The Picture House by the Sea

by Holly Hepburn

  There was a very heavy silence. Then Rose stood up sharply, her chair screeching against the wooden floor. ‘Fine. But don’t blame me if profits are down. I tried to help.’

  With a final pointed glare at Gina, she swept out of the pub. From the other side of the bar, Jory watched her go with mild amusement. ‘Credit where it’s due, they do a proper line in flouncing, the Arundells.’

  Gina managed a weak smile before turning back to Gorran. ‘Thanks for sticking up for Ferrelli’s. I don’t think Nonno would have reacted well to having direct competition, do you?’

  Gorran grunted. ‘He’d have been furious.’ He glanced up at Gina, and something in his expression worried her. He looked as though he was caught between mortification and disappointment. Clearing his throat, he lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘I wish you hadn’t told Rose about my financial problems, Gina. I know she’s helping out but I don’t want the whole bleddy town to know my business.’

  ‘Me?’ Gina said, startled. ‘I didn’t tell her a thing, Gorran. I thought you must have said something.’

  ‘No,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Weren’t me. Maybe Ben let something slip? You know, pillow talk, that kind of thing?’

  Gina’s mind was filled with a sudden image of Ben and Rose in bed together. Her chest tightened as she shook the thought away. ‘It’s very unlikely,’ she replied, forcing her thudding heart to slow. ‘I don’t think Ben trusts Rose with his own secrets, let alone anyone else’s.’

  ‘Someone told her,’ Gorran pointed out. ‘And you were the only people who knew.’

  If that was true then Ben must be the guilty party, Gina thought uneasily, whether by accident or on purpose. And that begged the question of what else he might have told Rose . . . maybe the two of them were closer than he was letting on after all.

  Chapter Six

  Gina found it hard to concentrate on her work in the dairy that afternoon. Thankfully, Ferdie wasn’t around or she felt sure he’d have had a few forceful words to say about her lack of focus. When at last she’d finished topping up the stock levels ready for the weekend orders, she turned down a cup of Nonna’s excellent coffee and headed for home. But instead of taking the road that led to Mawgan Porth, Gina found herself driving towards Polwhipple station. The thought of Ben sharing Gorran’s secret with Rose had been tormenting her all day; her stomach had lurched every time she’d thought of the two of them together. Exactly what else had they shared? She had to know.

  Ben looked surprised to see her when she banged on the door of the railway carriage.

  ‘Gina! This is a nice surprise. Come in.’

  He stood back to let her in. As she climbed the steps, she saw he was barefoot in jeans and a faded Saltrock T-shirt and there was more than a hint of golden stubble on his chin. His welcoming smile as she passed him was so sincere that it caused her certainty that he’d been the one to let Gorran’s secret slip to falter. This was Ben. How could she think he’d been gossiping behind Gorran’s back? And yet, someone had . . .

  ‘I can’t stay,’ she said, once he’d closed the door and offered her a drink.

  ‘Okay,’ he replied, frowning a little. ‘Is everything all right?’

  She glanced around the oval-ceilinged carriage, taking in warm lamplight, the half-drunk glass of wine and the battered paperback draped over the arm of the sofa. There was no sign of a female presence; no clue that he might even have a girlfriend and Gina found that soothing. Rose Arundell couldn’t be easy to keep at arm’s length – if there was more to their relationship than Ben was letting on, surely Gina would see evidence of it here, in Ben’s home?

  ‘Everything’s fine,’ she said, swallowing a sigh. ‘Well, no, it isn’t, but I don’t know how to phrase this nicely, so I’m just going to come right out with it. Did you tell Rose about Gorran’s financial difficulties?’

  He stared at her, shock written all over his face. ‘No, of course not. Why?’

  ‘Because somehow she knows and Gorran says he only trusted you and me,’ she said, searching his eyes. ‘And I know I haven’t told anyone so . . .’

  Ben ran a hand through his hair. ‘So the only person left is me.’

  Gina nodded. ‘And Gorran thought you might have—’

  ‘Gorran thought I might have what?’ Ben asked, his expression suddenly stony.

  Now that she had to say it, Gina found she couldn’t. ‘He thought that maybe you and Rose had – you know – that you were closer than you’d suggested.’

  ‘Closer?’ he repeated, his gaze incredulous. ‘So, let me get this straight: Rose Arundell, a member of the most manipulative, power-hungry family this side of the River Tamar, knows something she shouldn’t and you decide that not only am I the one to have told her, but that I’ve also been leading some kind of double life for the last month, telling you how much I dislike her when, actually, I am sleeping with her. Is that what you’re suggesting?’

  Gina wanted to groan. Now that Ben had spelled it out, the whole idea seemed ridiculous. ‘No, I—’

  ‘That’s what it sounds like to me, Gina,’ Ben went on, his cheeks growing pink. ‘It sounds like you’re calling me a liar, when all I’ve ever tried to do is help.’

  ‘I know,’ Gina said, wishing she could crawl under the sofa.

  ‘Do you think it’s easy for me to sit opposite Rose in restaurants, listening to her boast about her insufferable family?’ Ben glowered at Gina. ‘Do you think I enjoy pretending to be happy when she phones and messages and tries to control me all the time? Because believe me, I don’t. But I put up with it for the greater good. For you and the picture house and even for Gorran bloody Dew.’

  Guilt washed over Gina; she pushed it away. Ben had chosen to do this; he wasn’t entirely the victim. ‘So don’t put up with it,’ she fired back. ‘Be honest and tell Rose it’s over.’

  Ben stared at her for a moment, his lips pressed together in a thin line. ‘It’s not that simple,’ he said eventually. ‘And since we’re being blunt, Gina, I don’t think you’ve got any right to lecture me about honesty.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  He opened his mouth to speak and then seemed to think better of it. After a few seconds, he shook his head. ‘Nothing. Forget it.’

  He must mean the kiss they’d shared, Gina decided, feeling heat start to rise in her cheeks. Was that kiss what this was really about? she wondered suddenly. Could it be jealousy that was making her react so badly to the thought that Ben had confided in Rose?

  ‘Ben—’ she began but he waved her away.

  ‘I think you should go.’

  ‘Go?’ she echoed.

  He gave her a bleak-eyed look. ‘Yeah. Go and phone Max or something.’

  She stared at him, her heart thudding uncomfortably in her chest. ‘If that’s what you want.’

  ‘Yeah.’ His shoulders slumped. ‘Of course that’s what I want.’

  Unable to think of anything to say that wouldn’t make the situation worse, Gina turned to leave. She was almost at the bottom of the stairs when she heard him call after her. ‘I didn’t tell Rose about Gorran. However she found out, it wasn’t from me.’

  The door of the carriage swung shut, leaving Gina standing in a little puddle of light from the window. Swallowing a sudden wave of misery, she hurried for the safety of her car.

  Chapter Seven

  Paddington station was sparkling in the midday sunshine. Gina took a deep breath and looked around, noticing the pigeons hopping under the rows of metal seats, the queues at the coffee stalls, the hustle and bustle of a busy London station. She’d been there less than five minutes and already it felt as though she’d never been away.

  ‘Gina!’ Max’s voice rang out across the concourse. Moments later, he’d swept her into his arms. ‘I wanted to be here to meet you off the train but the traffic was awful,’ he said into her hair. ‘How was the journey?’

  ‘Fine,’ she said, breathing in his aftershave and casting her mind over
the four-hour journey that she’d barely even noticed slipping by. ‘The usual.’

  He smiled and reached for her overnight case. ‘It’s so good to see you.’

  It was good to see him too, she decided, observing his sharp pin-striped suit, handsome profile and perfectly styled brown hair. But before she could tell him so, he was speaking again. ‘So what brought this on? One minute you’re telling me you can’t possibly get away for ages, the next I’m reading a message to say you’re on the train.’

  Gina avoided his eyes. She didn’t want to explain about her argument with Ben the night before. ‘Can’t a girl drop everything to see her boyfriend when she wants to?’

  Max smiled, evidently pleased by her words. ‘Of course she can.’ He glanced up at the time on the digital boards. ‘I don’t have long before my next meeting. I hate to do this but can I get you settled at the flat and meet you for drinks later?’

  ‘Of course,’ Gina said. ‘I might have dropped everything but I don’t expect you to. I imagine it’ll take me a few hours to adjust to being back in London, anyway. And if the loneliness gets too much, I’ll call Sarah or Tori.’

  ‘Good girl,’ Max said, looking relieved. ‘I knew you’d understand. So, how long can you stay for? Is a week too much to hope for?’

  ‘I wish I could stay that long,’ she said as they approached the taxi rank, raising her voice to be heard over the hustle and bustle of the street. ‘But I can probably stay until Sunday.’

  He reached out with his free hand and took hers. ‘Then we’ll just have to make the most of the time we have.’

  ‘You’re where?’ Elena’s voice sounded confused in Gina’s ear. ‘What on earth are you doing in London?’

  ‘I needed a bit of time to myself,’ she told her grandmother, gazing out at the Thames and wishing she didn’t feel as though she’d abandoned her responsibilities and run away. ‘It was kind of a last-minute decision – there wasn’t time to tell you before I left.’

  Gina heard a low murmuring in the background: Ferdie. ‘Tell Nonno that everything is under control. There’s more than enough stock in the dairy freezers to fulfil our weekend orders and I’ll be back by Sunday at the latest to see what’s needed for the week after.’

  Elena relayed the message and Gina heard more mumbling. ‘We’ll get started on the Cha-Cha Cherry supplies as soon as I’m back,’ she said, anticipating his next question.

  ‘He’s not asking about the ice-cream,’ Elena said impatiently. ‘He wants to know how you are. It’s not like you to just vanish like this – has something happened?’

  Gina hesitated. She wanted nothing more than to spill the whole sorry tale to her grandmother, and hear the brilliant advice Elena would undoubtedly give. But she couldn’t go into detail without revealing Gorran’s financial embarrassment, and it seemed as though too many people knew about that already. ‘No, everything is fine. I just fancied a break, that’s all. Weren’t you telling me that I should go and see Max?’ She gave a small self-conscious laugh as she looked around her boyfriend’s empty apartment. ‘Well, here I am.’

  Nonna sniffed. ‘Make sure he looks after you, then. And come back to us on Sunday – who knows what kind of a mess Gorran Dew will get himself into if you don’t.’

  They talked for a few more minutes before Gina hung up. She checked her screen again, the way she had a million times during the train ride from Bodmin Parkway; there were still no messages from Ben. Although that was hardly a surprise, since she hadn’t messaged him either. She had contacted Gorran, though, to let him know she wouldn’t be around in person for a few days, and she assumed he would let Ben know, if Ben thought to ask him. And of course she’d told Carrie, who had immediately rung her. Carrie was the only person Gina confessed to about the argument with Ben.

  ‘He said what?’ Carrie had said, when Gina relayed the conversation with Ben. ‘That doesn’t sound like him.’

  ‘I had just accused him of sleeping with Rose Arundell,’ Gina pointed out, with an embarrassed laugh. ‘Maybe he had the right to be a bit touchy.’

  Carrie was silent for a moment. ‘You don’t really think he has been, though? I mean, obviously you know Ben much better than I do but he doesn’t seem like the type of guy to go there unless there are feelings involved.’

  Once again, Gina considered the possibility. Putting her own messy emotions to one side, it didn’t really matter what Ben and Rose did together; they were both single, consenting adults, after all. But if things had progressed, then the fact that Ben was only using Rose – worse, that he actively disliked her – changed everything. It turned Ben from someone Gina thought she knew and liked into a man she recognised only too well from her life in London; the kind of man who saw women as disposable and had little regard for them as human beings. Unless Ben was exaggerating his dislike of Rose to appease Gina, which wasn’t a much better option. She closed her eyes and sighed; it was all such a tangled mess.

  ‘He says he hasn’t,’ she said to Carrie. ‘And if you’d asked me a week ago, I would have believed him. But to be honest, I don’t know what to think. That’s why I’m getting away for a few days. Maybe being in London will help to clear my head.’

  ‘Good luck,’ Carrie said, her voice warm with sympathy. ‘I’ll keep an eye on things here, make sure Rose doesn’t do anything too outrageous at the Palace while your back is turned.’

  Gina gave a hollow laugh. ‘It’s not me who needs luck, it’s you.’ Her voice softened. ‘Listen, I need to go and catch my train. Keep an eye on Ben as well, okay?’

  ‘Consider it done. I’ll rope Davey in too. Speak soon.’

  Gina felt bad as she hung up; she hadn’t thought to ask how her friend’s date had gone. But her mind was full of her argument with Ben – she was sure Carrie would understand. And it sounded as though things were going well, which made Gina feel a tiny bit better. Once the worst of her argument with Ben had passed, she’d get all the details from Carrie. And until then, she had London to distract her.

  The restaurant was stuffy and packed. Gina found herself sandwiched in between Max, who was discussing a new skyscraper that was being planned near Canary Wharf, and an ample, sweaty business associate of his who kept calling her Tina. Her head ached and her shoulders hurt from the effort of keeping her arms tucked into her sides.

  She forced herself to smile as the man regaled her with yet another story about his ‘bitch of an ex-wife’ and tried to resist checking the time. Of course she hadn’t really expected Max to cancel everything the moment she arrived but she had hoped they might be able to spend her first evening back together. As it stood, they’d hardly exchanged more than a few words.

  The waiter gave her a sympathetic smile as he topped up her empty glass. Gina thought longingly of her quiet clifftop apartment and wished she was there, listening to the Atlantic crashing onto the beach. And what would Ben be doing now? Was he thinking about her as often as she was thinking about him? Her fingers twitched and she almost reached for her phone but Max turned around to put his hand on her knee.

  ‘Is Archie boring you?’ he whispered.

  ‘Very much so,’ she replied. ‘Do you think we can get out of here soon? It’s been a really long day.’

  Max smiled. ‘Of course. Let me just close this deal and we can head off.’ He leaned past her and frowned at the sweaty man. ‘Archie, stop talking about your divorce. You’re sending Gina to sleep.’

  The man’s piggy eyes widened and his jowls quivered. ‘Sorry, Max.’ He glanced at Gina. ‘Have I really been that bad?’

  Embarrassed, Gina shook her head. ‘No.’

  He sighed. ‘I have, haven’t I? You can be honest.’

  ‘Well,’ Gina said, feeling sorry for him. ‘Maybe a bit.’

  ‘None of the guys listen any more,’ he went on, his face settling back into the same morose lines as before. ‘And it has been very difficult. Did I tell you she took custody of my Porsche?’

  ‘You did,’ Gina said, re
aching for her glass.

  By the time Max had finished wrapping up whatever business deal he’d been negotiating, it was after eleven o’clock and Gina was dead on her feet. She leaned into him in the taxi on the way home, allowing her eyes to close as they made their way to his apartment overlooking the Thames.

  ‘It’s good to have you home,’ Max said, pulling her close. ‘Sorry this evening was such a drag. I promise you’ll have my undivided attention tomorrow.’

  ‘Mmmm,’ she murmured, snuggling against his shoulder. ‘Can we have a night in?’

  ‘I think that can be arranged, although I’ll get lynched if I keep you all to myself for the entire time you’re here. People are desperate to see you.’

  Gina nodded sleepily. ‘I’m grabbing lunch with Sarah and Tori tomorrow. But other than that, I don’t have any plans.’

  Max kissed her forehead. ‘Good. I reckon you and me and a bottle of something cold should all make plans together.’

  By the time they reached the apartment, Gina couldn’t fight her exhaustion any longer. She fell into bed beside Max, barely doing more than wishing him goodnight before her eyes closed and she was asleep.

  Chapter Eight

  ‘So what’s new with you?’ Gina’s friend Sarah asked on Thursday, leaning forwards in her seat. ‘Tell us all the gossip.’

  She and Tori studied Gina expectantly across their starters, their expressions avid. Gina gave a self-conscious laugh. ‘I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say. You’re the ones with the exciting London lives.’

  Tori waved a hand at her baby daughter, Ava, who was snoring in her top-of-the-range pram. ‘Listen, the highlight of my week was whether this one slept for five hours without waking up. Literally anything you’ve done will top that and if all else fails, you can just talk to us about ice-cream.’

  ‘You wouldn’t say that if you’d spent the last two weeks sanding down the walls of your local cinema,’ Gina said, pulling a face. She tried to consider the past week objectively. ‘We’re planning an on-the-beach screening of Dirty Dancing, complete with I Carried A Watermelon Daiquiris and dancing lessons, if that sounds exciting enough?’