One Last Summer at Hideaway Bay

by Zoe Cook

  ‘I look really pale,’ Tara shouted back. This was simply untrue. Lucy was unendingly jealous of her year-round golden tan.

  ‘Right, I’m going,’ Lucy threatened.

  ‘Okay, okay, hang on, wait,’ Tara shut the bedroom door and ran down the stairs, pulling a white cardigan on.

  ‘You look gorgeous,’ Lucy said, smiling at her friend.

  ‘Thanks,’ Tara said, smoothing her dress over her thighs self-consciously. ‘I hope Olly thinks so.’

  Lucy found it slightly strange, but very endearing how Tara still made such an effort with her appearance for her dates with Olly. The spark hadn’t faded with those two, especially not since their engagement. Tara had been excited all week about their trip today to Keeper’s Island – she and Olly were going to carve their initials into the tree. Olly clearly couldn’t see quite what the fuss was about, but wanted to keep Tara happy, and she’d been dropping hints for months. It had taken a quiet word to Olly from Lucy for him to get the message, but she hadn’t let Tara know about that bit.

  Lucy closed the door to her family home behind them, and glanced back briefly at the large white house. The outside was all that really still looked the same as when she’d grown up there. She and Tara had redecorated the interior with the unique brand of enthusiasm that grief provided, grateful for something to focus on, something to do with themselves. Claire had come to stay a few months after Tom’s funeral and seemed impressed with what they’d done. The dark floorboards were now whitewashed, and there were splashes of multi-coloured pastels throughout the house. Her approval had meant a lot to Lucy.

  ‘Sure you’re okay here today? That big order’s arriving at eleven remember?’ Tara was waiting at the door of the café for Olly, looking hopefully up the road with the sound of each car engine.

  ‘I’ve got it, you relax, please,’ Lucy said, unpacking the crate of scones into the cake counter.

  April was a good month for Hideaway Bay. The weather was warming up and there was the definite promise of summer in the air, but it was more relaxed than the busy summer months, a different crowd filling the hotels and holiday homes. Today was likely to be a busy one with the regatta on. Tom’s parents were popping in, over from France for a few days, and Nina and Kristian were making their way down from Bristol to see them while they were in town. Lucy understood more than most why Sarah and Neil had wanted to sell up and leave town. They’d stayed for a couple of months after the funeral, but their hearts weren’t here any more. When Claire had gently suggested that she could use her inheritance money to buy the café, Lucy had worried about how Sarah and Neil might feel about it, but in fact they had seemed relieved. Relieved not to be selling to a stranger, to an investor, or someone who might have changed everything. And the relief had turned to happiness, Lucy thought, as time passed. They called Lucy often, to find out how things were going with the business, to ask about what was happening in the town.

  Lucy was looking forward to seeing everyone today. She hadn’t seen Nina and Kristian’s little one for a couple of months, and he grew so much with each week. Her phone was clogged with photos of him in their beautiful house in Bristol. It really looked like they’d nailed the whole thing. Tom would’ve laughed at how grown up they’d become, she thought from time to time.

  She thought of Tom almost constantly and walking around the café she felt him with her all the time. She almost expected to turn around and catch him about to whip her with a tea towel as she walked into the kitchen, away from customers’ eyes. Or to see him walking in from the beach, wet hair dripping on the wooden terrace boards, smiling at her. The pain didn’t go away and she had begun to accept that it never would. But the terror, the horror she’d felt during those first weeks at the prospect of living without him had become less defined. She thought of the speech Kristian had read at his funeral, written by Tom weeks in advance.

  I can only hope that you live incredible, happy lives and that for me, as I wait for you, time passes in the blink of an eye, and we are soon together again.

  It was an idea that made things a little more bearable, the thought that Tom was standing just outside, drying off in the sun, waiting for Lucy to get ready and join him. That for him the time would pass in an instant, but that for her she needed to try and enjoy what she had here until then.

  Stefan had stayed on as head chef and when they’d decided to stay open all winter he’d seemed uncharacte‌ristically happy. He’d hugged Lucy and thanked her, then started talking at speed about the seasonal specials he could create. The café’s listing in the Condé Nast Traveller guide had given them unprecedented profile and they were getting busier and busier. Tom would have been so proud to see it. The reviews were strong and people were travelling from all over Cornwall on their holidays to eat and drink at the Beach Café. Lucy had made Tara manager and she’d stepped up massively. The girl had a seriously good business brain. Now the two girls were living and working together, Tara felt like a sister to Lucy. She actually found herself dreading the day Tara and Olly bought the home they were saving for.

  Olly had been an unlikely source of strength since Tom’s death and Lucy had been happy to have him around all the time, doing silly, macho things around the café and the house. Just taking small things off their plates where he could, he was kinder than Lucy had realised.

  ‘Lucy, hello, come here,’ Sarah looked sophisticated and a touch Parisian in her navy outfit, removing her sunglasses as she stepped towards Lucy. They hugged and Sarah did her usual step back to look around at the café, admiring it.

  ‘This place looks fantastic,’ she said, looking at Neil.

  ‘It really does,’ he agreed. ‘Are you okay with everything? All going okay?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s all great,’ Lucy said. ‘Let me get you some coffees. Nina and Kristian won’t be long. Do you want to sit outside?’

  It was warm on the terrace. A few tables were occupied by stylish couples drinking coffee and reading papers.

  ‘Look at that,’ Neil said, facing the ocean.

  ‘It never gets old, does it?’ Lucy said, admiring the view. It was true; the sight of the water, its timeless power and its vast reach still took her breath away daily.

  ‘The surf looks good,’ Sarah said. ‘Tom would have been happy out there today,’ she smiled at the thought of him.

  ‘How is the build going?’ Lucy asked. Sarah and Neil’s latest project was a conversion of a very derelict chateau in the Loire countryside. The pictures they emailed over to Lucy each week were incredible, but she wondered at times whether they’d taken on too much.

  ‘Oh, it’s going well,’ Sarah said, looking in her handbag for something. Presumably more photos, Lucy thought.

  ‘You’ll have to come and stay when it’s finished,’ Neil said. ‘There are some incredible restaurants in the neighbouring town. You will absolutely love it.’

  ‘I can’t wait,’ Lucy said. She thought she probably had a few years to hold on yet, though, judging by the new batch of photos Sarah was laying on the table now of dusty-looking piles of stones that barely resembled a building.

  Nina and Kristian arrived late, Nina complaining about Kristian’s driving as she heaved a baby car seat into the café.

  ‘Hello you!’ Lucy said, bending down to kiss the warm little head as he woke up from his sleep. He looked up at her with big eyes and broke into a smile. She unclipped him and scooped him up into a cuddle, smelling his baby hair and kissing Nina on the cheek.

  ‘Oh God, Nina, he is just gorgeous. I almost can’t bear it!’ Lucy said.

  Nina laughed. ‘You can change his nappy in a minute. That’ll sort you out.’

  ‘Sarah and Neil are outside. They’re just about to order lunch if you guys want some too. Stef’s got moules frites on today if you fancy that?’

  ‘Perfect,’ Nina said. ‘How are they doing?’

  ‘They’re doing really well, I think,’ Lucy said, shifting the baby to her other hip.

 
; ‘And you?’ Nina asked. ‘How are you holding up? You look good.’

  ‘I am alright,’ Lucy said, honestly. ‘I’m doing okay, keeping busy, enjoying this place and enjoying the house. Things are okay.’ She smiled at Nina. ‘It’s so nice to see you.’

  On the terrace, Sarah and Neil stood at the sight of Lucy carrying the baby. Sarah looked close to tears. She’d not met Nina and Kristian’s son until now. She reached out to take him from Lucy.

  ‘Oh Nina! Kristian!’ she said, happy tears rolling down her cheek. ‘Would you look at him, Neil, he is just beautiful!’

  Nina lifted the baby from Lucy’s arms and handed him to Sarah. ‘Meet Tommy.’

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to thank a few people for their encouragement whilst writing this book. Mum, Dad, Lisa and Tessa, thank you for always believing in me. Thanks to my lovely Steph for true friendship, and for being almost as weird as me. I am hugely grateful to my editor Charlotte, Dushi and the whole team at Harper Impulse for your invaluable help and guidance, and to Alex for the beautiful cover design. Most importantly, I would never have finished this book without the love and support of my husband James; thank you for making me happier than I knew I could be.

  Zoe Cook

  I grew up by the sea in Cornwall, spending my summers on the beach. I left to study History at Oxford University, before starting a career in television during which I was lucky enough to travel the world interviewing incredible authors for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Fast forward ten years I’m now married to a lovely man called James and have a daughter who keeps us on our toes. Oh, and a very furry cat called Bobby.

  @mezoecook

  About HarperImpulse

  HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.

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