Spring at Lavender Bay

by Sarah Bennett

  ‘Sorry, sorry, it’s just…’ Beth met Sam’s eyes and could feel the giggles building again.

  Annie’s smile widened. ‘Don’t explain. Private jokes are a good thing, a special thing. They’re not supposed to make sense to anyone else.’ She rubbed her hands together. ‘Right, I can handle things here for a bit. Why don’t you two have a break?’

  ‘We’re fine, Mum. Why don’t you go and rest?’ As soon as Sam said it, Beth noticed the lines of strain around Annie’s eyes.

  ‘I’m fine. Let me do this for you both, please.’

  Sam opened his mouth like he wanted to protest, so Beth hooked her arm through his. ‘That’s really kind of you, Annie. Come on, Sam, you can treat me to an ice cream.’ She tugged him away before he could argue.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Luckily, he didn’t resist as she tugged him in the opposite direction of the ice cream van parked along the promenade. If he had, she might have lost her nerve. She pulled out the keys to the emporium, unlocked the door and pushed him inside.

  ‘Upstairs.’ She pointed through the back of the shop floor.

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Up. Stairs.’ Brushing past him, she began fumbling with the button fastening of her dress as she started walking.

  ‘Beth. Beth, wait.’

  When she turned around, he hadn’t moved. ‘What’s wrong? Don’t you want this?’ Her hands fell away from the neck of her dress.

  He was there in a heartbeat, one hand around her waist, the other cupping her jaw to turn her face to his. ‘I want this. I want this so much it’s like I can’t breathe properly. But not like this. Not a quickie snatched during a ten-minute break.’

  ‘I was hoping for at least fifteen minutes,’ she joked, trying to lighten the mood. When he didn’t smile back, she slid her hands up to grip his shoulders. ‘If life was perfect, we’d have all the time in the world. You’d take me on an actual date. Candlelight, champagne, good food, a whole evening of flirting and anticipation. There’d be silk sheets on the bed, and a romantic playlist I’d spent hours putting together to set the perfect mood.’

  He rested his forehead against hers. ‘Exactly, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s what I want to give you.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. None of that nonsense matters. The only thing that’s important is being together. Whenever, however we can. Life’s complicated. Our plates are full to overflowing, but right here, right now we have time for this. Time for us.’

  ‘Beth. Beth.’ His hands were in her hair, stroking her back, tugging at the fastening on her dress as his lips found hers. She was equally frantic, fumbling the buttons of his shirt open, dropping to tug the heavy length of his belt open. ‘Wait. Wait a minute.’ Sam gripped her shoulders and set her away from him.

  She wanted to scream in frustration. ‘No, no, no more waiting.’ She pressed against his hold, trying to get close to him again.

  Sam laughed. ‘Steady on, sweetheart. I only meant we should wait long enough to get upstairs. I know you said the niceties don’t matter, but our first time together is not going to be on this bloody shop floor.’

  ‘Oh. Okay. Good point.’ She grabbed his hand and they ran up the stairs to collapse laughing on her bed.

  His weight came down on top of her. ‘I had a fantasy about this.’ He trailed kisses along the edge of collarbone, sending ripples of sensation down through her middle.

  ‘Only one?’ Her hands slid under his shirt to relish the firm, smooth skin of his back. ‘I’m disappointed.’

  Sam chuckled against the hollow of her throat, and she had to close her eyes as sparks flashed behind her lids. It had never been like this, not even with Charlie. ‘I’m such an idiot,’ she whispered.

  He jerked his head up. ‘What? What’s wrong? Did you change your mind, ‘cause I can wait.’ Little beads of sweat popped out on his forehead, and Beth almost wanted to laugh at his pained expression, but she knew he meant it. Her heart did a little flip in her chest.

  ‘I’m an idiot because I had all this…’ She ran her fingers over the notches in his spine, delighting in the way he shivered under her touch. ‘I had you, right under my nose and I never even noticed.’

  ‘Ah, Beth.’ His lips found hers and there were no more words to be said. In their hurry, they’d left the curtains open, and the sounds of laughter and music drifted from the beach below. It could have been awkward, she could have been nervous about him seeing her naked for the first time in broad daylight. But with each inch of her skin he revealed, the heat in his eyes increased and seemed to transmit from his body to hers with every touch, every stroke, until she felt scorched from the inside out. The sounds from outside faded from her awareness. It was only him, only her and the slow slide of skin on skin. Mouths touching, lips seeking, promises whispered, pleasures sighed.

  Beth flopped over onto her back, one arm thrown above her head as she tried to catch her breath. ‘That was…’

  ‘Basic? Mediocre? Adequate?’ Sam propped himself on one elbow, fingers teasing along the edges of her ribs.

  She squirmed away from his tickling and tugged her pillow free to hide her face in it. ‘Did I really say that?’

  He pulled the edge of the pillow down to kiss the tip of her nose. ‘You know you did. It might have scarred me for life.’

  Fluttering her eyelashes, she put on her sweetest voice, ‘I’m sorry, honey, I meant to say passably good.’ Her laughter was soon muffled as he dragged the pillow from her arms and bashed her in the face with it. When she peeked out, he was sitting with his arms folded, a mock-glare on his face. ‘I’m sure you’ll get better at it, with a bit more practice.’ She sat up, letting the sheets spill down to her waist and watched the glare fade into something far more delicious. ‘We could try again now…in the shower.’

  Teasing him might have been a mistake. The hot water had long run out, but Sam refused to let her out until she’d upgraded her assessment of him to a level of praise acceptable to him. He finally relented when she slapped the wet tiles and begged for mercy. ‘Spectacular,’ she panted. ‘Superlative. Stratospheric.’

  Sam flipped off the cold water. ‘Now that’s more like it.’

  They wobbled out of the cubicle into a scene of carnage. The bathroom floor was a write-off. At some point they must have knocked the screen door open, but been too distracted to realise. An inch or more of water covered the lino. ‘Not again,’ Beth wailed.

  Sam dragged the towel off the back of the door and spread it out on the floor, soaking it through in seconds. He scooped it up and into the bathtub, then grabbed the smaller towel hanging by the sink and knotted it around his waist. ‘Are the rest of the towels in the airing cupboard?’ When she nodded, he splashed out, returning a couple of moments later with an armful of her freshly laundered towels.

  They shuffled around the small space, Sam gathering the saturated towels behind her and tossing them into the bath. ‘We can wring this out once we’re dressed,’ he said.

  Finished with her own towel, she used it to dab the water off his chest. ‘I’ll do them later. We should probably get back out and make sure your mum’s okay.’

  The lightness in his face fell away. ‘Damn, you’re right. I forgot about her for a minute.’ He started towards the door, then turned on his heel to grab her up and kiss her breathless. ‘When everything’s finished today, we’ll sit down with a cup of tea and find a way to make our schedules work. A snatched hour here and there isn’t enough for me. I want more than a fling, Beth, regardless of what I said before.’

  She flung her arms around his neck. ‘Yes, yes please.’

  Leaning down, he pressed one more lingering kiss to her lips. ‘I need to buy you some new flowers.’ On that curious comment, he left the bathroom to get dressed.

  Trailing after him, Beth puzzled at his meaning. She’d kept the roses he’d sent for several days past their prime, but she hadn’t wanted to throw them away. The card attached to them rested against the empty vase, and
her eyes drifted towards it as she pulled on her underwear and tried to shake out the creases in her dress. His silly declaration had made her smile every time she saw it.

  Her dress was beyond saving, the layers of stiff petticoats crushed from Sam lying on them. Setting it aside, she dug in her drawer for a pair of Capri pants and a pretty T-shirt. She pulled her wet hair from the neck of her top and wove it into a quick braid, securing it with an elastic tie from a dish on the dresser. Her fingers grazed the edge of the card.

  Sam’s arms closed around her waist and he nuzzled the side of her neck. Their eyes met in the mirror over the dresser. ‘What are you smiling at?’

  Reaching back, she stroked the damp curls at his nape. ‘Maybe you could buy me tulips next time? They’re my favourite.

  ‘Whatever you want.’

  Tilting her head, she sought out his mouth for a kiss. ‘I already have everything I want, right here.’

  Chapter Twenty

  Things had been quieter since the happy chaos of Easter, but Beth still had a steady stream of visitors calling into the emporium in the days that followed. The bay was ideally positioned in the centre of a scenic coastal walking route so the local B&Bs and other places that took in guests, such as the pub, turned a decent trade which the rest of them benefited from.

  Surviving the busy holiday fortnight had been something of a trial by fire. She’d run out of some stock, had several boxes of things she’d been sure would sell which she now feared would gather dust forever, but overall she counted it a success. Oh, her back had developed a persistent ache which only practical bath salts could ease, and her feet would likely never see another pair of high heels, but she didn’t care. Frivolous bubble baths and sexy shoes were a small price to pay for the kernel of pride that had taken root in her heart. She might really be able to make a go of things.

  As Beth worked through her day’s receipts and updated her stock records, she willed the clock to hurry up and hit five. It was Sam’s parents’ anniversary that weekend, and Paul’s health had shown enough improvement that Sam and Eliza had clubbed together to treat their folks to a break in a luxury manor house a few miles along the coast. Beth had chipped in with a voucher for a couples’ spa treatment.

  All of which meant Sam was running the pub on his own, so Beth was staying over there for the first time. What he didn’t know was she’d planned her own special evening for him, including cooking a meal from scratch. She’d spent the week studying an instruction video on YouTube and was confident she could pull it off. A covert call to the new barman Mr and Mrs Barnes had hired meant the bar would be covered for the second half of the evening shift.

  Checking her watch, Beth decided it was close enough to time and flipped the closed sign over and locked the front door. After fetching her overnight case and the sturdy bag-for-life containing the ingredients she needed, she grabbed her handbag, keys and the deposit envelope with the day’s receipts. Sam had already offered to drop it off for her in the morning together with the pub’s takings, so it was easier to put them in his safe overnight rather than her own one upstairs. With her hands full, she pulled the back gate closed with her foot and crossed the short gap between the two buildings.

  ‘Here, let me take those.’ Sam reached for her bags, and although she allowed him to take her case, she hung onto the carrier. ‘What are you hiding in there?’ he asked, trying to steal a peek inside.

  ‘Never you mind.’ She tapped the end of his nose, then stretched up for a kiss before he led the way into the pub and up the stairs.

  He pushed his bedroom door open with his shoulder and set her case on the floor—the newly hoovered floor if the tramlines in the carpet were anything to go by. The bedding had that fluffy look only freshly changed sheets could give and the air carried a faint hint of lemon-scented polish. Beth hid a little smile at the spotless room, delighted he’d made such an effort for her. ‘You remember where everything is?’

  It had been a while since she’d been up there, but she knew the layout of the place like the back of her hand. ‘Unless you’ve made any radical changes, I should be fine.’ She hid the carrier bag on the far side of the bed to be retrieved later and followed him into the family living room.

  ‘We’ve got all the usual channels, plus Netflix so you won’t be stuck for something to watch.’ Sam put his arms around her. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind hanging around up here?’

  Beth leaned into him for a cuddle. ‘I’m sure. If I get bored I can always pop down for a glass of wine, and it’ll be nice to be here when you get your break.’ His break was set for eight, which was the time she’d arranged for Josh, the barman, to come in and take over.

  ‘I like having you here.’ He ducked his head to claim her lips in a mind-scrambling kiss which left them both a little short of breath. ‘Perhaps I could just not bother with opening the pub tonight, I’d much rather stay up here with you.’

  Beth teased her fingers through the curls at his neck. He’d not had it cut in a while and she liked the way the wild tangles spilled over his collar. ‘Can you imagine your dad’s face if he found out you’d shut up shop the moment his back was turned?’

  He rested his forehead against hers. ‘You’ve got a point. Mum’s convinced if their weekend is a success that she can get him to go away for a proper holiday. She’s been down the travel agent’s looking at brochures.’

  Paul going away was a real vote of confidence in his son as well. There was no way Beth wanted to do anything to jeopardise it. Sam would still be here to close up after last orders, and she’d made it clear to Josh he was to shout for help if he needed it. Smoothing her hands down his back, she dropped them lower to give his bottom a playful squeeze. ‘You’ve got a pub to run, get to it.’

  Sam laughed, then grazed her lips with a kiss. ‘I thought I was supposed to be the bossy one in this relationship.’

  She joined in. ‘Maybe I’ve decided to give you a run for your money.’

  Beth settled herself on the sofa and switched on the television, making it look for all intents and purposes as though she was settling in for the evening. It was just as well as Sam found myriad excuses to pop back upstairs over the next hour. He’d forgotten his keys; he needed a fresh handkerchief; he wanted her to try a new Sauvignon Blanc they’d added to the menu. Each visit resulted in stolen kisses or a quick cuddle, as though he couldn’t bear to stay away from her now he had her under his roof.

  Thankfully, once the doors opened at six he was too busy downstairs, and she retrieved her shopping bag from the bedroom and set herself up in the kitchen. A quick survey of the cupboards with a checklist she’d drawn up helped her find all the bowls, pans and dishes she needed. Clearing one of the worktops, she laid out her ingredients in order of use then propped her tablet next to them. A quick swig of wine for luck and she rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

  By the time the chicken and mushroom pie was in the oven, Beth’s nerves were shot. What on earth had possessed her to try and make pastry from scratch? Sam was a qualified chef and she could burn water. She must be soft in the head to think cooking for him was a good idea.

  Heading into the bathroom, she grimaced at the sight of her reflection. There was flour everywhere—in her hair, on her cheeks, spattering the front of her navy T-shirt. Resisting the urge to brush herself down, she washed her hands then stripped off her top and shook it over the bath-tub. Bending at the waist, she did the same with her hair, watching the flour sift down like tiny snowflakes.

  Dressed again, with her hair brushed and the flour on her face removed with the aid of a soft makeup brush, she checked her watch. She had twenty minutes to spare, plenty of time to pop downstairs and refill her glass. It would also ensure Sam had no excuse to make a surprise visit of his own.

  The bar was busy, but she found an empty stool positioned close to the side partition. Claiming the seat, she plonked her glass in front of her and called out cheekily, ‘Anytime you’re ready, barman.’

&nbs
p; Flushed from the heat of the room, Sam glanced over from the optics and flashed her a broad grin. Once finished with the customer he was serving, he retrieved a bottle from the fridge and undid the catch on the bar partition, lifting it so he could stand next to her. ‘It’s good, huh?’

  ‘I like it a lot. Really crisp and refreshing.’ She waved for him to stop when he’d half-filled her glass. ‘I might like it a bit too much so go steady, or I’ll be fit for nothing.’

  Sam waggled his eyebrows and leered at her. ‘Maybe I’m hoping to take advantage of you later.’

  Biting her lip, she glanced up at him through her lashes. ‘What if I told you, you won’t need any alcohol to do that.’

  He curled an arm around her and she turned on the stool to put them face-to-face. ‘No?’

  ‘No.’ She beckoned for him to lean down then whispered in his ear. ‘I’m a sure thing.’ Whatever his response might have been, it was cut short by a friendly shout from further down the bar.

  ‘Duty calls. We’ll pick this conversation up when I get my break in…’ He looked at his watch. ‘Exactly forty-three minutes.’

  ‘I look forward to it.’ Beth picked up her glass and hurried back upstairs to check on dinner.

  The edges of the pastry were just turning golden, so she settled cross-legged in front of the oven door terrified if she looked away it would catch and burn. A bit of the cream and tarragon sauce had bubbled through the central cuts she’d made to release the steam, but overall, she was delighted with the results.

  On safer ground making the mashed potatoes and green veg she’d chosen to accompany the pie, Beth pottered around as she laid the table. The bottle of wine she’d bought to go with the meal rested in the fridge, but maybe she’d get Sam to bring the new Sauvignon instead. Everything was on a low heat, she just needed Josh to show up on time, and for Sam to not mind, of course.

  Butterflies filled her stomach, she’d been so excited about her little plan it had been easy to assume he’d be equally pleased. She tried to imagine how she’d feel if he made some high-handed decision about the emporium, then wished to hell she hadn’t. But Sam was much more chilled out about things than she was, so it would be fine. Probably. She crossed her fingers just in case.