Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay: The perfect laugh out loud escapist romantic comedy for summer! (Swallowtail Bay, Book 1)

by Katie Ginger

  ‘Can you tuck me in again?’ called Ralph in a small, sweet voice.

  ‘I’ll be up in a minute,’ Lexi replied, turning to Stella with a grin. ‘Do you mind opening the wine?’

  Stella went into the kitchen and let Frank back in from the garden. Though they weren’t as close as some and never had been, she missed her sister and seeing her niece and nephew. Sometimes she felt so removed from them that she may as well have been on Mars. She really wanted to be Aunty Stella to Ralph and Taylor one day. Being called an aunty to your friend’s children seemed even more special in a way.

  ‘Busy day?’ asked Lexi returning a moment later.

  ‘Pretty good actually. I got some more of the old stuff shifted but I could really do with selling another painting or two.’

  Lexi leaned back against the kitchen counter. ‘Perhaps you need to organise an exhibition?’

  Stella felt her eyebrows knit together as she thought. ‘Like an art exhibition?’

  ‘Yeah. We don’t have many art galleries here. There’s one down the other end of the high street but it does really weird super expensive stuff.’

  ‘That’s a great idea, Lexi,’ cried Stella. ‘I could do a whole meet the artists thing in the shop. Lexi, it’s genius! I could clear out everything else and make it an exhibition space for a weekend. If I got everything on Sale or Return, or even took commission I wouldn’t have to buy stock. Lexi, you are so clever!’

  ‘I try my best,’ she said handing Stella a very large wine glass full to the brim, then picked up her own and they clinked glasses. Lexi went into the living room and they flopped onto the comfortable sofas. ‘So, tell me more about this amazing poet you’ve got staying. He’s handsome in a Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys kind of way but without the rugged sexiness. He’s more a die-of-a-broken-heart type.’

  ‘He is quite soppy,’ said Stella, ‘and his poetry’s a bit intense.’

  ‘Is it?’ said Lexi. ‘I can’t imagine that.’

  Stella nodded, grinning widely. ‘With him going on about the Romantic poets I was expecting his stuff to be all old-fashioned and lovelorn, but I read one of his earlier that was all about decaying carcasses and lizard men from another planet wiping out the human race.’

  Lexi’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Really? Yuck, I don’t fancy that much.’

  ‘Me neither.’ Stella took a sip of her wine. ‘He asked me to read some just as I was leaving. Hopefully it won’t be anything like that. He wanted me to tell him if I liked it and I’m not sure I’m a good enough liar to give a convincing reply. I know I’m still learning about the hospitality business but I do know it doesn’t do to go around insulting your guests.’

  ‘Best get your reply ready then. You don’t want to have to make something up on the spot if he’s written about lizard aliens taking over the world. Vivien was quite smitten with him. She’s terrible. You’d think at her age she wouldn’t even be thinking about sex.’

  Stella had often wondered about Vivien and her stories and who better than Lexi to tell her the truth about the old girl. ‘Are all the things she says true?’

  ‘What? All the stuff about these legions of men falling madly in love with her? Yes, I think so. She certainly has a lot of photos of famous people in her house.’

  ‘Have you been to her house much?’ asked Stella.

  ‘Yeah. You know I do some shopping for her each week now she’s getting a bit older and there are quite a few photos of handsome young men on her mantelpiece. I’m not sure she knew all these great opera singers though or if she was a bit more middle of the road than she makes out. I had a little look on the internet when I first met her and she did sing in Vienna.’

  ‘She’s quite a character. I do like her.’

  ‘That she is,’ Lexi replied, smiling fondly. ‘There’s a few pictures of Miles too. He’s maybe in his twenties in them. Maybe younger.’

  ‘Miles?’ Stella couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Though she knew they were friendly she was very surprised to hear that there were pictures of him as a young man in Vivien’s house. She hadn’t realised their friendship extended so far back.

  ‘Yeah. He’s known her for years – since he was little.’

  ‘Oh.’ This revelation was showing a loyal, kind side to Miles that seemed completely at odds with Jay’s description of him and what she’d experienced herself. As if reading her mind, Lexi mentioned the man she’d been trying to forget.

  ‘How was Jay the other night?’

  Stella paused, her skin prickling as she recalled the events. She hadn’t told Lexi about Jay yet, having decided it was something she wanted to put behind her. Embarrassment caused her walls to build back up. But taking a sip of her wine and letting the warmth slide down into her tummy, she decided to tell the truth. ‘Funny you should ask.’ And she shared with Lexi the details of and told her of her stupid reaction to such a handsome man. ‘I’m so embarrassed,’ Stella said when she’d finished. ‘I haven’t seen him since. Or texted. I wouldn’t even know what to say.’

  ‘He’s always seemed such a nice guy,’ said Lexi. ‘I’m sure he’ll send you a text or something soon just to put your mind at rest that everything’s cool.’

  ‘I hope so. With being so busy it feels like it was ages ago but I suppose it really wasn’t.’ Frank came and curled up on her lap and she mindlessly stroked his long, soft coat. ‘Do you ever miss sex, Lexi?’

  ‘Not at all,’ she replied. ‘That’s how I’ll know when I’ve met someone worthwhile. I’ll start to care about it again. At the moment, I get into bed and I can just about keep my eyes open to take my make-up off. Plus, after the kids were born I didn’t feel like a woman anymore. I felt like a worn-out dishcloth most of the time. Still do now. Sex was the last thing on my mind.’ Her tone changed slightly, tinged with disappointment and resignation. ‘And when Will used to come home from the pub, having left me with the kids all evening, stinking of beer, it didn’t exactly turn me on. I was just so tired from dealing with everything on my own all I wanted was to sleep. He couldn’t quite understand that him rocking up and giving me a sloppy booze-ridden kiss and a quick squeeze wasn’t enough to get me in the mood. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my kids more than anything else in the world and I’d never be without them, but it is pretty non-stop. What about you?’

  Lexi’s honesty surprised Stella, given that she’d never said so much about her marriage before. She’d obviously felt incredibly low at times and had to struggle on without the emotional support she needed. Stella shrugged in answer to Lexi’s question. ‘Sometimes. Not as often as I used to. I’ve never been one to leap into bed straight away. It takes me a while to feel comfortable enough to do that. When everyone else at uni was having one-night stands I could never bring myself to do it. Even when I really tried. I think, like you, I need to feel loved and have a deeper connection.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll meet someone soon who ticks all the boxes,’ said Lexi.

  ‘I’d better,’ Stella replied, swilling her wine in the glass. ‘I still need to find someone to invite to this wedding. And that definitely won’t be Jay now.’

  Chapter 15

  Miles sat opposite Kiera in the nice seafood restaurant just down the road from their house. It was small, local and friendly, completely unlike the fancy restaurant at the Langdon Mansion Hotel. That was where Kiera had wanted to go for dinner tonight but Miles had left it too late to get a reservation. He’d been away all week on jobs up north and had completely forgotten to call them. By the time he’d remembered, no amount of pleading with the snooty maître d’ had conjured up a table on a busy Saturday night and Kiera had sulked ever since he’d broken the news.

  The cheerful notes of Van Morrison sounded from the speakers and Miles noticed other couples chatting or bobbing their heads to the music. Everyone else seemed relaxed and happy, but he was feeling distinctly on edge. Through the week, when he’d called and spoken with Kiera, there’d been a tension that trave
lled over the distance, seeping into his body. For some reason, they didn’t seem to be getting on as well lately.

  Tonight, the gentle light from the long tapered candle stuffed into a wine bottle lit Kiera’s face, but she eyed it disdainfully and picked up her wine glass. Miles tried to ignore the sinking feeling settling in his stomach.

  This had been their favourite restaurant once upon a time. At the moment that time felt like eons ago. He still loved it here. Loved the way the walls were covered in nautical paintings. None of them were famous, at least, he didn’t think they were. Some were landscapes, some of ships or docks from all different eras. He especially liked the way the handrail along the bar was made of thick mariner’s rope. He’d asked for a seat by the window and the friendly staff had been only too happy to oblige – service he couldn’t imagine getting at the Langdon Mansion that seemed more of a do-what-you’re-told kind of place. They were opposite the beach and from their table he could see a bright white moon glittering off the calm water below.

  ‘Are you okay?’ asked Miles.

  Kiera huffed. ‘I’m just bored of this place.’

  ‘Don’t you like it in here anymore?’ Miles ran his fingers over the thick wooden table top feeling the nicks and crevices.

  ‘It’s all right,’ she said with a shrug. ‘I was hoping for something more classy.’ She leaned forwards. ‘My friends are texting me all the time to find out where things I’m wearing or looking at for the wedding are from, and what I’m doing for invitations and stuff. They’re beyond jealous.’ She started scrolling through her phone. ‘I really wanted to go to our wedding venue tonight to post some pictures of the ballroom, but you didn’t get a reservation.’

  Stress stiffened his shoulders, but Miles was determined not to have a row. They’d been bickering a lot lately and he’d wanted tonight to be like old times. ‘Isn’t there something here you could use?’

  ‘No,’ she scoffed. ‘I mean candles in wine bottles? It’s so mid-Nineties.’ Miles thought about saying that this place had been fine before but chose not to. There was no point.

  At first, Kiera’s enthusiasm for the wedding had been infectious and reassured Miles it was the right thing for them both, but lately it had turned from excitement to a spitefulness about her friends and the local area that had surprised and unnerved him. While he’d been away this week, sat alone in his room at the Travelodge, he’d realised that if he added up the time they’d spent together in the same space it didn’t actually amount to much, even though they’d been a couple for almost four years.

  A faint warning bell began to sound that he wanted to pretend was tinnitus. The truth was, he was seeing a different side to Kiera at the moment, or, he thought with a creeping dread, he was seeing a side that had always been there but he hadn’t realised it. Kiera was getting more and more obsessed with making her friends jealous and it sent a shiver down his spine. He’d really wanted to reconnect with her this evening, to talk about some of the things they used to – movies, TV shows, music – the stuff other couples talked about all the time. In the past, their conversations had flowed so easily but lately they were becoming stilted and strained. Perhaps though, he was being grumpy. He was feeling very tired tonight.

  The waitress came over to take their order and Kiera looked up from her menu, scrunching up her nose. ‘Do you know when the menu will be changing? It’s been the same for ages and I’d so love something different. To be honest, I’m bored of this now.’ She closed the menu and waved it at the waitress.

  Slightly thrown, the waitress said, ‘Oh, umm, I’m afraid I don’t know. I’d have to ask the manager, but I can certainly pass on your comments.’

  ‘Yes, please do that,’ Kiera replied. ‘Otherwise people will stop coming. I know I won’t be coming back until there’s something different to have. There’s the Langdon Mansion just up the road now, so you’ve got some big competition. The food there is much, much better.’

  Miles opened his mouth to speak because not only had Kiera been unspeakably rude but also they’d never actually eaten there so Kiera had no idea if the food really was better or not. It was certainly more expensive and more fancy-sounding, but that didn’t mean it tasted better. Miles glanced at the waitress apologetically. ‘What are you having for a starter, sweetheart?’

  Kiera sighed and read her menu once more. ‘I suppose I’ll have the scallops again and then the Dover sole.’

  Miles gave his order and said, ‘Thank you,’ as Kiera clearly wasn’t going to. He took the menus and handed them back.

  How could Kiera not like this place anymore? The staff were so friendly and helpful, the food gorgeous, and the roaring log fire was perfect on a chilly spring night like tonight. Miles took a moment to watch the beautiful colours of the flames and listen to the comforting crackling sounds. Kiera took out her mobile phone and started tapping away on the screen. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked, nicely. He was careful to keep his tone light so as not to provoke her.

  ‘I’m just tweeting about how awful this place is.’

  ‘You can’t do that,’ Miles said quickly, leaning over the table. He hated this side of social media. Everyone felt free to tell everyone else how wrong they were. Sometimes he really thought that no matter how good Twitter and these things were, life was better without them.

  Kiera looked up and her features were arranged in a horrible sneer. ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because this is our local restaurant. We won’t ever be able to come back here if you do that and they find out.’

  ‘Who cares if they do? It is awful.’

  Miles ran his fingers over the table top again. ‘No it’s not, it’s fine. It’s completely fine. You’re just being—’

  ‘What? What am I being?’

  Her voice was rising and Miles searched his mind like it was a thesaurus, trying to find the right words. Unreasonable? No, he’d get the silent treatment all evening. Rude? Definitely not. That would put him on the sofa tonight. Snobby? Not a chance. He’d get a firm slap before he reached the second syllable. ‘I think you’re just being a bit … sensitive to things at the moment.’

  ‘Oh, am I?’ She flicked her hair over her shoulder in annoyance and sat back, watching him. Before he had chance to answer she continued. ‘Anyway, I’ve sent it now.’

  Miles felt a wave of panic. Was he making too much of this? Being too sensitive himself because he loved this town and felt protective towards it? ‘You really shouldn’t have done that, Kiera. You can’t go slagging people off.’

  ‘I really don’t see why not,’ she replied, sarcastically. ‘I’m allowed an opinion.’

  ‘Of course you are, but we live here. They’ll find out. And don’t you see that the things you do affect me as well?’

  Kiera’s disdainful expression cut straight to Miles’s heart. ‘It doesn’t affect you at all.’

  ‘Of course it does.’ He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. It was growing longer and beginning to curl again. ‘I live here too. And I like it here. Now I can’t eat at my favourite restaurant anymore.’

  ‘This is your favourite restaurant?’ she mocked.

  ‘It used to be yours.’ He took another sip of wine, trying to relax.

  Kiera shrugged, her anger seeming to abate. ‘Well, now I know better. Besides, I was thinking that once we were married we could look at moving to London.’

  The pit of Miles’s stomach dropped to the floor. Kiera knew how much he loved it here, that he wanted to settle and raise a family here by the seaside. Somewhere green with wide open spaces. And Kiera, he’d thought, was on board with the idea too. Although she’d mentioned moving to London when they first got together, she hadn’t spoken of it for a long time and he’d assumed that as with some of the jobs she’d tried, she’d simply lost interest. He’d thought she was happy with the way their life was going. Had he been wrong?

  ‘London is the kind of lifestyle we should be having, Miles,’ she continued. ‘Not being stuck in this p
lace with only three different restaurants.’

  ‘I thought you were happy here,’ he said, concern threading through his voice though he kept it low.

  A tap at the window drew his attention and Miles looked up to see Jay and he felt his insides tumble. He was clearly waving at Kiera who responded with a wide smile. Jay then nodded in Miles’s direction and walked on into the night. Kiera watched him go until he was out of sight but then kept gazing out of the window. He wondered what was going through her brain. When she turned to look at him again, she’d softened.

  ‘Let’s talk about something else.’

  Miles felt his shoulders relax a little, thankful for the change of topic. Hopefully now they could get back to reconnecting. ‘Have you had any new clients lately?’

  ‘A few enquiries,’ Kiera replied, sipping her drink. ‘But no one who’s worth my time.’

  ‘Oh. I thought personal shoppers helped everyone.’

  ‘I’m not going to spend hours on tedious mums who are only going to bore me to death talking about their children, and go back to being part of the jeans and jumper brigade two days afterwards. It’s a complete waste of my time and beyond boring.’

  He was unable to hide his shocked reaction and Kiera glared at him challengingly then dropped her eyes to her glass. From the corner of his eye he saw the waitress pause behind the pillar, plaster on a smile and bring their food. They must be the worst customers in the world and he felt humiliation burn his skin.

  ‘Is there anything else I can get you?’ she asked in a cheery voice after putting the plates on the table.

  ‘No, that’s fine, thank you,’ said Miles.

  Again forgetting to say thank you, Kiera sighed, pulled out her napkin and made out that there was a plate of sprouts in front of her rather than a delicious meal that she hadn’t had to prepare herself. Miles tried to save the evening and bring the conversation back to more neutral territory.