Quite apart from their difficult conversation about Nate, she’d probably underestimated how nervous he was of meeting people en masse. Anyone new was bound to be an object of curiosity at first, as Tiff was probably finding, and with his obvious injuries, their curiosity could well cross the boundary to intrusiveness.
‘The lure of the tombola and the splat the rat stall were too much to resist?’
He laughed. ‘Exactly … Aaron’s a good bloke and I’d not want to let his mum down.’ He held Marina’s gaze. ‘It’s not as if I can hide away forever, is it? I’d have come earlier but I had to deal with a problem with the office IT stems.’
‘It’s OK to hide sometimes … as long it’s not forever.’
‘No.’ He glanced around. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Pretty well. The good weather helps and we’ve got lots of grockles as well as locals.’
‘Grockles?’
‘Tourists.’ She laughed.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Do I count as a grockle?’
‘Not if you live here.’ Not if you plan on staying for any length of time, she wanted to add.
He took in the blue and orange bunting flying from the lifeboat station and the BBQ stand, which was being run by Marina’s fellow Wave Watchers. Smoke spiralled into the air and the smell of hot dogs made her nose twitch.
‘Have you eaten yet?’ he asked.
‘No time.’
‘Aaron’s gone to the barbecue. Shall I text him to get you something?’
‘That would be great. Thanks.’
Marina was grateful for a slight lull in custom while people focused on getting something to eat themselves so she could have a precious few moments to chat.
Lachlan looked around him. ‘You know, this reminds me a lot of the family days at the base and in the town. We’d have stalls like this and a hog roast, and we’d open up the hangars so the families could see what we did and have a look around the aircraft. My sister’s kids loved it …’ He gave a wry smile. ‘The weather was never this good though. It was usually raining, or about to rain. That’s the Highlands for you.’
She was pleasantly surprised he’d shared even a snippet about his background and for a few minutes they spoke about Scotland, leading Marina to wonder if he missed his homeland, despite any unhappy associations. He must surely miss his family, especially the nephew and niece he’d mentioned. At no point did he even hint at being involved with anyone on the base in the romantic sense.
She could, of course, simply ask Evie, but that would really be stepping over the line. She’d have to be patient and wait for him to tell her, unless any more information came her way by chance. Yet even if it did, she would still want to hear it from him directly. She wanted to hear from him full-stop.
She felt drawn to him and wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was because of the empathy she felt for him, or the fact that she thought he had a body that was fit in every sense of the word – reflecting whatever he’d been through with an austere beauty that fascinated her. She’d seen more of it than most people in Porthmellow … and she didn’t have to know him that well to have physical feelings for him every time she glimpsed him from afar or, like now, when he was close enough to touch … It was strange to feel the pull of attraction again. She hadn’t experienced it since Nate, since the ‘honeymoon’ days when they’d spent a lot of time in bed.
Her face warmed at the memory and the association with Lachlan. It unnerved her to be so powerfully drawn to him when he was so unaware.
‘Here you go. I’m starving.’ Aaron returned with the hot dogs and stayed to eat them while his partner, Ellie, went to see her sister on the wild foods stall.
Marina accepted gratefully, having not eaten since breakfast, and took a fifteen-minute break while she ate the hot dog. As soon as she’d finished, she re-opened the sideshow with a warm glow of pleasure when she realised that Lachlan showed no signs of leaving yet.
Aaron rubbed his hands together. ‘Right, mate. Let’s have a go at splatting this rat.’
Lachlan laughed. ‘Not sure I’m in a fit state to splat a marshmallow these days, but I’ll try anything once.’
Marina smiled to herself and got ready, determined to do her best to thwart them.
Aaron went first and missed all three of his goes before handing the splatter – a toy plastic baseball bat – to Lachlan. Marina watched him carefully as he waited at the bottom of the pipe to whack the furry rat. She was determined not to cut him any slack, and managed to defeat him on every round.
‘One more for luck?’ she urged, ever mindful of raising as much as possible and having an excuse to keep him there longer.
Aaron missed with his next three turns.
‘Damn! I thought I had him!’ he groaned. ‘I give up, for now. I’m off to see how Ellie’s getting on.’
Lachlan still seemed in no hurry to leave and hung around, smiling while a couple of guys from the local pub swaggered up and were also defeated. It was hard not to admire his biceps as he stood, arms crossed, waiting for his turn.
‘Another try?’ Marina asked him, half wishing she could leave her post to talk to him properly.
‘Aye.’ He grinned. ‘Why not?’
He took the bat and she poised herself with rat at the top of the pipe. He really was a sight to behold. Eddies of desire stirred low in her stomach. She had a serious crush on him.
‘Yes!’
The rat’s tail had slipped through her fingers while she’d been ogling him and he’d hit it right on target.
She let out a cry of frustration then covered it with a laugh. ‘Well done! Direct hit. Percy Pigs or Haribo?’
He laughed. ‘Thank you, but save them for the kids.’
‘We’re next!’ Two young girls lined up and Marina had to concentrate.
Lachlan drifted off. She saw him chat briefly to Tiff and buy a ticket for the tombola but he soon returned and stood nearby chatting to Dirk Meadows. Evie started to make an announcement about the auction, but people’s attention had been drawn by something in the skies over the sea. They shaded their eyes and started to point at a large red and white helicopter.
‘Now, everyone!’ Evie announced. ‘Here are our friends from the coastguard. Someone needs their help and our Wave Watchers and lifeboat crews are proud to work alongside them as volunteers. This is what we’re raising money for – to help our friends in trouble.’
Evie’s voice, strong though it was, was lost in the whirr of the rotors and engine. The helicopter was almost directly overhead and some people had their hands over their ears. Its rotors were a blur high up against the sky.
She turned to see Lachlan, a few feet away. He was transfixed by the helicopter; his arms were stiff by his sides. He seemed frozen but she could see the gleam of sweat on his face, and he was grey with terror. She’d seen something like it once before, a man having a panic attack on the steep edge of the cliff path … Lachlan was petrified.
She moved quickly, trying to reach him, but a second later, he was off, pushing past people hurrying towards the town. She followed as fast as she could, making her way past families.
‘Excuse me! Sorry. Sorry!’
The crowd thinned as the helicopter circled in a pattern she knew well. It was searching for someone near the lookout station … but that wasn’t her concern right now. There were other volunteers available to help if necessary.
It was Lachlan she was worried about, but she’d no chance of catching him – he was running along the quayside faster than she could ever hope to. Plus, she realised that in her desire to help, she’d left the sideshow and the cashbox.
This was crazy. What did she think she could do to help him, anyway?
He vanished from sight into one of the steep alleyways between the shops that led up to the top of the town. She guessed he was going home where he could feel safe.
Her attempt to draw him into the community again had backfired. Cursing herself, she hurried back to her stall where sh
e found Aaron waiting.
‘What happened?’ he said. ‘I saw you race off. Everything OK?’
‘I’m fine, but Lachlan isn’t. I think the helicopter freaked him out.’ She looked up but the aircraft was flying away now, south-west towards the Lizard.
‘Jesus. I hadn’t realised. I thought he was doing OK,’ Aaron said.
‘What do you mean?’ Marina asked.
‘He was involved in a helicopter crash at his base … but I don’t know exactly what happened. He may be a mate but he’s not comfortable talking about it, to say the least. I tried to get him to open up but he made it very clear I should back off, so I respected that.’
‘Oh no.’ She heaved a sigh. ‘I’d no idea. I didn’t mean to make things worse for him. I ran after him straight away but I shouldn’t have. He probably wants to be alone.’
‘It’s hard to know what to do for the best, so don’t worry,’ Aaron said kindly. ‘Even so, I’ll pop up to the cottage and check on him. Thanks for letting me know.’
However much Marina wanted to make sure Lachlan was OK, she couldn’t leave her stall again, and anyway, if he didn’t want to talk to his buddy, then he certainly wouldn’t open up to a relative stranger. She returned to the sideshow, hoping to at least check he was OK as soon the opportunity presented itself.
He wasn’t the only person who wasn’t enjoying the event. Over by the tombola, Tiff was anxiously scrolling through her phone and looking almost as grey as Lachlan had.
Chapter Nine
Tiff’s tummy was officially on the spin cycle. Every ten minutes or so, Evie gave a countdown to the auction and before she knew it, it was two p.m. with an hour to go until her big moment. She checked her phone from time to time, hoping that salvation would come in the form of a message from her contacts, but there was nothing. She’d really hoped they’d swoop in last-minute with something to save her from total humiliation but it looked like it wasn’t her day. Or year, in fact.
‘Only one hour to go till the auction, folks. Make sure you’re here outside the harbour office in good time. You don’t want to miss out on that Gabe Mathias cookery lesson or our amazing surprise lot, do you?’
Tiff grew hot and cold at Evie’s dramatic announcements. Was it too late to back out and beat a retreat out of town? Where would she go if she did? She was trapped behind the tombola stand, wishing she’d never had her desperate idea to offer herself as a ‘lot’ that morning. It had seemed like her only way out at the time, given there was no prospect of anything more exciting. However, Dirk’s sarcastic comments – not to mention the sight of hundreds of locals and tourists all gravitating towards the auction area – had given her second thoughts.
Who would want her anyway? What if no one made a bid or she went for the reserve price Evie had suggested? What if she ended up with someone … just plain weird? Looking around at some of the locals, that wasn’t too unlikely.
At ten to three, Tiff closed down the stall. There was only a dried-flower arrangement and a tin of Spam left so she packed them away whilst she considered a final attempt at escape.
But deep down she knew there was no going back now. She dragged her leaden feet over to the lifeboat station where someone had positioned a chair and desk on a small dais for Evie. She had a sheet of paper in her hand and a microphone lay in front of her.
Evie spotted her. ‘Are you all right, dear? You’re very pale.’
‘Just a little apprehensive, Evie. I do hope no one’s expecting too much. I’d hate them to be disappointed.’
‘Oh, don’t be silly! Of course they won’t be.’
Tiff smiled weakly.
Dirk handed Evie a gavel. ‘Here you go.’
‘Thank you, Dirk, my love. I think we’re almost ready.’
‘No problem. If you need anything else, you give me a nod.’ He climbed down off the dais and walked past Tiff. Just as she thought he was going to go past her, she felt his breath on her ear.
‘I can’t wait for this,’ he whispered.
She flinched but was too stunned to reply and Dirk was already gone.
‘Come on, folks! Auction starts in five minutes!’ Evie bellowed.
Trying to blot out Dirk’s presence, Tiff attempted to lurk unobtrusively at the edge of the throng. However, as more people joined at the rear of the crowd, she found herself hemmed in at the front, only a couple of metres from the dais and right under Evie’s eye. She’d no idea where Dirk had gone.
‘Hello!’ A hand on her shoulder told her Marina was right behind and the man beside her moved to let Marina stand next to her.
‘Are you OK?’ Marina whispered.
‘Absolutely bloody marvellous,’ Tiff hissed back. ‘Apart from feeling like I’m on my way to the guillotine.’
Marina laughed. ‘It’s not an execution.’
‘Mm. How’s your day been?’ Tiff asked to distract herself from her impending humiliation.
Marina hesitated and Tiff saw something – doubt? – flicker in her eyes before she brightened. ‘Um …’ she said, ‘it’s going better than I’d hoped. We should hit our fundraising target, with a bit of luck. Thanks for all your hard work.’
‘Thank me after it’s all over and someone has bid for me,’ she said.
Marina grinned. ‘Oh, they will. You’ll cause a sensation, I’m sure.’
The rap of the gavel drew their attention. ‘So, that’s a Christmas turkey sold to the Smuggler’s Tavern for fifty pounds.’ Evie looked at her clipboard. ‘Next lot. A bikini waxing session kindly donated by The House of Payne.’
‘Oh my God,’ Tiff muttered as the crowd erupted with laughter. ‘I still don’t know why for the love of God anyone would call a beauty salon that!’
‘Because it’s run by the Payne family?’ Marina said innocently.
Tiff rolled her eyes. ‘This place is nuts … I’m nuts. Oh God, it’s almost time.’
Marina laughed. ‘You’ll be fine,’ she said yet again, but Tiff’s heart was hammering like she’d run the hundred metres, leaving Usain Bolt in her wake. Come to think of it, there was still time to do that … Her phone beeped. She scanned the message and a grin spread over her face, followed by a groan and a mutter. ‘Now you bloody tell me!’
Cursing, she grabbed her notebook from her bag, scribbled a message and handed the torn-out page to Evie while the ‘winner’ of the waxing session collected his voucher. Evie frowned then nodded.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we have an additional lot, courtesy of Tiff Trescott and it’s for you music fans. She has managed to get hold of two tickets to the sold-out Ed Sheeran gig at the Eden project – with VIP backstage passes.’
An excited buzz rippled through the crowd, making the hairs on the back of Tiff’s neck stand on end.
Evie raced off-piste, clapping her hands together in excitement. ‘But first I have an even better prize. Our very own Tiffany has offered the ultimate auction lot. Ladies and gentlemen: Tiff has offered herself as star prize.’
‘No!’ Tiff squeaked. Evie had misread the note. The Ed Sheeran tickets were meant to replace her as the main lot. She thought of scribbling another note to Evie or leaping on the dais to grab her, but it was far too late and would only attract everyone’s attention. Holy Mary, why had she even offered the auction lot …?! If only she hadn’t been so desperate to prove Dirk wrong.
There was silence, followed by confused murmurings then bursts of laughter. Tiff felt eyes lasering into her back, and a stage whisper: ‘Oh my God. Is it her?’ a woman said.
‘That posh redhead from London,’ another replied within Tiff’s hearing. ‘Something funny there.’
I am actually bloody here, Tiff wanted to shout, but tried to fix a smile on her face.
‘Come up, my dear,’ Evie called. ‘Don’t be shy.’
Tiff wished she could magically vanish in a puff of smoke, but it seemed her only special power was making a massive tit of herself. She shook her head at Evie, but Evie smiled.
‘Come on, let all these lovely people see what they could be getting.’
‘You have to go.’ Marina gave her a little push in the small of her back. ‘Knock ’em dead. I think you’re amazing.’
People either side of her moved away slightly and Tiff found herself in a tiny gap in front of the stage. Somehow, she contorted her face into a grin and lifted a hand in a wave, before dragging her feet the two steps onto the dais.
‘A big welcome to our star lot: Tiffany Trescott!’ Evie cried, and a smattering of applause rippled through the audience, accompanied by a few whistles. ‘Now, Tiffany has offered to spend a day at your beck and call. She says she’ll do anything within reason: gardening, housework, shopping, DIY, cooking, chauffeuring, pet sitting … you name it.’
Tiffany cringed. She could whip up an omelette and change a plug, but she’d never had a pet in her life, and as for gardening – planting the tubs had been at the edge of her skills. She could write up a storm, of course, and knew her Latin declensions, and she was pretty good at shopping … and if you wanted her to find out someone’s deepest secrets or stir up trouble then she was red hot at that … but none of that was probably much use in Porthmellow. In fact, she really wondered what use anyone here could find for her. She’d never felt so exposed in her life.
Marina smiled and mouthed: ‘You’ll be fine.’
Tiff scanned the crowd for Dirk, still grinning like an idiot despite feeling like an unwanted sack of potatoes.
‘Now I’m going to start the bidding myself here. I could do with putting my feet up for the day,’ Evie said.
‘Thirty quid!’ A deep local voice boomed from the crowd. It was a fisherman in yellow waders, a pint in one hand.
‘Fifty!’ Evie said. ‘Thirty is an insult.’
‘Too bloody right,’ Tiff said through gritted teeth, wanting to hug Evie but hoping an OAP wouldn’t have to use her pension to spare her humiliation.
A Perfect Cornish Escape Page 9