Wish You Were Here – Part 4

‘And if he’s already decided to sell the house?’

Molly held her gaze. ‘Then it was never meant to be. But I don’t think it will come to that.’

‘You and Will are together?’

They both turned to find Lorna standing in the doorway, her bag and guitar case over her shoulders. Her eyes were glistening.

Robin stood and went to hug her. ‘No, we’re not. It’s complicated. What’s wrong?’

Lorna sniffed and wiped her cheek. ‘I’m gutted to be leaving, that’s all. My taxi should be here any minute.’

‘I could have driven you to the station,’ Robin said.

‘You’ve done more than enough for me – I don’t know if you’ll ever realise how much. Thank you for being so amazing.’

Robin laughed. ‘You were the amazing one. Did you hear yourself up there last night?’

Lorna did a little shimmy, and her face broke out into a huge grin. ‘It was the most fun I’ve ever had. I’ve caught the performing bug – I’m going to be unbearable when I get home.’

‘You deserve to go so far,’ Molly said, waiting her turn and then pulling the younger woman into an embrace.

‘Thank you,’ Lorna said. ‘It doesn’t matter how far I go, a little piece of me will always be here, on that stage, looking out at the crowd with the moon shining down on us. I’ve got about twenty glow sticks in my bag – I hope that’s OK?’

‘Of course it is! Better that than they end up in the bin.’

‘Will seemed to be quite fond of them,’ she said, giving Robin a careful look.

Robin smiled, replaying Will’s introduction in her head. ‘Yes. I didn’t know about that little quirk.’

‘He’d be lucky to have you,’ Lorna said. ‘I wish I could stay longer – I’d move down here in a heartbeat and have that view every day of my life. Luton feels like it’s in a dark hole compared to the light and air you get here. But I – I’d like to be friends. To catch up, to go back to the Artichoke.’ She smiled nervously.

‘We are friends,’ Robin said. ‘And you’re welcome here any time. I’ve loved having you.’ She hugged her again and carried her guitar out to the taxi.

‘Thank you, Robin. Thank you for helping me get my life back on track. I’ll never forget it. Email me: I want to hear all your news.’

Lorna waved out of the open taxi window, then the car disappeared into the distance and Robin was left standing on the doorstep with Molly and Eclipse.

‘Starcross empty again now?’ Molly asked. ‘I wonder who’ll be next.’

‘Me, too,’ Robin said. She chewed her lip, glanced at next door and then rolled her eyes. She couldn’t sit here waiting for Will to come back; she’d drive herself mad.

Her friend seemed to sense her restlessness.

‘Come on. I’ll help you with the changeovers, and then you can get out of here for a bit before your new guests arrive. You’ve been working non-stop on this place and the open mic night – don’t think I can’t see those dark circles under your eyes! If you won’t book in for a facial, then this’ll have to do. We’ll get it done in record time, and you can supply the wine and the takeaway when I come over later. Deal?’ She held out her hand.

Robin smiled, wondering what she’d do without Molly to talk sense to her. ‘Deal,’ she agreed.

The water was calm and smooth, even on Campion Bay’s wild beach, as if it was a shimmering, turquoise lake instead of a vast sea. Robin walked with her bare feet pressing into the soft sand, warmed by the early June sun overhead. Everything was bright, sparkling, alive. She was alone on the beach save for a couple of seagulls and a rogue pigeon waddling alongside them, looking for all the world like it belonged.

Molly had been true to her word and had helped get the guesthouse ready for the new arrivals. Robin had discovered a recipe for lavender cookies after being inspired by Mrs Harris’s amazing ensemble that morning, and planned on baking a batch later, then putting them in jars on all the landings, for guests to help themselves.

But for now, she had a few minutes to herself. She walked away from the water, peering into one of the largest caves that were carved into the cliffs like bite-marks. It was gloomy, stretching back into darkness so dense it was like a black hole, and it smelt of damp and cigarette smoke.

There were wide ledges at waist and shoulder height, and crisp wrappers and empty beer cans that had got snagged in crevices and not been washed out with the tide. It could have been a treasure trove, a place of intrigue and history, but instead it made her feel sad. Who would want to spend time in a place like this? She thought of Paige’s story about Adam and his friends taking a boat to explore the caves further along the coast, unreachable from any beach. It couldn’t be safe, doing it on a whim like that. She moved on, peering up at the sandy cliffs towering above her, a few wispy clouds beyond in a sky of paint-box blue.

She had a lot to be thankful for. She had to remind herself that she had pulled off a successful event in Campion Bay at very short notice, attended by more people than the New Year fireworks. It would soon be time for the summer festivities, the fireworks and funfair that came to Campion Bay every year, and as Robin perched on a large flat rock beneath the cliffs, brushing the loose sand off with her palm, she couldn’t help but wonder where Will would be by the time the fair rolled into town.

Would he still be here, spending his time in his aunt Tabitha’s house, working as a tour guide at Eldridge House, still with things to do? Or would he have sold the house to Tim and gone back to Kent or London? Would the seafront be blotted by heavy scaffolding and plastic sheeting, while they butchered the beautiful building where, the plaque announced, Jane Austen had once stayed? The thought left a lump at the back of her throat.

But there was one other option, which was that Will, having finished sorting through Tabitha’s house, would be living there, making a life for himself in Campion Bay. Was that a possibility? Could she dare to hope for so much happiness in her future, despite what she’d witnessed this morning?

Will might well be back by now from wherever Tim had taken him. She should head home and find him, say all the things that had been building up inside her for so long. But Molly, wise as ever, had been right to suggest she escape for a while. This was her thinking place.

She tucked her legs up beneath her, the rock wide enough for her to sit cross-legged, and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her photo stream, looking back at the photos she had taken of the rooms when they were first finished: Andalusia, Wilderness, Canvas, Rockpool and Starcross. Neve, her dearest friend and former business partner, would have loved the guesthouse, she was sure. Especially Starcross, with its celestial theme, its nod towards astrology. And Eclipse would have been the perfect Once in a Blue Moon Days mascot. Robin had thought of those rooms, and then created them with the help of friends and family, and with Neve’s influence hovering over her like the glowing strawberry moon.

It had been open a little over a month, but already Robin had experienced more moments of pride and accomplishment than she could have hoped for. Starcross was her tribute to Neve, to their time together, but now it had other meanings for her. Every time she pictured it she saw Will in there, filling the space with his toffee-coloured hair and wide, relaxed smile, his little dog, Darcy, standing patiently beside the bed. Robin didn’t want to lose the connection with Neve, but she couldn’t deny that she had begun, finally, to move forward.

An idea prickled in her mind, firing up her senses like tiny electric shocks, but, as it started to develop, her thoughts were disrupted by barking. It was distant at first but constant, a dog that was either elated or distressed. She looked up, following the shoreline and stilled when she saw the small brown dog in the waves. She was heading towards her, her tail wagging madly, her movements more like a dance as her paws pounded in and out of the shallows.

And then Robin’s gaze moved beyond the familiar dog, the dog that she already loved so much, and found him. His short hair blew in the breeze, his Wrangler boots were in his hands, his jeans rolled up above the ankles. He gave her a brief wave, but was too far away for her to see his expression.

Robin sat up straight, letting her ribcage fill again and again, gulping in the sea air as if it would give her strength. Finally, she had her chance. She would be able to tell Will everything. She only hoped that, despite his time with Tim, despite all that had happened between them, he would understand.

Chapter Two (#ucab1570b-503b-5764-ad03-b6dd54baacc7)

‘Hello.’ His voice was soft and unsure, his eyes squinting slightly against the sun as he looked down at her.

‘Hi, Will.’ Robin slipped her legs out from beneath her as he approached, and slid over to the side of the rock. Will sat beside her, nodding thanks at her for making room for him. They didn’t speak for a moment, but instead watched Darcy dancing joyously in the waves. She got hold of a long piece of seaweed and tugged at it, loosening it from the sand, her front paws getting tangled in its fronds.

Robin laughed, and Will shook his head. ‘Ridiculous dog,’ he said quietly.

‘I’ve missed her,’ Robin admitted. ‘I’ve missed both of you. The guesthouse doesn’t feel the same.’

‘My current sleeping arrangements aren’t anything like Starcross, if it makes you feel any better.’

‘It doesn’t,’ Robin said. ‘Are you on the floor, or in Tabitha’s old bed?’

‘A bed, but not Tabitha’s. Her room was the most damaged when the roof leaked, so the bed will need to go. I’ve got a whole heap of furniture in the middle of the dining room, ready to be disposed of. It looks like I’m about to start a Wicker Man-style fire – it’s quite impressive.’

‘Don’t do anything too rash. You know I’m here, I can still help you.’

‘I know that,’ he said. ‘But things haven’t exactly been … straightforward.’

‘Will, I …’ She turned towards him. ‘I need to be completely honest with you. About everything; about Tim, what happened last night.’

He didn’t look at her, but kept his gaze on the sea. The sun was sparkling on the water like shards of glass. ‘I saw him earlier. He came to the house. He told me a few things.’

Despite the warm day, Robin felt a chill run through her. ‘What things?’