by Lisa Hobman
Cassie had agreed to take the afternoon off work to go to the café with him seeing as he hadn’t visited since bringing the keys home from the solicitor’s office. He wanted to wait until she could go with him and that day had arrived. She was working at the kitchen table and Mac tried his best to keep himself occupied. He’d waxed both his surfboards. Tidied the garden, walked Cliff and been for a jog. But no matter how many things he did the time seemed to tick by slower and slower.
‘Good grief, you’re like a kid on Christmas Eve!’ Cassie said on the fifth time he had poked his head around to see if she was nearly done. ‘Come on! Let’s just go. This boiler manual I’m proofing can wait.’
‘Really?’ He asked sitting opposite her and resting his head on his hand feigning interest. ‘Because it sounds riveting.’
She threw a balled-up piece of notepaper at him and he ducked, guffawing loudly.
*
Cassie
Cassie had to almost jog to keep up with Mac as they headed down the slope towards the beach and she was quite out of breath when they finally reached the sand. It was a bright but chilly autumn day and the beach was alive with surfers and people in kayaks making the most of the waves created by the east coast breeze.
She paused to take in the picturesque scene—and to catch her breath. The sun was low in the sky casting an almost golden glow all around and glinting on anything with a shiny surface. The waves rolled towards the sand but there was nothing ferocious about them as they darted to greet the visitors on the shore. The whole scene was one of serenity and Cassie inhaled deeply as a smile played upon her lips.
Impatient, Mac was soon tugging at her arm. ‘Come ooooon. Let’s gooooooo.’ Yup, kid at Christmas time. She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the grin that accompanied the gesture.
Mac was already at the door jiggling the key in the padlock until it released. He turned and gave a thumbs-up to Cassie. Then his brow creased and he tapped his chin. ‘Should I carry you over the threshold?’
‘It’s a café not a house so it doesn’t count. And anyway, we’re not married you wally.’ Yes, Montgomery, that latter point should have been the first thing that struck you. Suddenly the prospect of being someone’s wife didn’t seem so abhorrent. Her last experience at planning nuptials had been a disaster but she knew it would be totally different with Mac. She shook her head to eradicate the mental intrusion; after all there had been no mention of weddings. Good grief, calm down, Cassie.
Mac playfully chuntered, ‘Spoilsport,’ as he tugged the door open wide.
They were greeted by a cloud of dust motes dancing in the light that filtered in through the cracks in the shutters and the place smelled damp and dirty through lack of use but Mac didn’t seem to notice as he opened each shutter in turn and allowed the daylight to flood in.
He held out his arms and grinned at her. ‘See, it’s perfect! It needs a lick of paint and a bit of TLC but that’s all. I can have that done in a weekend.’ He walked over to her and slipped his arms around her as they took in their surroundings. ‘I can’t believe it’s actually ours.’ He sighed and rested his chin atop her head.
‘Well, it’s yours technically,’ she reminded him.
He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, ‘Ours.’ A shiver of excitement and lust flitted over her skin.
The walls were whitewashed but in need of a repaint. The tables and chairs were all laid out as if it was just closed for the day and all were in remarkably good condition—nothing that a wipe down with disinfectant wouldn’t improve. The floor was made up of orange terracotta tiles, some of which were cracked but in all honesty, it gave the place a bit of character.
He took her by the hand and she followed Mac as he walked behind the counter to the kitchen area. It was large enough to produce anything from cakes to full-blown meals and she knew it was ideal for what he had in mind. Seeing his face light up made her heart soar. After everything he had been through it was so good to know things were improving.
‘So how long before you want to be up and running?’ she asked as he opened and closed cupboards.
He shrugged. ‘Couple of weeks tops.’
Rather taken aback by his timescale she tripped over her own tongue. ‘But… I mean… how? You don’t know the first thing about running a café how on earth can you be ready so quickly?’
He tapped his nose. ‘I have a friend in the village who worked here many years ago and she’s offered to go through things with me. And her son is looking for a part-time job to fit in with his studies so I won’t be doing it alone. I’ve seen these metal signs online that I think will look awesome on the walls. Kind of old surfing ads. And some bright wipeable table cloths too. Aww, Cassie, it’s going to be fantastic.’
Well he had certainly got it all set in his mind. And to say she was proud was the biggest understatement. She simply couldn’t wait to go along for the ride with him as he realised his dream.
Back at home later he showed her all the things he had seen to brighten the café up and he clicked to order them. Large rustic looking tin signs with images of beaches and surfers would be adorning the walls in no time at all. His ideas were going to make it the place to be that was for sure. Then there was a brief phone call to a friend of his who was a sign painter and the new ‘Surf Sup’ sign was in the pipeline.
Chapter Forty-five
The days were getting shorter as winter approached and Mac had been spending most of his time at the beach café. Cassie had expected business to be incredibly slow on account of the time of year but it turned out that the surfers of Coldingham Bay were nothing if not diehard. Every night since opening Surf Sup he came home with a huge grin on his face and full of stories about his day and the characters he’d encountered. He was buzzing with excitement.
There had been news of a date for the trial too and things were really gearing up. Cassie couldn’t wait to put the whole affair behind her and move on with Mac and their wonderful new life together. But it would still take time.
She was sitting drinking coffee on the sofa with Cliff and waiting for Mac to arrive home so they could head out to dinner at Sally and Derek’s when there was a knock at the front door.
Cassie scratched Cliff’s head. ‘Silly dad’s forgotten his key again,’ she told him as she opened it with a smile.
‘H-hi, Cassie. Before you slam the door in my face I wondered if you’d hear me out?’
‘Vina! What the heck are you doing here? And why? I mean, I don’t hear from you in ages and then you show up here?’ Cassie didn’t try to hide her incredulity.
Vina looked pale and downtrodden in her black leggings and plain grey hoody. Her hair was pinned up in a messy bun, which really wasn’t her usual style. It was the first time Cassie had ever seen her dressed so casually outside of the house and without a full face of makeup. ‘Please could I come in? I just want to talk to you.’
‘Of course, come in.’ She stepped aside.
Vina walked through into the kitchen and smiled at her surroundings. ‘This place is lovely, Cassie. So… you. Not like that Glasgow apartment. You were never really right there.’
Cassie huffed. ‘Gee thanks.’
Vina held up her hand. ‘No, no, you misunderstand. I don’t mean it in a negative way. That place was too stark for you. Too soulless. And you’re not soulless, Cassie. You’re one of the best people I know.’
Now she was inside and under the LED lights in the kitchen, Cassie could see that Vina’s cheekbones were sharper than usual meaning she’d lost weight and from the dark circles around her eyes she clearly hadn’t been sleeping. She was unsure what to say.
But Vina spoke again. ‘He lied to us all, you know? Seth, I mean. When I went to visit him in prison the week he went in, he told me that you’d cheated on him first. That you’d bad-mouthed me and the rest of the family. That you’d admitted you were only with him for the family fortune. He’s my brother so… so I believed him. That’s why I’ve kept away.’ She lo
wered her gaze and twisted her hands in front of her. ‘I know now that he was lying. I know our friendship can never be repaired, Cassie, but… I wanted to at least apologise for that fact. You were the best friend I’d ever had. You were so genuine. No agendas.’ She frowned and glanced away. ‘I can’t actually believe I took his word over yours. But I suppose family loyalty can do that. But anyway, I wanted to say that I wish you well. And that Seth deserves everything he gets. I’m… I’m ashamed to be related to him if the truth be told. I suppose I’ll always love him in a way but I don’t like him. Not one bit. I can’t believe what he’s done to you and to your boyfriend.’ She lifted her gaze and locked watery, red-rimmed eyes on Cassie. ‘I mean it, Cassie, I’m so sorry. And I hope that one day you’ll forgive me.’ She wiped at her eyes and turned towards the door.
Overcome with compassion, as she was wont to be, Cassie grabbed Vina’s arm. ‘Hey, you’ve come all this way; the least I can do is make you a cup of tea. What do you say?’
Vina turned to face her and sobbed as she flung her arms around her. ‘Oh, yes please. That would be lovely. Thank you so much.’
Vina stayed for an hour and the former friends talked at length about what had happened to Seth and how he’d changed. Vina informed her that his penthouse flat had been sold and some of his business interests had been signed over to his father. What was harder to hear was that their parents had been struggling with the knowledge of the depths their son had sunk to in order to try and get what he wanted. They were horrified and there had been a spell in hospital for Vina’s mother as a result of the whole situation. Cassie’s heart ached for them. They had always been so good to her. They didn’t deserve to go through this either.
When she was about to leave, Vina hugged Cassie tight. ‘I’m so glad you found someone who treats you right and puts you first. No one should have to put up with what you endured from Seth. And I can only apologise again for what he’s put you all through. And for the fact that I introduced you. I just… I guess I never really knew him. I don’t know if I’ll be in touch again. This is all taking its toll on the family as you can imagine. We’re having to build a lot of bridges just now. Harry and I… Well this whole thing took its toll on us too. I think we’re over.’ Tears trickled down her cheeks. ‘He doesn’t want it to be, but I can’t put him through all the bad publicity. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. My parents were very concerned too but obviously didn’t feel they had a right to turn up on your doorstep. They thought a lot of you Cassie. They think a lot of you and wouldn’t ever want you to suffer at the hands of my brother, I hope you know that.’
Cassie smiled through tear-fogged eyes. ‘Thank you. I think this has been good for both of us. I suppose I’ve got the answers to the questions I had about where things went wrong between us. And if you want to stay in touch… well that’s fine with me. We’ve known each other a long time and it’d be a shame to lose that friendship. But I also understand that you may need to move on. I know I have to in many ways.’
Vina smiled sadly as she hugged her. ‘Be happy, Cassie. Always be happy.’ And with a kiss to her cheek Vina walked away into the night to wherever she had parked her car.
*
A short while later, Cassie was relieved when Mac dashed in through the door, filled with his usual excitable energy. ‘Hi Pebble, wait til you hear who I’ve been chatting to on the phone today at work. Ooh, are you okay? Have you been crying?’
She nodded as he folded her in his warm, familiar embrace. ‘I had a visit from Vina today.’
‘Seth’s sister? What the hell?’
She gazed up at him and kissed the stubble of his chin. ‘It’s fine. She didn’t come to cause trouble. She looked awful. Completely heartbroken by this whole thing. I really felt for her. He’d strung her a line too. And his parents. I think the shock of finding out who he really is has caused irreparable damage to far too many people.’
Mac sighed as he cuddled her close to him once more. ‘Nasty piece of work that poor excuse for a man. Who does that to their parents? I know both you and I would give anything to see ours again.’ She nodded into his chest. ‘Speaking of which, I’ve had an amazing idea.’
Excited to hear something good she smiled up at him. ‘Really? Has this got something to do with whomever you were talking to on the phone today?’
He tugged her to the couch. ‘Yup. I called your dad to see how he was doing and to ask his advice about… something. Anyway, he was saying how much he misses you. And how he wished he lived closer. So…’
She scrunched her brow but grinned; eager to hear what hare-brained scheme he had come up with. ‘So?’
‘He should move into Rose Brae. He should sell his cottage and move here. The house will be empty once we move into the new place. The builders will be breaking ground at the first sign of spring and these guys work fast once they get going. So, it won’t be too long before the house is free for him.’
Cassie opened and closed her mouth. A lump of emotion lodged itself in her throat and her eyes misted over. ‘First of all… you called my dad to see how he was? How sweet are you? And second… you want him to come and live here?’
Mac shrugged as if it was the most sensible and obvious idea he’d ever had. ‘Makes total sense. Don’t you think?’
She lurched herself at him and kissed every inch of his face. ‘Have I told you how much I love you?’
He tugged her into his lap and returned her kisses. ‘Yeah but I never tire of hearing it.’
‘And you’d be okay with my dad living so close?’
He brushed her hair away from her face. ‘Cassie, I would give anything to have my mum and dad close by again. And Rab too. Family is everything. Your dad’s great. He treats me like a son and I can’t think of anyone I would rather have living in Rose Brae. Although, you can tell him we won’t accept rent. As far as I’m concerned, it’ll be his house. We won’t accept a penny from him.’
She sighed and shook her head. ‘Whatever did I do to deserve someone as wonderful as you?’
He grinned. ‘Oh, you must have been very, very good at some point,’ he said with a teasing wink. ‘In fact, I reckon you should take me upstairs and show me just how good you can be.’ He raised his eyebrows and leaned forward to nibble on her bottom lip.
She slid off his lap and took him by the hand. ‘You don’t have to tell me twice, Tiger.’
He stood and with a playful growl followed her as she led him to their bedroom.
Chapter Forty-six
Eight months later…
Saturday meant a long lie in and Cassie was more than happy to take advantage of the fact that Mac was up and out early. He always wanted to get the café open as quickly as possible throughout the summer holiday season when his first customers would no doubt be those catching the early morning waves. Cliff had been allowed upstairs to snuggle on her bed and he was laying there on his back, legs in the air and tongue lolling out one side of his mouth. She would’ve slept longer if it hadn’t been for the little Border Terrier’s snoring. How such a little dog could snore so loudly was beyond her.
Eventually she gave up and got out of bed and when she went downstairs to make fresh coffee, Cliff gave an indignant sigh and reluctantly followed. Clearly one of them was enjoying their snooze.
The cottage was a little echoey now that their possessions were gradually being boxed up and relocated to the new house. She felt a pang of sadness at leaving the place she had called home. But she knew that exciting things lay ahead and so thankfully the melancholy was brief.
Mac had left her a note on the kitchen table, telling her to meet him at their beach hut at 12.30 for lunch and promising he would be all hers with no distractions. She smiled and rolled her eyes on reading that last part. Their lunch dates usually entailed a five-minute break for him in which he would serve up baked goods from Surf Sup and a couple of half empty coffee mugs, the contents of which would have been spilled en-route from the other end of the
beach. But regardless of that she wouldn’t change their previous lunch and dinner dates for all the salt in the ocean. She relished every single one that had taken place at their hut—it was, after all, their favourite spot and a little oasis that they enjoyed together.
Once it was made Cassie sipped on her freshly-brewed, fairtrade Arabica coffee and gazed out of the kitchen window at the azure sky above. The sun was high over Coldingham on its cloudless backdrop today, which meant the tourists would be out in force when she arrived at the beach. Their cheerful little hut was a talking point and the envy of everyone who visited the bay—locals and visitors alike. It was the best spot to sit and watch the world go by.
Once she had finished her second cup of coffee she decided on a nice lengthy, luxurious soak in the tub whilst she read her latest romance novel, aptly named ‘A Seaside Escape’, and as she lay there immersed in both the water and the storyline, time began to slip away from her until her fingers resembled grapes left out in the sun too long. Once she was out and dried she checked the time and then eagerly dashed up to her room. After tugging on simple white undies she rifled through her wardrobe, looking for the perfect summer dress. The white one with yellow flowers seemed to echo the colour of the sun above and she slipped it on before applying sunscreen to every patch of exposed skin. Mac was a stickler for skin protection.
Knowing that their beach dates usually carried on into the evening once Mac had closed the café, she grabbed her pretty shawl too. Although, she knew that if she got too cold Mac would warm up her up—he had that effect even if it wasn’t cold. She sighed at the thought of his strong, muscular arms wrapped around her and his warm breath against her ear sending tingles down her spine as they watched the waves lazily meandering towards the shore.