New Bay

by Nell Dixon

  “Seven-thirty.” She groaned and flopped back. This was supposed to be a holiday.

  It wasn’t Posy’s idea of a vacation. Holidays meant a small Bed and Breakfast or a plush hotel somewhere warm, with a pool and room service. It was no good; now she was awake she needed tea and the bathroom. She tugged a sweater over the top of her pyjamas and collected her things, ready to head for the shower block. Emma had told her the site would be almost full later so it was probably as well to make use of the showers while she still had them almost to herself.

  Twenty minutes later, after a quick shower and a change of clothing Posy felt much more human. She wrapped a towel around her damp hair and stepped outside the block ready to make herself a hot drink with her camping stove.

  “Posy.”

  “Noah!” She halted right in front of him, her pulse speeding at his proximity. Why hadn’t she spent the extra time finishing drying her hair?

  “I was just going to get the marking pegs set out for Emma.” He raised a gloved hand to show her the white wooden pegs and the mallet.

  “It looks as if it’s going to be a nice day for the new arrivals.” Posy fiddled with the towel around her head as she looked away from Noah towards the coastline.

  The sun sparkled off the sea in the distance beneath a baby-blue sky.

  “Were you all right in your tent last night?” he asked.

  “Fine. I think I underestimated the strength of that cider though,” she admitted.

  Noah laughed and smiled at her. “It can catch you out when you aren’t used to it.”

  He had a nice smile, Posy thought. She’d really enjoyed the previous evening. It had been hard to answer Emma and Noah’s questions truthfully when they’d asked her about her job and her life in the city. It would be a relief when her article was finished and she could be honest about the reason she was camping at their farm.

  “What are your plans for today?” Noah asked.

  “Nothing much; just pottering around New Bay, walking on the beach, and trying the café for lunch.” It would be so nice if he said he’d like to spend the day with her but he obviously had work to do.

  “Sounds good. I, um, wondered if you might like to go for a drive along the coast this evening?” Noah’s tanned face took on a slight flush.

  “That would be lovely.” Posy’s spirits lifted and her heartbeat fluttered.

  “I’ll see you later then. By the way, I love the frog boots.” He smiled at her once more and walked away to begin his chores.

  Posy wanted to skip back to her tent in her embarrassing lime green wellingtons. The prospect of an evening out with the hunky Noah had definitely brightened her day. She’d wondered if she’d imagined the buzz of mutual attraction between them last night. He hadn’t looked too happy when Emma had first suggested the outing to the egg rolling. He must like her though or he wouldn’t have asked her out for a drive.

  She hummed happily to herself as she brushed her hair and gathered her things together for a day out in New Bay. It had been quite a while since she’d gone on a date. Working in such a small office meant she never really went anywhere to meet eligible single men, and, since Kara had become engaged she’d lost her companion.

  Much to her surprise, Posy enjoyed her day out in the small surf town. Despite the bank holiday most of the shops and cafés were open. She browsed around the narrow streets with the pretty white-washed cottages and walked along the sea front in the spring sunshine.

  The afternoon passed at the café on the sea front where she sat outside with a coffee and typed up her article on her small netbook. She planned to add more to it after she’d been to the egg rolling at the Manor house with Noah.

  By the time she returned to the campsite she found most of the pitches around the edges of the field were occupied. An impromptu game of cricket had started in the centre with children of all ages participating. She parked Kara’s car carefully next to her tent and hoped a wayward shot wouldn’t hit it.

  Noah hadn’t said what time he would call for her so she decided to get changed anyway and then she would be ready whenever he stopped by. She’d spotted a nice top in a small boutique on the sea front and splashed out on some pretty earrings to match. As she sat in her camping chair watching the children play and admiring the view of the sea, the butterflies in her stomach multiplied.

  The sun had started to sink when she spotted Noah’s green and cream mud-splattered Land Rover emerge from the side of the farm. She waved her hand to show him she’d seen him and gathered her bag.

  He opened the passenger door at her approach. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get away sooner. That’s the thing with farming, it’s not exactly nine to five.”

  Posy slid onto the seat next to him. A shiver of excitement ran through her as his arm brushed against hers. “That’s okay. I was enjoying the view from my pitch. You are so lucky to live here.”

  The car joggled along the track to the road heat from his thigh fizzling in to her leg whenever there was a bump in the track.

  “I like it. You’d miss the city though, wouldn't you? The shops and the people?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes I sit at my desk and wish I could be outside.” That was partly why she’d applied for the post at the magazine. At the interview they’d told her she would be offered assignments reporting on country pursuits.

  “It’s very quiet here out of season. The Mermaid pub is pretty much the hub of our social lives.” He glanced at her as she attempted to sit straighter in her seat, her skin tingling from the contact with him.

  Posy thought about his question. “At least you and Emma have a hub, somewhere to meet your friends. I don’t go out much when I’m home. My flatmate is engaged now so I tend to stay in and I work in a small office with older people who are all married. You probably have more fun than I do.”

  “I doubt that.” He smiled at her.

  Her pulse gave a jump of excitement. “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a nice road that follows the coastline and leads to another town called Trevean Sands. The views are lovely and there’s an old lighthouse out on the point you might like to see.”

  “It sounds lovely. I’ve never been to Cornwall before so I don’t know anywhere around here.” She peered through the windscreen at the rugged scenery. Dark red rock fell away in tumbled heaps onto sand covered beaches fringed with dramatic waves.

  “This holiday is quite the adventure for you then.” Noah sounded surprised by her admission.

  “My parents liked to go to Greece and places like that.”

  When she’d been younger her parents had always taken her abroad for holidays. It was shameful to think she’d seen more of Spain and Portugal than she had Devon and Cornwall.

  “This holiday will give you a chance to see what you’ve been missing then.”

  “Definitely. I loved New Bay today. It’s a gorgeous place.” Posy wished she could stay for longer than a week. It would be hard to return to her dull life back in the city. She wondered if Noah had ever wanted to change his life and move away. “Have you always wanted to be a farmer?”

  “Ever since I was able to toddle around after my grandad and my dad. I hate going into the city, it always makes me feel trapped. The farm’s a family business, one day my children and Emma’s children will take it on.” He took the turn from the road along the headland leading to the lighthouse. In front of them the sun had begun to set in a blaze of gold and orange above the sea.

  “What if you had children who didn’t want to farm?” she asked. Not that she could imagine that happening. Noah’s family home was lovely and Emma had shown there were other business opportunities by opening the campsite.

  “I’m sure a family member somewhere would carry the farm on. But look at that view. Why would I ever want to be anywhere else?” he asked.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Noah glanced at Posy’s face as he parked up in the tiny car park overlooking the sea. The golden light of the sunset
reflected onto her face illuminating her delicate features. Her eyes were wide as she surveyed the dramatic seascape spread out before them.

  When he’d bumped into her outside the camp shower block he’d had no intention of asking her out. He’d spent most of the time since breakfast convincing himself that agreeing to take Posy to the egg rolling on Saturday was a huge mistake. Then he’d seen her in her ridiculous boots with a towel around her head. She’d smiled at him and he’d been lost.

  “It’s so beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here. I would never have found this on my own.” Posy turned to face him, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

  Noah’s pulse quickened. She looked so beautiful in the soft light. His breath caught at the back of his throat.

  “I, um, no problem. Come and see the lighthouse.” He opened the car door and scrambled out. He’d come very close to kissing her.

  He opened her door so she could join him on the narrow path leading down the headland toward the edge of the cliffs. The dull roar of the waves crashing against the rocks filled the air. Noah led the way along the track. The lighthouse was one of his favourite places whenever he wanted some time alone.

  “Oh, wow!” Posy stopped next to him on the plateau at the end of the headland. A ship edged along the horizon, crawling like a tiny white dot on the silver blue surface of the sea. Above them the sky had turned to molten gold trimmed with pink ribbons. The ruins of the old lighthouse stood dark and majestic against the glory of the sky. “This is amazing.”

  “It’s a really special place.” Noah dug his hands in the pockets of his jeans and allowed the wild peacefulness of the place to wash over him. It was a place that never failed to make him feel relaxed.

  “I hadn’t expected this. When you said a lighthouse I thought you meant one of the big white painted jobs with a lamp at the top.” Posy gazed at the pile of tumbled stone.

  Noah shook his head. “This predates those. The new lighthouse is further along the coast. This fell out of use many, many years ago and local farmers carted away a lot of the stone to reuse in other buildings. Not many people come here now.”

  Posy perched on one of the stone blocks, her hair shining in the soft evening light. “It’s incredible. This will sound silly but it feels like such a magical place. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

  “Maybe it’s our famous Cornish piskies.”

  Her smile widened. “Now I know you’re teasing me. I’m sure you don’t believe in piskies.”

  “Me? I’m a Cornishman, we all believe in the piskies, especially if we drink too much cider.”

  Posy laughed, and her eyes sparkled with fun.

  Noah swallowed and shifted his gaze to the horizon as the white ship disappeared from view. Posy was right, there was a touch of magic in the air, piskies or not. “We should start back along the path. It’ll get pretty dark when the last of the light goes.”

  Posy stood and brushed the dust from the back of her jeans. “I’d hate to be the one to fall off the edge of the cliff.”

  “It happens. There was a rescue in New Bay during the winter carnival where someone fell walking their dog.”

  Posy shivered. “Oh no, that’s awful. Were they all right?”

  “The lifeboat went out and they got the man off but I think he died later in the hospital.” Noah took hold of Posy’s hand as her pretty face paled.

  “It’s so beautiful and so wild, I suppose it’s easy to forget how dangerous it can be,” she murmured.

  Her small hand fit nicely into his. The path was just wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side. Posy’s hips occasionally brushed against his as they made their way along the gorse lined path. The scent of the sea filled the air mixing with the delicate perfume of the cliff top flowers.

  It was almost dark when they reached the car and the evening air had turned chilly. Noah unlocked the door and held it open for Posy to climb inside the car. He missed the feel of her hand in his as he shut the door behind her and walked round to jump into the driver’s seat.

  “Brr, it soon gets cool at this time of year doesn’t it?” Posy rubbed the tops of her arms as he started the engine.

  “My hoodie is in the back of the car. Borrow it if you want. It might be a bit scruffy though.”

  She reached around to claim his old college sweatshirt and draped it around her shoulders. She snuggled into the cosy navy fabric. “That’s better. I meant to pick up my jacket.”

  “It’ll be warmer at the pub. They usually have a fire going inside.” He hadn’t told Emma of his plans for the evening. She would have asked a million questions. Although his sister and his friends sometimes went to the Inn at Trevean Sands they tended to prefer the Mermaid back in New Bay. Hopefully he would be able to get to know Posy better without an interested audience.

  Emma and his mother meant well by trying to fix him up with dates but since Jessica he hadn’t felt ready to seek out a new relationship. He’d had a few dates over the winter, mostly to convince his family that he wasn’t about to become a social recluse, but no one serious. Not that asking Posy out would lead to anything serious. She would be off at the end of the week, back to her life in the city. No, anything with Posy would just be for fun, a holiday romance.

  The inn on the quayside was busy. People were outside with their drinks and it was much more touristy than the pub they’d been to on the previous evening. Fairy lights draped above the tables added a touch of magic to the scene, illuminating the uneven white walls of the old thatch-roofed building. Boats bobbed gently on the water in the small harbour and a stray seagull strutted mournfully along the cobbles.

  “I keep forgetting it’s a bank holiday weekend,” Noah said as he helped Posy from the car.

  “It looks like a popular place.” She followed him inside, refusing his suggestion of cider. “I’ll stick to fruit juice. I learned my lesson last night, besides I don’t want to see those piskies you were telling me about.” She laughed as they made their way through the crowd to the bar.

  * * * *

  Posy accepted her glass from Noah and squeezed through the throng to a quieter spot by the window. For a moment when they’d been out on the headland she’d thought he’d been about to kiss her. She couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across her lips at the idea of kissing Noah.

  It was warmer inside the crowded bar out of the cool breeze that had sprung up outside. Wedged into a small space next to him, her body tingled with excitement at his proximity. She hadn’t anticipated when she’d set off for Cornwall that she’d meet someone who made her feel this way. It would be nice when she’d finished her article and could be honest with Noah and Emma about her reasons for visiting New Bay.

  As if on cue, her mobile vibrated in her pocket. She hadn’t even checked her phone since she’d arrived in New Bay as the signal seemed to be patchy. She pulled her phone out and frowned at the screen. Aggie’s number flashed up.

  “Excuse me, I have to take this call.” She placed her half-finished drink on the windowsill and forced her way outside where there was less noise.

  “Posy, how is it going?” Aggie’s cut glass accent sliced through the hubbub.

  “Fine, everything is good.” She tugged Noah’s sweatshirt closer around her shoulders.

  “Excellent. I thought I should check up on you as it’s your first time under canvas. Is the piece going well?”

  Posy swallowed. Until she’d heard from Aggie, she hadn’t realised how much she was enjoying her time in New Bay. “Yes, it’s great. I think it’ll be really good. The campsite is wonderful. I wish I could be honest though about why I’m here.”

  “Darling, once the article is with me you can tell them, but you need to be anonymous for now or your piece could be compromised. You may get different or preferential treatment or they may chuck you off the site. One never knows with people.”

  “I know. I’ll have it done by Monday at the latest.” The sooner she finished the article the sooner
she could be herself around Emma and Noah.

  “Super; email it in as soon as it’s done. You can enjoy your little holiday then.” She chatted on for a few more minutes about her ‘glamping’ experience. By the time she rang off, Posy had started to lose the feeling in her feet with cold.

  She tucked her phone back into her pocket and made her way back inside to find Noah. He was no longer alone. A hard lump wedged itself in her chest as she spotted him talking to a pretty blonde girl. Jealousy speared her unexpectedly when he laughed at something the girl said and the girl placed a possessive hand on his arm.

  Noah spotted her in the crowd and raised his hand to beckon her over. “Posy! I thought you’d got lost. Was everything okay?”

  “Fine, it was just my friend asking if I was enjoying my holiday.” She longed to pull the other girl’s fingers away from him.

  “Posy, this is Jessica, she’s an old, um, friend.”

  Posy forced a smile. “Nice to meet you.”

  Jessica gave her a cool smile in return, her expression indicating she wasn’t too thrilled at finding that Noah wasn’t alone.

  “Posy is camping at the farm,” Noah continued.

  Jessica’s immaculately-glossed lips puckered with distaste. “Camping, how very brave.”

  “Yes, it’s my first time. I’m loving it so far.”

  Jessica gave her a pitying look. “I prefer hotels myself.”

  Posy decided she really didn’t like the other girl very much at all.

  Noah swallowed the last of his drink. “We have to be leaving I’m afraid, Jess. I’m up early tomorrow.”

  Posy picked up on his cue and finished the remainder of her juice. Noah’s jaw line was rigid with tension and she sensed he needed to escape. She wasn’t sorry to say goodbye to Jessica, although it was disappointing that her evening with Noah was almost at an end.

  “Of course, the wretched farm.” Jessica tutted and rolled her eyes.

  Noah’s expression became blank and his gaze became icy. “Nice to have seen you again.”