Do Not Disturb

by Cressida McLaughlin

  Robin took a deep breath before she spoke. ‘I have put everything into my guesthouse. I haven’t held back, Tim. I know it’s different to Once in a Blue Moon Days, but that doesn’t make it any less valuable or impressive.’

  ‘Come on, Robs.’ He held his hand out towards her. ‘I’m not having a go. You seem like you have a fire inside you now, like you’re so much more alive. You inspire me, and I want to get to know you again. I realise we can’t go back, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try again, looking forward, starting afresh.’

  Robin took in his handsome face and blond curls, his easy smile. He was a catch, no doubt about it. Determined and successful, charming when he wanted to be. But some of what he’d said niggled at her, and not because she was having doubts about whether to try again with him. That was the one thing she was clear about. It wasn’t because he’d implied that the guesthouse was somehow a lesser achievement either, that she’d been treading water until the idea of the music night took hold. It was something else. She chewed her lip.

  ‘Say something, Robs. I’m laying my heart on the line here.’

  ‘I’m trying to think,’ Robin said.

  Tim chuckled uncomfortably. ‘If you have to think, then—’

  ‘I can’t, Tim. You must know that.’

  His smile faltered and he turned away, thanking the barman as he placed plates of delicious-smelling tapas on the table in front of them. Olives, chorizo pastries, calamari, mini pulled-pork tacos. Robin realised she was famished, but she couldn’t eat until she’d said what she needed to, until she’d been straight with him.

  ‘Why not?’ he asked, once the barman had left them to it. ‘What’s standing in the way of us trying again? I’ve changed, Robs. I’m much more mature now.’

  ‘But you’re still you. You still cheated on me, even though it was years ago. And it’s not only that. So much has happened to me – to you, surely – to shape and change our lives. We’re close again, we’re in the same sphere because I’m back in Campion Bay, but I’ve moved on. We may both be single and both here, but that doesn’t mean we should pick up where we left off. I can’t do it.’

  ‘You’re not attracted to me?’ He gave her a lopsided smile and popped an olive in his mouth, but she could see that her words had upset him.

  Robin smiled sadly. ‘You’re sexy as hell, Tim. You know that. But not for me, not now.’

  ‘I could give you more time. We’ve only been reacquainted for a few months, only since January, and it’s not like we’ve seen a lot of each other. Not like this.’

  Robin traced an invisible pattern on the tablecloth. She hated this, hated hurting him, despite what had happened in the past, and even though she knew without question that he would survive it, move on, dust himself off. ‘It’s not going to happen.’

  ‘Why not? Come on, give me one good reason – one. Not that we’re in the past or we have a history or you’ve moved on, because if we’re two people who are attracted to each other, then why not at least try? Come on, Robs, what have you got to lose?’ He spread his hands wide, his sparkling grin lighting up his face.

  She smiled back, knowing that he wouldn’t give up unless she was completely honest with him. ‘Will,’ she said, simply. ‘I’ve got Will to lose, and that’s something I can’t risk.’

  They didn’t finish the champagne or the tapas, and Robin was relieved when Tim, now stony-faced, said he’d drive her back to the guesthouse.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said as she slipped into the passenger seat of his Audi, feeling like she should apologise even though she’d done nothing wrong.

  ‘I should have known,’ Tim said impassively. ‘That first night I met him. With the cupcakes. I noticed the way you looked at each other. But you’re not – together, right now?’

  Robin shook her head, thinking of Will’s expression as Tim had appeared at her side, ready to whisk her off for what had, surely, looked like a date. ‘It’s complicated. He’s angry with me, for good reason. I didn’t tell him about your plans for Tabitha’s house. I hoped I could get him to stay here, to—’ She sighed. ‘It doesn’t matter what’s happened, what I’ve done. But I need him to forgive me. If he decides to sell the house and leave Campion Bay for good, before I’ve told him how I really feel … I couldn’t bear it. And I can’t think about anyone else, not when I feel this way about him.’

  Tim nodded, his eyes fixed on the road. They passed the rest of the journey in silence, and Robin couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy to see the guesthouse. Tim pulled up to the kerb. The promenade was quiet now, everything tidied away except the fairy lights and the stage, which would be dismantled by the hire company in the morning, after Robin had agreed to pay their fee. She couldn’t ask Will to take it down as well.

  ‘OK then,’ she said, turning towards Tim. ‘I’m sorry that tonight – that it didn’t go as planned. Thank you so much for sponsoring our event.’

  Tim nodded, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. ‘Take care, Robs. I’m sure I’ll see you around.’

  ‘Sure,’ she said, a lump coming unexpectedly to her throat. ‘Goodnight, Tim.’

  She stepped out into the cool air, the Audi pulling away from the kerb as Robin stood on the pavement. She could see the lights blazing in Sea Shanty and wondered who was still in there, celebrating the event’s success. She should be there. Not because she was worried about what was happening, but because she was the hostess, the organiser, the landlady.

  Instead, she crossed the road and walked around the edge of the golf course, across the promenade and down on to the beach. The light from the quarter-moon was strong in a cloudless sky, shimmering on the water like a picture postcard, stars twinkling down on her as she slipped off her shoes and flinched at the coldness of the damp sand.

  Tim had been right. She did have a new determination, a new light inside her. She loved running the guesthouse, meeting her guests and making their stay as special as possible. She loved baking bread and cookies, devising special breakfasts, buying new paintings and decorations for the rooms. And she had loved putting on the music night, engaging her mind with a different type of challenge – even though it had reminded her of the past.

  She was fired up; she felt happy and purposeful in her new life in an old town. But Tim had also said that she seemed much more alive, and there was only one reason for that, one person who was keeping her flame burning, who had made the event seem so important, who she wanted to please and impress and inspire. And what had he said, up there on the stage? She’s one in a million.

  Turning away from the sea, she looked up at the houses along Goldcrest Road, the lights glowing, beckoning to her in the dark. There was a first-floor light on inside Tabitha’s house, the thick curtains drawn but with a crack of telltale brightness down the middle. Was he up there, watching TV or lying in his sleeping bag? Had he cleared the room, creating a snug space for himself, or was he surrounded by clutter, Tabitha’s past crowding in on him, still to sort through? Was Darcy snoozing at his side? She longed to know, to be handed a snapshot of what Will Nightingale was doing right now.

  It was gone eleven, too late – after such an exhausting day – to start such an important conversation, to see if her heartfelt apology would be enough. Earlier that day she had felt confident, had seen signs that he was warming towards her again. But after Tim had interrupted them earlier that evening, she wasn’t so sure.

  Had all the progress she’d made, trying to rebuild the bridge between them – the hampers on his doorstep, visiting him at Eldridge House, his help putting the stage up before the concert – been demolished in those few moments? She pictured again the hurt on his face when Tim had taken hold of her arm. Did he think she’d been lying when she’d said nothing was going on between them? How else could it have looked to him?

  Robin made her way slowly towards home, towards the celebration inside. She wondered fleetingly if, by the end of tomorrow, the Campion Bay Guesthouse would be buzzing and b
right with another familiar voice, familiar footfalls: Will and Darcy back in Sea Shanty, where, she felt, they belonged. She couldn’t realistically see it happening.

  She’d spoken the truth aloud now, had forced it out into the air, to the last person she had imagined confiding in. Tim knew how she felt, and now it was Will’s turn. He had come to the Campion Bay Guesthouse looking for shelter, a bed for a few nights, and with that culmination of events – her first day as landlady, staying up late to celebrate with Molly, a leak at Tabitha’s house and her initial reluctance to let out Starcross – he had stepped into her guesthouse and into her life, and she couldn’t now imagine carrying on either of them without him. Their time apart had only served to help her see it more clearly, her feelings for him growing rather than fading.

  She turned quickly, looking back across the sea, at the moon and the stars shining down. It would soon be summer, the guesthouse would be full, Tabitha’s house would be empty and everything would change again, beneath the glow of the strawberry moon. Robin couldn’t waste any more time; she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get him to believe her, to convince him that he was the only one she cared about, the only one she saw when she closed her eyes, but nothing worth fighting for was easy. She had to tell Will the truth.

  We know you’re desperate to find out what happens next at the Blue Moon Guesthouse! Don’t fret, the fourth and final instalment, Wish You Were Here, is available to pre-order now!

  Click here to pre-order WISH YOU WERE HERE now 978-0-00-821927-7

  Coming in April 2017

  About the Author

  Cressy was born in South East London surrounded by books and with a cat named after Lawrence of Arabia. She studied English at the University of East Anglia and now lives in Norwich with her husband David. When she isn’t writing, Cressy spends her spare time reading, returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline. She is also the author of A Christmas Tail and The Canal Boat Café, both available in four-part serializations and as complete novels.

  If you’d like to find out more about Cressy, visit her on Twitter and on Facebook. She’d love to hear from you!

  /CressidaMc‌LaughlinAuthor

  @CressMcLaughlin

  Looking for more adventures from Cressida McLaughlin? You’ll love THE CANAL BOAT CAFÉ: the perfect feel-good romance, available as a four part e-serialisation and a full novel.

  Summer Freeman returns to the waterside village of Willowbeck to rescue the Canal Boat Café, her late mother’s picturesque narrowboat, which has run into choppy waters. A family friend, Valerie, has been trying to keep things afloat, but the coffee machine is jammed, the cake offerings are paltry, and not all of the locals want to see the café succeed.

  Help comes from the boat next door, in the shape of handsome wildlife photographer, Mason, and his naughty Border Terrier, who are showing more than a passing interest in Summer and her adorable Bichon Frise, Latte. But is Mason being honest about himself? Or does he have something to hide?

  As her life and the community of Willowbeck begin to entwine, Summer finds herself setting sail on a new adventure. Will the anchor of a steady life on land be too strong, or can Summer learn to cut loose and embrace life afloat?

  Click here to buy THE CANAL BOAT CAFE now 978-0-00-813604-8

  * The Canal Boat Cafe was first published as a four-part e-serial*

  And don’t miss Cressy’s Primrose Terrace series, a heart-warming romance featuring Westies, Spaniels, Retrievers and Terriers – every dog will have its day!

  The full Primrose Terrace novel, titled A CHRISTMAS TAIL, is available to buy now!

  Catherine ‘Cat’ Palmer realizes that bringing an adorable puppy into work is a bad idea when it gets her the sack. Deciding it’s the perfect opportunity to launch her dog-walking business, Cat enlists the help of flatmates Polly and Joe. After all Primrose Terrace, the street where they live, is full of home-alone hounds.

  Getting to know the owners and their precious pooches isn’t all plain sailing, but soon Cat is making friends, particularly with sexy Mark and his Collie, Chips. With her talent for misadventure, Cat’s new life starts to show some cracks, and when one of the street’s loveable schnauzers gets ill, it looks like this Christmas could be turning into a dog’s dinner. But Cat has never given up on anything in her life – and this is one Christmas that’s definitely worth saving …

  Click here to buy now 978-0-00-813602-4

  * A Christmas Tail was first published as a four-part serial set in Primrose Terrace*

  Also by Cressida McLaughlin

  Primrose Terrace series

  Wellies & Westies

  Sunshine & Spaniels

  Raincoats & Retrievers

  Tinsel & Terriers

  A Christmas Tail – The Complete Primrose Terrace Story

  Canal Boat Café series

  All Aboard

  Casting Off

  Cabin Fever

  Land Ahoy!

  The Canal Boat Café – The Complete Story

  About the Publisher

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