There was no sign of Poppy, which might be convenient because Jake wanted to get her on her own to deliver his news.
Jake made his way through the drinkers, saying ‘hi’ to people he knew. He’d almost reached the bar entrance when he bumped into Poppy. She hadn’t seen him and her tray of drinks wobbled as he made contact.
‘Whoa.’ He smiled at the laden tray. ‘Found you at last. D’you need a hand?’
She threw him a brief smile. ‘No thanks.’
‘Sorry I had to rush off from the party. I had to take an urgent call.’
‘I know.’
Jake frowned. ‘You know? But how …’ Even as Poppy opened her mouth, realisation dawned on him. Oh, shit. Minty.
‘The Amazon, isn’t it? Sounds amazing. Scary but amazing.’
A guy nudged Jake’s elbow on his way to the bar. He knocked Poppy’s tray and more drinks slopped out. ‘I can explain. Let’s go somewhere quieter before you lose all of those drinks,’ he said.
A frown deepened between her eyes. ‘There’s nothing to explain, Jake. Why would you think that? I have to get these back to the gang or they’ll wonder where I am.’
He wanted to kick himself. He wished now he’d never let slip to Minty that he was leaving so soon, but she’d forced him into a corner. Literally. None of that mattered now that Poppy had clearly lost trust in him.
He walked ahead of her, clearing a path through the drinkers. She looked gorgeous in her denim cut-offs and a white T-shirt that showed off her tanned limbs. Her hair was piled messily on her head and caught up in a clip. He wanted to kiss her and then drag her off to bed despite all his resolve not to think such thoughts.
Their arrival on the terrace was greeted with cheering and sarcastic applause.
‘Thought you’d been kidnapped,’ Poppy’s father joked, rubbing his hands together at the sight of his pint.
‘By pirates,’ Zoey added, detaching herself from Rowan’s side to take two glasses from the tray. She smirked and shot a look at Poppy. ‘Spanish pirates. Maybe ones left over from the Armada.’
This was obviously some in-joke between the two friends. Jake decided to run with it anyway, hoping to lighten the atmosphere between him and Poppy.
‘We had a narrow escape, but no one’s been made to walk the plank, as you can see,’ Jake said lightly, while Poppy handed her mum a fresh G&T. ‘Yet,’ he added.
He could have sworn Poppy was trying to avoid catching his eye. He really wished he’d been able to tell her about his plans himself.
‘I could do with a pint myself,’ he said. ‘I’m going into the bar, but I’ll be back.’
Hoping Poppy would take the hint, he joined the queue inside the pub, letting someone go in front of him and lingering inside chatting to the landlord, but she didn’t appear. Luckily, however, as he slipped out the back door to the gents’, Poppy was just coming out of the ladies’. The outside of the pub’s toilet block was hardly the ideal location, but they were alone – for the time being – and he was growing desperate, so he seized his chance.
‘Poppy. I need to talk to you.’
She glanced away from him as if she was searching for an escape route. ‘I was about to go back to the terrace.’
‘I won’t keep you and I know I don’t need to explain what happened at the party, but I want to. What exactly has Minty told you?’
‘She came around to the studio after everyone had gone to the pub while I was locking up. She said she hoped I wouldn’t be too disappointed but she thought she ought to let me know that you were going away for an “unspecified” length of time to Brazil.’
‘Oh shit. I was going to tell you about the trip. I only received the phone call from the agency who arranges my assignments while I was at the party. The photographer who was doing the trip has been taken ill and she can’t go for the foreseeable future. It’s very sad, but I’ve been asked to step in at short notice.’
Poppy blew out a breath. ‘Sounds like very short notice.’
‘I know and I hesitated before agreeing to go but it’s an assignment for an international wildlife organisation who support some fantastic conservation work. We’re going to document the threats to the wildlife and indigenous people in a remote area of the Amazon rainforest. I’m meeting up with local environmentalists and a film crew.’
‘It does sound amazing. I know you’ve always wanted to go to that area and I’d be off like a shot if I were you. Honestly. You really don’t owe me anything and I expected you to leave way before this. You’ve already done far more than I expected, but I just wish …’
‘That I’d told you first?’
‘Yes. I didn’t trust Minty’s version of events, but I knew the basics about you going on the trip must be true. Are you actually leaving on Monday?’
‘Um. It’s Tuesday actually. Minty got that part wrong. I plan on seeing Fen off on Monday and leaving first thing Tuesday morning so I can spend a couple of days with the family before I head out to Brazil. I had to say yes, seeing as I’m available – technically – and it’s important work. At least, I think it is, and the opportunity of a lifetime. I would never have accepted the job under any other circumstances.’
She smiled and his heart broke a little. God, how had he got in so deep so quickly with this woman? He never asked to feel such a connection to her or be so attracted after barely a month. He’d tried not to – but he obviously hadn’t tried very hard.
‘I wanted to get to you before Minty… but I’m afraid to say she came around to the cottage and virtually had me pinned against the kitchen sink, asking if we could get together again now I was here. I was caught on the back foot and blurted out that there was no point because I was leaving in a couple of days.’
‘Oh. Pinned in a corner?’ Poppy raised an eyebrow. ‘Sounds scary.’
‘It was bloody terrifying, actually. I was scoping out whether I could make it out the back door and wondering if I’d left it open.’
‘Wow. If you can’t handle Minty, how will you ever cope with a giant anaconda?’
He smiled, delighted to be laughed at rather than frozen out. ‘We’ll have local guides with us and the trip’s being organised by a professional “fixer” with tons of experience in that region. Mind you, even he might not want to tangle with Minty on a mission.’
Poppy stifled a laugh. Phew, he was getting somewhere at last … then he was hit with a fresh wave of guilt.
‘I hinted to her not to spread the news around. I hoped that I could rely on her discretion long enough to find you and talk to you but it obviously didn’t work out.’
She seemed relieved. ‘I did suspect something like that might have happened. So, how long is the trip?’
‘Six weeks, possibly longer depending on how things go and if we get the shots we need. I haven’t told Mum and Dad or Fen yet, so if you could keep it to yourself until I’ve had chance … I plan to see Mum, Dad and Grandpa for a couple of days, collect my gear from my flat and then it’s straight to Heathrow. We fly out to Rio on Friday morning.’
‘Wow. That is short notice. I used to need at least a month for a weekend in Ibiza.’
He laughed, relieved to see her joking, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. ‘If Minty hadn’t turned up and I hadn’t been stupid enough to tell her my plans, I might have left the news until tomorrow morning because I didn’t want to spoil a great day.’ He softened his voice. ‘Or perhaps the news I’m leaving has made your day?’
‘It’s fine. Now, can we please move away from the toilets and go and have a drink in the sun? I’m gagging for a large glass of wine.’
Jake followed her onto the terrace. She’d seemed to accept his apology, but an air of tension between him and Poppy remained even as the laughter and banter flew around the terrace. He’d thrown out his comment about ‘making her day’ on the spur of the moment. He’d cast out his line, hoping to lure her into admitting that she would miss him – but it had come back empty. He wasn’t even sure whet
her she’d been upset because he was going, or because he’d told Minty first – and not for a moment had she shown any sign of wanting him to stay or asking if he’d be coming back to St Piran’s again after the trip.
Chapter 23
‘So, you’ll be all right while I’m away?’ Fen asked Poppy for the umpteenth time.
It was Monday morning and Fen’s wheeled case waited by the front door next to Leo, who was licking his paws, blissfully unaware that his favourite person was about to leave him in the hands of a cat amateur. ‘It’s only a week, but I know Jake’s leaving first thing tomorrow. Can you manage on your own until I’m back? Are you sure you’re OK with looking after Leo?’ Fen said.
‘I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me or Leo. Enjoy yourself and tell Archie all about the strange woman who’s taken over the studio.’
‘Oh, I’ve already done that.’
Poppy laughed but realised Fen wasn’t joking. ‘Right.’
‘All good. Oh, don’t forget the radishes and lettuces. Take the ones that are ready and use them.’
‘I won’t forget. I promise.’
Fen gave Poppy a quick peck on the cheek and stroked Leo. ‘Bye, matey. Behave for your new friend!’
Poppy watched as Jake met Fen at the end of the path and walked with her to the jetty. She hadn’t seen him the previous day; once she’d surfaced after the party, she’d been way too busy clearing up the studio with her parents and Zoey before it reopened again for business.
They’d spent the Sunday in shifts helping her before they’d caught the helicopter service to Penzance to start their long journey back to the Midlands. Poppy had collapsed in a heap in the evening. She’d been so occupied with the launch and her family that she’d had little time to dwell on Jake’s bombshell about leaving so soon, but now she was suddenly alone, the silence and isolation hit her all at once.
What Poppy hadn’t told Fen was that when she’d awoken in the small hours, she’d googled the area Jake was travelling to … Big mistake. Huge. Yes, there were giant anacondas, magnificent jaguars and indigenous people whose way of life was being threatened with extinction by loggers and mining companies. Their stories needed to be told and shown to the world. But her surfing had also revealed that the area was infested with drugs gangs, river pirates and ‘organ harvesters’ – who had absolutely nothing to do with farming.
‘Even if he does get eaten by an anaconda, there’s nothing I can do about it,’ she told Leo who’d taken up position on Fen’s favourite cushion as if he knew he had the run of the place now.
‘It’s none of my business anyway,’ she said, refilling Leo’s bowl with fresh water. ‘Jake didn’t even mention whether he was coming back to the island after his trip. My business is to build on the momentum of the launch day and firm up the arrangements for the art workshops.’
Leo narrowed his eyes, clearly unimpressed by her pitch.
‘I’ll just check there’s enough hare and badger to last the week,’ she told Leo and received a tail twitch in response. ‘I wonder if you’d notice if I fed you weasel and oxtail instead?’
She was deep in the back of the pantry when she heard the door open and Jake calling.
‘Poppy? Are you still here?’
She put on a cheery smile and carried the tins into the kitchen. ‘I’m still here, just taking care of Leo’s menu planning. You see.’ She held up the tins. ‘What do you think for his supper tonight? Quail and haddock or woodcock and lobster?’
Jake laughed. ‘Both are far too good for Leo, but if pushed, I fancy the quail.’ He shot a glance at the cat who yawned in response. ‘I thought I’d come and see if there’s anything you need while Fen’s away,’ he said.
She held up a tin of food and a pack of Dreamies. ‘I think there’s enough food in there to last a month, if not a year.’
‘I meant you personally, not Leo.’ He gave the cat a head shake. ‘Leo is taken care of better than any human on these islands.’
Poppy smiled, even though she had a sudden end-of-an-era feeling. She’d known Jake for barely a month, but it had been the most dramatic month of her life.
‘Fen got off OK then?’ she said.
‘Yes. She’s looking forward to seeing Archie, but I think she’s apprehensive of what she might find. When I spoke to my mum last night, she said he’s definitely doing better physically and in himself so that’s a good sign.’
‘It’ll be nice for you to see your family before you go.’
‘Yes. Mum’s looking forward to it. I plan on a day with my parents and Grandpa, then I’m off to London to meet the rest of the crew. There’s a film maker and journalist coming too and we meet the local fixer in a small town once we’re in Brazil.’
She left the cat food and treats on the worktop, aware that she and Jake were ignoring the elephant in the room: would he ever be back?
‘Do you want a drink at the pub before I leave?’ he asked.
She thanked her stars she’d already had an answer prepared to any offer like this. Weaning herself off her dependency on Jake had to start right now.
‘Um … I can’t. I’ve arranged to go out with Kelly. We’re getting the boat over to St Saviour’s. There’s a Mexican night at the hotel and a bunch of people from the Flower Farm are meeting us.’
He nodded. ‘Oh. Right. OK. Sounds like fun.’
‘Hope so. If I can avoid the fancy dress part of it.’
‘Pity. I’d have liked to see you in a sombrero.’
She grimaced. ‘I think Kelly might be handing them out when we get there, along with maracas.’
He made a maraca shaking gesture. ‘Sorry.’
The atmosphere was excruciating. It was obvious they both wanted to get the hell out of one another’s company, each for their own reasons. Poppy was in agony. Was he expecting her to invite him? He seemed disappointed and she was glad of that but also felt awful for hurting him – had she hurt him? If so, she regretted it but she was being cruel to be kind to herself. She couldn’t bear to spend a last night with him. She didn’t trust her emotions She might get a bit too merry and say something she didn’t mean. Like ‘So, when are you coming back?’ or even ‘Don’t go.’ Either would be a total disaster, so it was way better to keep out of harm’s way.
‘I’d better open up the studio,’ she said.
‘Sure. I need to be online and on the phone most of the day.’
‘OK. See you later maybe.’ Just leave now.
‘I’ll pop round in the morning before I catch the boat to St Mary’s.’
‘Great,’ said Poppy.
Jake left. Leo started to pummel Fen’s best cushion with his claws. Poppy thought about shooing him off it and removing the cushion for its own safety but decided the cat needed some consolation for being left in the care of an incompetent female human. She could always buy Fen a new cushion as a thank you for all her help over the past few weeks.
She was fine. Really fine. She went back to the studio and set up her board. Customers drifted in and out, and she tried to keep her mind on them, but in the quiet moments, her thoughts would keep returning to Jake. No matter how prepared she’d been for him leaving, and annoyed by his comments after their kiss, she’d still hoped he might stay for a little while longer – or at least say he was coming back.
Wearing a sombrero and shaking her maracas hadn’t seemed so bad after several shots of tequila. Poppy vaguely recalled singing along to a mariachi band as she fell asleep in the studio that night. She woke up the next morning with a dry throat and a slightly fuzzy head but no regrets at having told anyone how much she cared about them, apart from a slightly shaky call to her mum and a late-night text to Zoey, who’d replied ‘Are you on Prosecco or gin? Love u 2. Call you tomorrow.’
She didn’t even know if Jake would keep his promise to call in to say goodbye, or not, after she’d knocked him back.
As the morning passed and the time for the ferry approached, the cloud of gloom descended once again.
>
‘Hello.’ Jake’s voice at the entrance to the studio snapped her out of her thoughts. Framed against the morning sunlight through the studio window, he looked so darkly sexy, she could believe every tale about him being descended from Spanish pirates. He was wearing dark jeans and a pale green T-shirt, and his chin bore a shadow of a few days’ stubble.
The fizzy feeling in her stomach, arms and head left her in no doubt she fancied him to bits, and more … She cared for him; she might possibly be a little bit in love.
Her heart sank. Who was she kidding? More than a ‘little’ and there was no ‘might’ about it. If she could just get through the next couple of minutes without letting him suspect how she felt, she’d be safe.
‘Hi there. You travel light,’ she said, noting he didn’t have any bags with him.
He smiled. ‘I left my backpack outside. Don’t want to cause any breakages.’
‘Good idea because I’d have to charge you,’ she said, pointing to the humorously worded sign asking shoppers to be careful in the gallery.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re settling into this really well.’
‘Yes.’ They both smiled, but she felt as fragile and transparent as one of Kay Baverstock’s glass bowls.
Leo ambled through the open door towards them.
‘Watch out for your shoes,’ he said, aiming a laser look at the cat.
‘Ah, but Leo doesn’t see me as a predator.’ Poppy smiled, but inside she half-wished he’d never stayed to help her in the first place. It would have made it easier to see him leave now.
He turned his attention back to Poppy. ‘Did you have a good time last night?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Can’t you tell?’ she pointed at the dark circles under her eyes.
‘Glad it was fun.’
‘It was.’ The pause lengthened.
Poppy picked up a pile of postcards from the desk. She had to do something with her hands. Jake shoved his in his combat pants.
Summer on the Little Cornish Isles Page 20