Sunlight over Crystal Sands: A gorgeous uplifting romantic comedy perfect to escape with this summer

by Holly Martin

  She focussed her attention on her bread roll again, picking the crispy bits off the soft bread.

  ‘And I don’t blame you for being reticent about starting a relationship again after what happened with Greg and your other relationships,’ Nix said.

  ‘It’s just easier being on my own,’ Lyra said. ‘I like my own company. I don’t need anyone else.’

  ‘I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being single,’ Nix said. ‘Being single is pretty bloody brilliant actually – you can watch what you want on TV, you get the bed to yourself, you can do what you want without being answerable to anyone else. Me and Dexter can take off for a weekend, go wherever we want.’

  ‘I think that’s it,’ Lyra said. ‘Dating has just made me miserable. I think I’m happier on my own. I mean, I do get lonely sometimes, but I have my brothers and sisters, friends. And I can always adopt a family of beavers like you.’

  He laughed. ‘I get lonely too, sometimes. I miss having someone to laugh and chat with, but I think it’d take someone really special to make me want to give up that single life.’

  He didn’t mention that after that incredible night he’d spent with Lyra he’d started to think she might be that special person.

  He stared at her; their fingers still entwined. He suddenly didn’t want to just be friends with her. Having a serious relationship again scared him, but this felt too big and too important to walk away from. He knew it was going to take a lot to get her to take a chance on him. She was going to have to trust him first and he was prepared to wait until she did.

  ‘If you ever did go out with someone again, what would you be looking for in a relationship?’

  ‘Honesty,’ Lyra laughed.

  ‘Yes, that’s important.’

  ‘Someone kind, who can make me laugh. Someone who is amazing in bed.’

  He laughed again. ‘Glad to see you’ve got your priorities straight.’

  ‘I guess, ultimately, I’d want someone who was there for me, no matter what. Someone who’s on my team. I was on my own for so long, raising my brothers and sisters, which meant every little decision was down to me, the good, the bad, the awful. It would be good to have someone to rely on, to hold my hand when things got tough.’

  He nodded. ‘I totally get that.’

  ‘What about you? You said you’ve found moving on after your wife died really hard. How do you ever really move on from that?’

  Nix thought about that for a moment. His emotions surrounding Emily’s death were more complicated than simple grief, if there was anything simple about grief. ‘In the spirit of honesty, things were not great between me and Emily before she died.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry. But you said you had seven wonderful years with her.’

  ‘We did, although we were together for eight.’

  She squeezed his hand. She didn’t ask him any questions, she just waited to see if he wanted to talk, and he liked that.

  ‘We wanted kids; it was something we always talked about but we could never get pregnant. We told ourselves that it wasn’t the right time, that things at work were stressful and we didn’t really have the money, so maybe it was for the best, but secretly we were disappointed. Then one day she took a test and the dream we’d always wanted came true. We were over the moon but, erm… she lost it a few weeks later.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘And then I got sick and… things became difficult between us. I kind of figured it was the stress of it all, losing the baby and me being in hospital a lot. When I started to get better and there was light at the end of the tunnel, she told me she wanted a divorce. When we said our vows and promised to be there for each other in sickness and in health, it turned out she wasn’t too keen on the sickness part.’

  He hadn’t told anyone this, because he hadn’t ever faced up to the real reason Emily had left. It was something that he’d never wanted to admit. Even now, when Lyra was sitting here, holding his hand, and he wanted to be honest with her, he couldn’t say the words. Because it wasn’t exactly true that Emily had left him because he’d got sick, it had been the repercussions of that sickness that had made her run. As far as everyone else was concerned, she’d died while they were still happily married and it was easier to go along with that than tell people he hadn’t been enough for his wife.

  ‘That must have been so hard,’ Lyra said.

  ‘It was. She always said I was her missing piece, two halves of a whole, which I never really understood. I saw it more as us being two individuals who loved each other completely but it was always nice that she said those things. It made me feel safe in her love, like we were forever. So it came as a bit of a shock when she wanted to end it between us. We decided to take a break for a few months. See how we felt when life had got back to normal for me. She went on holiday with a friend to the States and, four days after I’d said goodbye to her, she died in a helicopter crash.’

  ‘Oh my god,’ Lyra said.

  ‘Yeah. Of course I grieved for her, we’d been together for years, but there was also the added complication of knowing that our marriage was probably over. Or maybe it wasn’t, maybe we’d have had a few months apart and got back together, maybe it was just a tiny blip that we’d have got over… I’ll never know. So yes, it’s hard moving on with someone else, not only because my wife died, and it’s tough to get over that, but also because there’s this feeling of… I wasn’t enough for her. Will I be enough for someone else?’

  Lyra stared at him in shock. ‘Nix, I’m so sorry.’

  ‘It’s OK. It’s been over three years and I wasn’t ready to move on before, but then I met someone who changed that.’

  She smiled, cautiously. ‘You said you weren’t ready for another relationship. We agreed to be friends.’

  ‘I do want to be friends but I feel like everything changed when I met you. After Emily died, I sold our house, bought the land here for George and ran away from the rat race. I took jobs, but a lot of it was working from home so I had the freedom of working from anywhere. I took this job so I could be closer to George, but I kept Judy and Serendipity because I still wasn’t ready to settle down and having the boat and the van gives me that freedom. I dated but my heart wasn’t in it. I was happy being single, I just wasn’t ready for anything more. Then I met you and for the first time I wanted more than that life. For the first time since Emily died, I could finally see myself in a relationship again. Yes, it is a big step and it’s scary and I know you’re not ready for that – hell, I don’t know if I’m ready for it – but meeting you makes it feel like I’m on the road to recovery. Before you, I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready for something serious again, but now it feels like a possibility. Meeting you gave me hope where before I had none.’

  She stared at him with wide eyes and just then the food arrived, which was a much-needed distraction.

  It felt good that he was taking that step and he felt relieved that he’d told Lyra the truth about Emily.

  Well, almost all of it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lyra stepped outside the restaurant and Nix followed her. It was a gloriously sunny day and the little village was charming in the sunlight. Bunting was fluttering in a gentle sea breeze above them and the multicoloured houses looked so joyful. Tourists and villagers were walking around the shops and stopping to chat with each other. There was a definite community feel about the place.

  But after talking to Nix over lunch her heart was in turmoil. Nix had been through hell and she hated that when he’d been sick and at his lowest, his wife hadn’t been there for him. No wonder he’d lost all confidence in love.

  It made her happy that she had given him hope about having a relationship again, that she had helped him to see a future he hadn’t been able to look forward to before. She wanted to take that step with him and explore something wonderful but it was scary. She felt like with Nix she had a lot more to lose.

  She mentally shook her head. She was a mess.

>   ‘I’ve got an idea,’ Nix said as he fell in at her side. ‘Why don’t we talk to a few villagers about the party and try to gauge a feel for what kind of things they would like to see? Whether they would like something more formal or casual or a bit of both.’

  ‘That’s a good idea – we want them to feel a part of this celebration too.’

  ‘Come on then, we can go and talk to a few of the shopkeepers first. Let’s start with the bakery.’

  ‘Wait, you mean now?’ Lyra said, checking her watch. ‘Don’t you think Clover might get a bit annoyed with us taking an extended lunch break on only our third day at work?’

  ‘Why don’t I call her and ask her?’ Nix said, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

  She pulled a face. ‘Oh, I don’t know if we should.’

  ‘Why not? Unless you think it’s better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission?’

  Lyra laughed. ‘I’m not that kind of person, at least not any more. Go on then, ask her.’

  Nix dialled a number on his phone and then moved off a little to take the call.

  Lyra looked around the shops. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to talk to a few shopkeepers now. Clover might quite like the initiative.

  Nix came back to her with a grin on his face. ‘She loved the idea, she’s totally happy for us to spend a little time talking to some of the villagers. She recommended we start with Kendra in The Vanilla Bean – she said if we want dessert after our lunch, that’s a great place to visit too.’

  ‘I was just thinking we should start there. I’ve been past there many times but not been in yet. The cakes look amazing,’ she said.

  They walked across the cobbled street but Lyra stopped outside the antique jewellery shop.

  ‘Oh, I love this place, there are so many unusual pieces in here. I just love imagining the stories behind these pieces. Who wore them? Where did they wear them? Who gave the jewellery to them? Look at that ring, it’s so pretty and unique,’ she said, pointing to a gold ring studded with tiny white crystals which then split into two branches of emerald green leaves. ‘I think most of these rings are costume jewellery rather than precious jewels, but I think their worth comes from their sentimentality and their history rather than what they’re made of. Look at that pocket watch, can you imagine what kind of gentleman would have worn that?’

  ‘Let’s go in and have a look around,’ Nix said.

  Lyra laughed. ‘We’re supposed to be canvassing, not shopping. Come on, if I go in there, you’ll never get me out.’

  They walked down the road and pushed open the door to The Vanilla Bean. Immediately they were met with the wonderful warm smell of baking. There was a lady behind the counter with blonde hair in a loose bun, wearing a bright red apron dusted with flour or icing sugar. Her name badge said she was Kendra. She was chatting to a man who could have easily doubled for Santa with his white beard and rounded belly. He was dressed in a bright flowered shirt.

  Kendra turned her attention to them. ‘Hello, can I help you?’

  ‘Oh no, it’s fine, we can wait,’ Lyra said, gesturing for her to finish serving the man.

  ‘It’s OK. We’re just talking,’ Kendra said.

  The man turned round from inspecting the cake cabinet and his face lit up at seeing them.

  ‘Nix, hello,’ said the man, excitedly. ‘And this must be the lovely Lyra.’ He stuck out his hand and Lyra shook it in confusion. ‘Nix has told me all about you.’

  ‘He has?’

  Surely Nix hadn’t given a blow-by-blow of their wonderful evening the week before?

  ‘Just that we’re partners at the hotel,’ Nix said, awkwardly.

  Seamus blushed. ‘Yes, that’s what I meant. Well, we’ve all heard about the new events team; Clover’s been talking about you for weeks.’

  ‘Seamus is the village mayor,’ Nix quickly explained. ‘And he and his wife are having an anniversary party in October so I came round to his house yesterday to give him some menus.’

  ‘Ah, I see,’ Lyra said.

  ‘I’m Kendra, nice to meet you,’ the lady behind the counter said.

  Lyra smiled at her. ‘Good to meet you too. I haven’t met too many of the islanders yet, but hopefully that will change soon.’

  ‘And are you both living here on the island?’ Seamus said.

  ‘Yes, sort of, I have a boat in the harbour,’ Nix said. ‘I’m hoping eventually I can afford to buy or rent a place here, but for now the boat is my home.’

  ‘I’ve always wanted to live on a boat,’ Kendra said. ‘Although I wonder if the realities of that would be far different from my romanticised view.’

  ‘It’s very small, but I love the possibility of adventure, of setting sail and seeing where the waves take me.’

  Seamus nodded. ‘Me and my wife went on a cruise last year and we loved it. But I think that wouldn’t be quite the same as living on a small boat.’

  Nix laughed. ‘My boat is significantly smaller.’

  Seamus turned his attention to Lyra. ‘Lovely to finally put a face to the name, Lyra. And you’re living in Sunlight, aren’t you, overlooking Crystal Sands?’

  ‘Yes I am,’ Lyra said, laughing. She knew everyone knew everyone’s business in such a small village but for the mayor to be aware exactly where she lived felt a bit weird.

  ‘Oh, that cottage has so much history. I didn’t know much about it until recently. But I’ve just picked up a few local history books and there’s so much I didn’t know about the house. It used to be called Smuggler’s Cottage, which I thought was just a nice seaside-themed name, but it turns out there is an actual tunnel that goes directly from the cottage to Crystal Sands.’

  Lyra’s heart leapt with excitement. ‘Is there?’

  He nodded. ‘It was how a lot of rum and other contraband goods were smuggled onto the island and later taken onto the mainland and sold.’

  ‘I was in Crystal Sands the other day,’ Nix said. ‘I was sailing my boat round the island and you can see a cave at the back. Is that the tunnel?’

  ‘It could be, I’ve never been in it myself. There’s no way down to the beach and rock falls from the cliffs over the years have made it hard to get boats in. I’m not sure where the tunnel is in the cottage – it’s been used as a holiday let for many, many years and the owners don’t live here on the island. It’s been sold several times too. And of course there’s the legend of the missing treasure.’

  ‘Yes, I’d heard something about that,’ Lyra said, excitedly.

  ‘Well, it’s linked heavily with your cottage,’ Seamus said.

  ‘I never knew that,’ Kendra said, in surprise. ‘I’d heard the rumours about the lost treasure on the island but I didn’t know it revolved around Sunlight.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Seamus nodded emphatically as if trying to convince Kendra. ‘There was a ship that ran aground on the rocks nearby and a group of fishermen went out and looted the ship, bringing most of the goods to the house through the tunnel they’d been using for years for smuggling. Apparently the ship had a lot of precious jewels on board. Legend has it they were kept in the house for a few days but, before they could sell them on, someone stole them from the house. Although some say one of the fishermen, the one that lived at the cottage, double-crossed the others and stole the jewels for himself, but the other fishermen were on his tail so apparently he hid the jewels somewhere else.’

  ‘On the island?’ Lyra said, feeling herself getting caught up with the story.

  ‘I think so. Or maybe somewhere else. I know several people have been up to the garden with metal detectors and never found anything.’

  Lyra stared at him with wide eyes. ‘That’s a bit exciting.’

  Seamus nodded. ‘It is a bit. Look, why don’t you pop by my house later and I’ll give you some of the books that mention the cottage? Maybe you might be able to solve the mystery as you’re now living there.’

  ‘I would love that,’ Lyra said, feeling like a kid at Christmas.

&
nbsp; Seamus fished a business card out of his pocket. ‘That’s my address, pop round whenever you want this evening. I’ll be in all night. Anyway, sorry, got a bit carried away there. Were you here on hotel business?’

  ‘Well, we’re organising a party for the hotel to celebrate the Sapphire Bay Hotel being one,’ Nix said. ‘It’ll be one year since it reopened after all the renovations.’

  ‘Yes, the hotel has changed a lot,’ Kendra said. ‘The place was so badly run-down that tourists had stopped coming here. Noah, Aria’s husband, completely saved the place and the island too. Aria, Clover and Skye have all worked so hard as well to turn the hotel around after their dad died. It would be nice to celebrate everything they’ve achieved.’

  ‘Well, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about,’ Lyra said. ‘We wanted to gauge what kind of party the villagers wanted. Obviously all the islanders will be invited so we’d like their input. We’re not sure whether to do something more formal like a ball or casino night, or something fun and casual like a beach barbeque.’

  ‘Oooh, I think everyone likes an excuse to dress up in their best clothes,’ Kendra said.

  Lyra flashed Nix a triumphant smile.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Seamus said. ‘I kind of think there’s more of a laid-back vibe here. I think people will enjoy having some sort of beach party. There are a lot of families here too, and I think we need to cater for everyone.’

  Lyra laughed at the smug grin that Nix gave her.

  ‘So maybe we do a bit of both,’ Nix said. ‘We could do the beach barbeque and fun stuff on day one, and the casino or a more formal party on day two. Then people can pick and choose which one they would prefer.’

  ‘I think that sounds like a great idea,’ Seamus said. ‘I mean, talk to some more of the shopkeepers and villagers, get more of a feel than just us two, but I think that gives us the best of both worlds.’

  ‘Right then, come on, let’s ask around,’ Lyra said. ‘Thank you for your time.’

  ‘Wait, before we go, can we get a couple of cupcakes?’ Nix said. He looked at Lyra. ‘My treat, what would you like?’