  Mia shook her head. ‘Cal, you’re beginning to freak me out. I don’t understand. What do you mean, my bags are in the back? And where is the taxi going to take us?’

  ‘To the airport.’ Cal said the words with finality. ‘So we can catch the flight me and Laurie have already paid for, and enjoy two weeks under the blistering Greek sun. What do you say, sweet-cheeks? Up for an adventure?’ He waggled his eyebrows.

  ‘But … but I don’t have a passport,’ she said breathlessly, shaking her head.

  ‘Yes, you do.’ Laurie stepped forward and joined them both. ‘I found it in your suitcase in the wardrobe. I knew that if I didn’t step up and make the decision for you, you’d end up never leaving.’ She removed Mia’s never-before-used passport from her apron pocket and pushed it into her sister’s trembling hands. ‘This is your chance. Go. Be free. Have fun. Enjoy your life, Mia. You’re still young. And don’t, for a single second, worry about this place. You know the diner is safe in my hands. It always will be, or at least until you return, anyway. Besides, I called back-up.’ Laurie smirked as Pollyanna came round from the side of the diner and arrived next to Laurie. ‘Surprise!’

  Mia’s bottom lip began to tremble. ‘You’re back, Pollyanna?’ She stared with wide eyes at Pollyanna’s bronze skin and bright white smile. ‘But aren’t you studying?’

  Pollyanna grinned. ‘Study leave. Laurie gave me a call, said she could do with some help if I had the time. Of course I had the time. I love this place. Plus, you deserve a break, and if me coming back for a little while allows you to do that, then I’m more than happy to step up. After all, there really isn’t another waitress like me.’

  Mia couldn’t keep a hold of her emotions. Tears were beginning to build up and her vision was swimming. She didn’t want to cry, but she also didn’t feel like she had a choice in the matter. She glanced back at Laurie. ‘But, Laurie, why?’

  ‘Because you’re my baby sister,’ Laurie said with affection. ‘And you’ve worked hard. You deserve to go and see the world, or at least Greece. You have the biggest, most beautiful wings I’ve ever seen. When I needed your help, you gave it to me when you had every single reason not to. I will never be able to thank you enough for that. And now, it’s time for you to take those beautiful wings of yours’ – Laurie stepped forward and placed her hands on Mia’s shoulder blades, as if touching the spot where those wings would be – ‘and let them fly.’

  Mia laughed out a choked sob. ‘Seriously?’

  Laurie wiped away her own tears that had managed to escape and laughed, too. ‘Yes, seriously. But please, hurry up and go, before the flight leaves and this turns out to have all been for nothing.’ She swallowed hard and nodded towards the taxi. ‘Go on. Go!’

  With a huge grin, Cal opened the taxi door and slid across the leather seats. He turned and patted the empty space next to him. Mia’s eyes were wild with excitement and disbelief. She went to clamber into the taxi beside Cal, but paused and turned back towards Laurie. She threw her arms around Laurie’s neck and squeezed tightly.

  ‘Thank you, Laurie Chapman. Thank you so much. For coming back to me. For everything. I love you.’

  Laurie smiled through tears of happiness. ‘It was the best decision I ever made, and I love you, too. Always.’ She kissed Mia’s forehead noisily. ‘Now go!’ She laughed and pushed Mia towards the waiting seat beside Cal. ‘And don’t come back without a suntan! Or without my present!’

  ‘I want a present, too!’ called Pollyanna.

  Mia climbed inside and pulled the taxi door shut. She wound the window down quickly and stuck her head out excitedly as the taxi pulled away from the diner. ‘Take care of her for me, Laurie!’ she shouted. ‘See you in two weeks!’

  Laurie remained where she was, watching the taxi trundle off up through the streets of Sunset Bay. She hoped Mia enjoyed herself. Above all, she couldn’t wait for Mia to get back in two weeks, so she could tell her all about it, just like one of the locals who told their holiday tales to Mia. Now, she’d be one of those people, and Laurie couldn’t wait to hear all about her sister’s adventures with Cal in Greece.

  ‘Well that went well,’ commented Pollyanna from beside her. ‘Right, best go get my apron on and get down to business.’

  ‘Thanks, Pollyanna, you’re a star for helping out like that.’ Laurie smiled as Pollyanna stepped into the diner, and Marco stepped out immediately after.

  ‘How was she?’

  She looked back towards where the taxi had last been visible. ‘Excited. I don’t think she could believe what was happening. It’s a good job I found that passport, isn’t it?’

  Marco laughed. ‘Yeah, it is. Who knows how long it would have stayed there, hidden away.’ His arm slipped round the back of her waist and he tugged her into his side. ‘Well, now that Mia and Cal are off on their holidays, it’s just me and you. Shall we get back inside and begin our own adventure together, Miss Chapman?’

  She laughed and dropped a sugar-sweet kiss onto his cheek. ‘That sounds perfect to me.’

  Laurie and Marco stepped back inside Dolly’s Diner and the door swung shut behind them. She loved the sound of her and Marco beginning their own adventure together. She couldn’t wait to begin.

  If you loved A Home in Sunset Bay then turn the page for an extract from Rebecca Pugh’s debut novel

  Return to Bluebell Hill

  Out now

  Chapter One

  Bye-bye, home.

  With her nose squished against the window, Jessica McAdams watched with a heavy heart as the familiar setting of London whooshed by. The busy restaurants, the towering office blocks, the bustling streets … She was going to miss it while she was gone. Her destination wouldn’t hold the same hustle and bustle, the same attraction nor the same excitement… It wouldn’t even come close.

  A small sigh escaped as it all disappeared, the buildings and streets swapped for trees and green fields.

  She wondered how she was going to get by over the next few weeks. Her job in one of London’s most popular publishing houses Partridge & Co. propelled her out of her much-loved apartment and into the busy streets with a spring to her step each morning. She loved it completely; the thrill, the buzz, and the energy that thrummed through the third floor each time she stepped out of the elevator. She was certain that not many people could say that they loved their job as much as she did and actually mean it. Her stomach turned at the thought of abandoning it.

  Her job wasn’t the only thing that she was leaving behind. Her best friend Sarah was another aspect of her life that she didn’t want to leave in London. All of these things made her who she was, but she had to go back. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. It didn’t make her decision any easier to come to terms with.

  Realising that there was no point in wallowing in self-pity, Jessica removed her nose from the window and shifted uncomfortably in the seat. No matter how much she wriggled she couldn’t find a comfortable position. She wasn’t entirely sure whether that was to do with the seat itself or just her own internal, emotional discomfort. The red lever intended for an emergency stop was in her line of sight and for a few heart-racing seconds, she considered yanking it down and escaping into the woodland that surrounded the tracks. The urge to do so dissolved into acceptance of her fate when she remembered that someone was waiting for her at the end of the journey. Someone important. Her heart began to hammer again.

  She sat alone in the compartment with only her thoughts for company although the chatter of the other passengers could be heard. Snippets of conversation kept winging their way towards her. They were providing background noise if nothing else. Her black, bulky suitcase sat next to her on the seat, reminding her constantly of where she was headed. The clothes had been rammed inside rather than neatly folded earlier that morning. She
hadn’t wanted to drag the packing out so she’d instead bundled her clothes into it and zipped it up hastily, preferring to get it over and done with as quickly as possible.

  The rattle of an oncoming tea trolley approached; wheels squeaking, teacups chinking against each other noisily. Jessica turned her face towards the window and hoped that whoever was behind it would walk straight past her, paying little attention to the lone traveller who was staring at the outside world.

  “Would you like a tea, dear?” The trolley paused beside the outer seats, leaving Jessica with no option but to acknowledge its presence as well as the woman’s behind it. A wrinkled face appeared with rheumy eyes behind a large pair of spectacles.

  She gulped down the sudden threat of tears. The tiniest thing was capable of setting her off just lately, more so the appearance of kind, old ladies. She nodded and accepted the cup of tea gratefully. “Thank you.”

  Rather than continuing on her way like Jessica had hoped she would, the tea lady remained where she was and cocked her head to the side. She leant forward over the trolley to study Jessica with concern, her eyes wrinkling at the corners. “Are you quite alright, petal? You look a little pale, is all. Here.”

  A couple of sugar sachets landed in Jessica’s lap making her flinch in surprise. She was as jumpy as a child on a bouncy-castle, her nerve-endings shot to pieces. She needed to get a grip and fast. “Oh! Thank you.” She gathered the sachets and offered the woman a smile that was as friendly and genuine as she could muster.

  “No problem,” the tea lady replied, pleased with her helpfulness. She placed her hands on her hips. “Sugar helps with all sorts of shock and by the looks of you, you could do with plenty.” With a knowledgeable nod, she turned back to her trolley and rattled off down the aisle.

  Alone once more, her fingers trembled as she sprinkled each serving of sugar into her tea. Was she shocked? She supposed so. But then, she felt as if she’d always known that the day would come when she’d have to return. Despite living her wonderful London life, arranging and attending glamorous work events, heading off abroad with her best-friend, it was as if the harsh reality of who she was and where she’d come from had always been present, right at the back of her mind. Sure, it had been hidden away, but only until the day that something prompted it to resurface.