by Melissa Hill
She pulled Ella into a quick hug. “Summer will be back sooner than you know. Besides we have winter to look forward to then. Maybe another famous Christmas party?”
“After all the drama last year,” Ella said wryly, “I’m not sure my heart could take it.’
30
That evening, Sam popped over to Nina’s flat for dinner.
She had made a casserole and salad, and Sam brought a bottle of wine. It was awkward with Patrick there because they had to keep their feelings for each other hidden. Whatever was going on between her and Sam was theirs alone and Nina did not want her five year old privy to that part of her life.
The day she introduced someone as her boyfriend to her son, it would be a serious relationship, Nina thought, serving chunks of the casserole.
“What are we celebrating?” she asked afterwards, when Patrick went to watch TV and she and Sam remained at the table.
“Can we not have nice wine when there’s nothing to celebrate?” Sam teased.
“We can, but something tells me there’s more to it than that.”
“You’re right, there is. I finished my first draft today,” he said beaming.
“Oh wow, that’s brilliant. Congratulations.”
Though a moment later, the implications of Sam finishing his novel hit her, and Nina grew solemn. Now, he had no reason to remain in Lakeview, did he?
He would soon leave and return to his exciting life in Dublin. She felt sad and bereft as though he had already left, and she felt his touch when he lifted up her chin to look at her eyes.
“What is it? You look so sad.”
Nina plastered a smile onto her face. “Nothing, I’m grand.”
“You’re not a very good liar you know,” he said. “It’ll be hard for me too. You and this place has become so special to me.”
Nina smiled at his attempts to cheer her up.
“Ah, we lead such different lives,” she said.
Sam looked puzzled. “How so?”
“Well, you have this exciting life as a famous author, jetting from one awards do to the other. Going on book tours to exotic locations. For us here, life is fairly quiet. Lakeview is lovely but hardly the most glamorous of places.”
Sam looked at her, astounded. And then to Nina’s surprise, he burst into laughter.
“Is that how you envision my life, Nina? You couldn’t be further from the truth. I live alone in a house way too large for me. I don’t have a cat or a dog, I dislike pets. I wish I could take you and Patrick back with me.”
Nina’s heart beat hard.
“But I can’t ask you to do that. I can’t uproot you and your son from your home - and leave your dad, I know that,” Sam continued, and shook his head. “It’s true what they say about people not appreciating their surroundings. The couple of months that I’ve been here have been wonderful. You’re so lucky to live here, Nina. You all know each other; it’s like one big happy family.”
“I suppose we are.” Nina agreed.
“Where I live, I don’t even know who my neighbour is. I wake up, write for a couple of hours, then respond to emails and return calls. Most afternoons, I’m out in the garden or on the sofa reading a novel—my reward for the morning’s work. As for the awards dos and books tours, they’re not as exciting anymore. I’ve done them for so many years.”
“So when are you leaving?” Nina said.
Sam looked at her for a moment. “Tomorrow.”
She gasped. “So soon?”
“I have to. My publishers have been waiting for this book for a long time. I need to go home and go over it with my agent and talk to my editor. There’s not much time remaining between now and the publication date. Not to mention that the lease on the cottage is up now anyway.”
Looking at him and hearing the excitement in his voice as he spoke about his book, Nina realised that for Sam, summer was well and truly over, and so was their affair.
She envied him for his ability to move on so quickly and to remain detached. She thought back to Ella’s words. Sam was used to this kind of thing.
Nina forced a smile and promised that she would not act needy.
“I’m so happy for you,” she said.
“Thanks. For a while there, I really thought I’d lost my mojo,” Sam said. “I’m going to head off in the afternoon, give us a chance to have a few last moments together tomorrow morning before I go?”
“Sure.” While Nina appreciated the gesture, she could see that already Sam’s mind was already back in Dublin.
She had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that this time tomorrow, the man she’d fallen in love with would be too.
31
A couple of leaves slid down from the patio parasol when Nina snapped them shut.
Today was the official end of summer. The kids were back at school tomorrow.
Sam had been gone for two weeks now, and still the deep hole of emptiness lingered.
She hated walking around with a long face, even Ella had commented on it. Nina, who loved all the seasons was feeling weighed down by the thought of the approaching autumn.
She missed Sam with a fierceness that surprised her. He had filled her life with such excitement and affection and worst of all … hope. She snapped the last parasol shut and stood there lost in thought.
“It’ll get better you know, and you’ll have all those nice memories in the meantime,” Ella said making Nina jump.
“I didn’t hear you coming.”
‘I know. You look so sad and lost, love. Have you forgotten what we talked about before? About keeping things in perspective?”
“Easier said than done.”
“Trust me, you’ll be all right with time.” Ella patted her on the shoulder and returned inside.
Nina looked at herself as her boss and friend might and suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She was behaving like a lovesick teenager, which would not help matters at all.
She threw her shoulders back and made a resolution to move on.
Sam had not as much as called her once since he left. So why should she spend her valuable time crying over a man who had clearly moved on?
Nina decided that her first line of business when she left work today was to go home and browse the internet for tourism educational courses.
Now that Patrick was starting school she needed something else to focus on. Why not pursue something that everyone seemed to think she was so good at?
Despite her melancholy, at this decision, Nina felt something akin to excitement.
Autumn had well and truly begun to make its appearance, and Ella shuddered at the biting cold and rain that she knew was just round the corner.
Paddy Collins had stopped coming for breakfast, but Ella knew she would see him next summer when he ventured out again.
She thought about the summer tourists who had come to Lakeview this year with more than one kind of baggage.
Grace and her boys; Ella hoped that the young mum had managed to hold on to that sense of peace she had gotten from her stay here. Would she ever see her and her boisterous twins again? It was difficult to tell. When the summer visitors left, they were always so sure of their return, but until you saw them again, there was no way of knowing.
The person that Ella felt sure would return though, was Marianne. She chuckled as she remembered how she and her husband had been in the last few days of their holiday. Like new lovers, holding hands at every opportunity.
Ella knew that some people managed to hold on to that chemistry for all of their lives. Perhaps it would be the same for Marianne and Donal. They would come for their summer break in Lakeview even when their hairs were greying.
That would be lovely.
Something had changed in Nina this summer too though. Like a light switch had been flicked on. She was now talking about pursuing a course in tourism. Ella felt so proud of her she could burst. It wasn’t the easiest thing going back to college after so many years and with a young son in tow.
/> She seemed to still be pining over Sam the author, though. He had been devastatingly handsome, and for a moment there Ella had wondered if there might be more in that romance than just a summer fling.
But clearly it wasn't to be. Such a shame.
Really that girl deserved everything. She hoped that Nina would be lucky like she herself had been with Joseph, and find someone to love and to grow old with.
There was no greater comfort in life.
32
Three weeks later, Nina walked from the bus stop, enjoying being outside in the cold air after being cooped up in a lecture hall all morning.
Grey clouds covered the skies and the air was chilly. The few leaves still on the trees were golden and brown. Nina knew that in a couple of weeks, none of them would remain, and the trees would stand empty and lifeless.
Her shoes made crunching noises as she stepped on the leaves covering the path. She thought of Sam and wished that he could see autumn in Lakeview.
Now, in the ensuing weeks since his departure, that empty feeling had gone, and in its place a sadness that followed her wherever she was.
He never completely left her mind though. He appeared when she least expected, the image of his face swimming before her eyes, so close if she reached out she could touch him.
Those were the times when she missed him with a longing that bordered on being physically painful. She often wondered what he was doing, but knowing nothing of his life, it was difficult to imagine. She conjured up a picture of how he had described his house and his everyday routine.
Her favourite image was one of him in faded jeans, sprawled out in his back garden or on the sofa, reading a book, his eyebrows creased in concentration.
Deliberately she yanked her mind away from Sam. Thoughts of him always left her low and demotivated. Instead she thought about her new classes in tourism. Nina enjoyed her classes, but it still felt good when Friday came.
It was her time to relax and be with her son. She rarely worked in the cafe nowadays once the summer rush was over, and her weekends now consisted of walks with Patrick, dinner at her dad’s house, and homework.
Patrick found it hilarious that his mother had homework too.
She neared the entrance door of her flat and when she looked up; Nina thought she could see the outline of a man standing on the steps of the building.
She quickened her pace, trying to make out who it was. Her dad maybe? But no he had a key ….
As the outline became clearer, Nina stared ahead in disbelief.
Could it be?
It was …
Sam stood up when he saw her and walked to meet her. Without thinking, Nina dropped her bag and ran into his arms. She drank in the masculine scent of him, forgetting to compose herself. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.
Then she stepped back and looked at him in disbelief.
“It’s really you.”
Sam laughed. “It’s such a treat to see you. For the last few weeks I kept imagining how it would feel to see you and to hold you, but nothing came close to how I feel just now.”
“How do you feel?” Nina said.
Sam’s chest visibly rose as he inhaled deeply. “As if I’ve come home.”
Nina fell into his arms again and then led him inside. She pulled him into the hallway, not caring who saw her, and shut the door. Upstairs in her flat, they turned to each other and kissed hungrily.
Nina felt herself melting into him. He ran his hands over her back and pulled her close. “How long till Patrick …?” he began.
“An hour,” she breathed.
“That’s just about enough time for what I have in mind. God, I’ve missed you, Nina,” Sam said.
How had she managed without him? Nina asked herself. And how would she manage when he left again?
33
They hadn’t spoken about anything, but now lying in his arms afterwards, more questions swirled in her mind.
Reluctantly, Nina pushed herself up and went into the bathroom. Sam followed her and they stood together under the warm water. By the time they came out of the shower, there was no time left and they dressed hurriedly.
The school bus stopped in front of the flat the moment Sam and Nina reached the living room. She smiled at him.
“Good timing eh?” Nina said.
“If it were up to you, we would still be up there.”
“True.” She took a step back and watched as Sam exchanged high fives with Patrick. She loved that he got on so well with her son.
Nina couldn’t take her eyes off Sam as later the three of them sat together and ate. He was even more handsome than she remembered.
“So did your publishers like your book?” Patrick asked.
Sam grinned. “They did. That’s why I haven't been in touch and I apologise. There was a lot more editing than I’d hoped and I’ve been pretty much under lock and key for the last few weeks trying to get it ready for production. But it’s done now and I’m on a roll actually,” he said. “Ready to start my next one. That’s why I’m back. I’d going to stay for a couple of months this time.”
“Oh,” Nina said, feeling a stab of disappointment.
Of course.
She had automatically assumed that he was back because of her.
A little while later, Patrick finished his food and then went to his room.
When they were alone, Sam leaned forward and whispered. “I lied.”
“What?” Nina said distractedly.
“I came back because I can’t spend one more day without you. I love you Nina.”
Her heart swelled until she thought it would burst from her chest. He loved her. “I just want us to get to know each other more, spend a lot of time together and see where it goes. How does that sound?”
It sounded perfect to Nina, and she said so. “But what about your work?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’m a writer, I can work from anywhere.”
Thy sat quietly contemplating each other. Nina was not a great believer in miracles but sitting there with Sam, it felt like one had just happened.
“Tell me about the tourism course,” he said chatting easily, and Nina embarked on a description of her lecturers and fellow students, making Sam laugh with her comical portrayals.
Later that night, when Patrick had gone to bed and Sam had retired to his newly rented cottage, Nina went to bed content just knowing that he was here in Lakeview, just a stone’s throw away.
They very quickly fell into the routine they had before Sam left. After breakfast, thee three of them went for a walk on the trail, enjoying it for a few more weeks before it got too boggy and made it impassable.
“You’ll get to see winter here after all,” she said to Sam.
“Don’t you know that’s the main reason I came back,” he teased.
The meadow was quiet, the butterflies had long returned to their hiding places.
Still she liked the silence that covered the trail now. There were no voices of people, just the swish of the wind as it went past the trees and the grass.
Nina smiled and took Sam’s hand, as Patrick raced ahead of them.
Summer in Lakeview might have ended for everyone else, but for her, it would continue for a long time to come.
From the Author:
Thank you for reading Summer at The Heartbreak Cafe.
I very much hope you enjoyed this short-novel introduction to the Lakeview Series. All full-length novels in this series are currently available FREE to read via Kindle Unlimited.
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MULBERRY BAY
SUMMER, 1989
‘Penny, hurry up, you’re going to miss it!’ Elle Harte called out excitedly as she
sprinted barefoot down the beach, her auburn hair swirling around her face in the breeze. Golden sand and ochre pebbles snaked alongside the deep blue of the Irish sea, little shaving foam breakers dimpling the surface.
Her ten-year-old sister; her junior by two years, strained to keep up. Penny’s shorter legs weren’t as fast and she was getting winded; Elle had always been much more athletic. Cool sand squished between her toes and she pumped her arms furiously, pushing herself to go faster. She didn’t want to miss the ship before it headed down the coast.
‘Elle stop, please,’ Penny called out.
But Elle pushed on for another fifty yards until she stopped abruptly on the strand, one arm extended out towards the horizon, the other shading her eyes. ‘Look at that, it’s just like the pirate ship in The Goonies,’ she called back, referring to the swashbuckling adventure movie that they both loved.
A moment later, Penny finally caught up with her. She pushed her wispy fair hair out of her eyes and clasped a hand on her hip, working to knead a stitch out of her side from the exertion. ‘Did we really have to run like that? I think I stepped on a jellyfish or something,’ she complained, but Elle didn’t answer. She was entranced by the sight unfolding in front of her.
Penny followed her sister’s gaze towards the open water where an 18th century English Tall Ship, complete with three tall masts and billowing sails, was leisurely making its way south off the Wexford coast. The ship, a true original that had been saved, preserved and recently unveiled to the Irish public, had made a temporary home for itself in the water at their hometown Mulberry Bay, just down the beach from where Elle and Penny’s family ran the local hotel.
Perched high on a hill above a sweeping bay, and overlooking the pretty little seaside town with a huge sugarloaf mountain as backdrop, the Bay Hotel’s coastal location and seafront bedrooms were a perfect haven for tourists. For generations the popular hotel had housed visitors from all over the world, as well as weathered some of worst of the storms the South East coast had seen.
