Molly harrumphed and Jude buried his face in his hands to stifle his snorts. My stomach had dropped to somewhere near my knees and I looked to Jude for help.
‘In their defence,’ said Jude, clearing his throat, ‘Theo was in the kitchen a moment ago, so I don’t think—’
‘Save your excuses for Kate. All of you,’ Molly’s voice trembled as she wheeled her bike around to face in the direction she’d just come from and put her foot on the pedal. ‘I’ve heard them all before.’
‘I wasn’t lying when I said there was nothing going on between Theo and me, honestly,’ I said, leaning my head as far as I could out of the window in one last-ditch attempt to rescue the situation. ‘Come on, we’re friends, aren’t we?’
Theo, the idiot, squeezed in next to me so that we were shoulder to shoulder, which didn’t help one bit.
Molly looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and shook her head. ‘You are a terrible actress, Nina, and an even more terrible friend. I am so disappointed in you.’
I felt like crying too as I watched her cycle off. She couldn’t have said anything more hurtful. It was all so unfortunate and unfair.
Beside me Theo swore under his breath.
‘Molly wouldn’t tell Kate, would she?’ he muttered.
I sucked in breath and lifted my shoulders. ‘She thinks all men are knobs and you’ve just proved her right.’
‘But I didn’t do anything!’ he protested.
There was a coughing noise outside and we both looked out of the window.
‘Sorry to butt in,’ called Jude, attempting to hide his mirth, ‘but have you got any jump leads I can borrow?’
Ten minutes later, Theo had gone out to help Jude and I was dressed and downstairs in the kitchen with a new mug of tea, wondering what on earth we were going to do about Molly. Mittens, who was growing bigger and bolder by the day, was playing a game of chase with a champagne cork on the kitchen floor while I was checking on the sausages that Theo had shoved into the Aga for breakfast when the phone rang. I went through to the hall to pick it up but the answerphone beat me to it.
Good morning, dear heart. This is Maxine Pearce, I’ve decided to take you up on your offer and book into one of your cottages for a week while the place is still a backwater with no phone calls to distract me. Any of them will do. The dates are …
My heart pinged with excitement. I reached for the phone to interrupt her message and speak to her myself but the kitten distracted me with a meow. He had followed me into the hall and was now eyeing up the big wide world through the open front door. Theo’s engine revved into life. I left the phone and I ran to scoop up his little furry body and shut the door before he met a sticky end under the van’s wheels. Maxine was still talking: Not a holiday strictly speaking; I’ve a pile of scripts to read as tall as the Shard and I can’t hear myself think around here. And thinking is something I really need to do. Bye, bye, bye.
I tried to grab the phone before she rang off but I was too late; the line was dead. But no sooner had I replaced it in its cradle than the phone rang again. I smiled to myself as I lifted it to my ear, thinking that Maxine had forgotten to tell me some detail or other.
‘Brightside Holidays,’ I said playfully. ‘Lady of the house speaking.’
There was a beat of silence.
‘This is Kate Fletcher,’ said a low voice, humming with anger.
The blood rushed from my head to my feet; bad news certainly travelled fast.
‘Kate! I’m so sorry, I was expecting someone else. That was just a joke.’ I was hugely thankful that this wasn’t a video call; my face was burning. ‘A bad joke.’
‘A joke,’ she said flatly. ‘Not unlike my marriage.’
‘Don’t say that,’ I pleaded. ‘When you’ve seen how much we’ve – Theo – has done—’
‘So I’ve seen. The Coastal Cottages website has made it very clear just what the two of you have been up to.’
‘Does it look good? I tried to make the cottages look cosy.’
‘Oh, you look cosy all right. You and Theo look very cosy in your profile picture. Mr and Mrs Fletcher.’ Her voice had gone scarily loud.
‘What profile picture?’ I repeated.
She gave a hollow laugh. ‘Every holiday property on the website has a write-up about the owners. And a photograph. Brightside Holidays has a picture of you and Theo looking every inch the welcoming hosts.’
My heart rate suddenly trebled and I had a flashback to the moment Nigel had taken a picture of us. I had no idea that was what it had been for.
‘Kate, I—’
‘Put my husband on the line.’
At that moment the front door opened and eleven slightly bedraggled women filed in in search of food.
‘Need Diet Coke,’ demanded a green-faced Ruby.
I put Mittens into Sapphire’s hands, pointed Catherine in the direction of the sausages and the soft drinks and ran outside to find Theo.
‘Kate’s on the phone for you,’ I said, feeling as sick as Ruby looked. ‘I don’t think she’s very happy.’
When he staggered back outside a few minutes later he looked like he’d gone ten rounds with a boxer and lost.
‘What did she say?’ I said, jumping out of Jude’s van, where I’d been trying the key in the ignition for him.
‘She wants a divorce,’ he said in a dull voice. ‘Seeing you and me together on the Coastal Cottages website was the final straw.’
Jude rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not knowing where to put himself.
‘No way,’ I said grimly. ‘Not on my watch. Not after all this.’
‘Afraid so.’ Theo raked a hand through his hair wearily. ‘She’s convinced we’re having an affair and that’s even before Molly gets to her. It’s my fault for not confessing that you were here.’
‘Let me talk to her. She’s got it all wrong.’ I stepped towards the house but Theo barred my way and caught hold of my hand.
Jude got into his van discreetly out of earshot.
‘Maybe a divorce is the right thing,’ he swallowed. ‘Maybe it is time to go our separate ways.’
‘Don’t give up now!’ I cried. ‘When I first arrived here you were desperate to win her back. What’s happened to change that?’
‘Me. I’ve changed.’ He blew out a breath, glanced at Jude and lowered his voice. ‘Nina, what I was trying to say last night—’
‘No!’ I clapped my hands over my ears. ‘Stop.’
All that talk last night about plenty more fish in the sea and then asking me to stay in Devon … I had an awful feeling that his next words would be ones I didn’t want to hear. Over the last few days he’d been making little comments, standing too close, touching me … That was not what I wanted, it was not why I was here, and deep down I couldn’t believe it was what he wanted either.
Suddenly it was all too much for me and tears sprang to my eyes. Molly had accused me of being a terrible actress and a terrible friend. It seemed as if Theo was ready to call time on his marriage and Kate was asking to do the same. Instead of getting them back together I’d driven a wedge between them. I’d failed. I’d failed at everything and it was all my fault.
At that moment Jude’s engine roared to life and he jumped out and dropped the bonnet ready to go.
‘Thanks, mate,’ he shouted to Theo, raising a hand.
‘Jude, hold on,’ I cried, flinging open the passenger door. ‘Please can I have a lift?’
Theo grabbed hold of the door to stop me shutting it. ‘Don’t go, I need you.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, peeling his fingers from the door. ‘I can’t be here right now.’
‘Sure.’ Jude put the van into reverse. ‘Where are you heading?’
I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat as the van bumped down the drive, putting more and more distance between Driftwood Lodge and me, the figure of Theo getting smaller and smaller in the wing mirror.
You are a terrible actress and an even mo
re terrible friend. My life was a mess.
‘For once in my life,’ I said with a sob, ‘I have no idea what to do next.’
PART THREE
The Frenemies
Chapter 21
Jude steered his blue Deliciously Devon van away from the coast road and headed inland. Getting home to let Mabel out was his priority, so presumably that was his destination. Right now, I didn’t mind where I went; my priority was putting some space between me and Theo. Other than answering Jude’s queries about whether I was warm enough, I hadn’t said much.
I glanced now and then at his profile, catching a flash of his hazel eyes, watching as he drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. We made eye contact once or twice and although he smiled at me we were content to lose ourselves in our own thoughts.
My thoughts weren’t comfortable ones.
What a fiasco. This was on a par with my storyline leak to Entertainer’s News. All I’d tried to do was help Theo launch Brightside Holidays in preparation for Kate’s return. And now she was demanding a divorce and he was just accepting it. On top of that he seemed to have developed feelings for me.
Not quite the happy ending for them I’d hoped for, to say the least.
I felt awful about it. I’d been a thorn in their side ever since their wedding day when I’d rashly declared my feelings for Theo. But that had been a silly crush; having grown up without a male role model, when Theo had come along as a friend of Archie’s, so sensible and kind, I’d fallen head over heels. He’d done nothing to encourage me other than listen to me pour out my dreams of becoming an actress.
Since coming to Devon three weeks ago, he and I had become good friends and I’d done the same for him: listened to him talk about Ivy and Kate and his simple faded dreams of being a family.
I kept going over and over it in my head. Had I led him on in some way? But other than do my utmost to make a success of the holiday cottage business to help him get back into his wife’s good books, I truly didn’t think I had. And deep down I didn’t really believe Theo wanted another woman other than Kate. He’d said something to Archie on my very first day in Brightside Cove about his libido … this soldier hasn’t been in active service for months, or something. Perhaps Theo’s soldier was simply ready for action again and I was a convenient target … I shuddered. No need to go any further with that image.
Why couldn’t Kate have read all the joyful emails from Theo, bursting with good news about the business he was building for the two of them, instead of looking at the Coastal Cottages website and spotting the photo of the two of us? But it was a misunderstanding and like all good romances, there was still hope, still a chance that everything would work out in the end. Maybe I could help, email her perhaps, set the record straight? No that was no good; she’d probably delete it without reading …
The van swerved to the right and I shook myself out of my reverie. Jude had pulled into a layby. Had I asked him to drop me off? I’d been in such a daze since leaving Driftwood Lodge that I might have said anything.
‘So,’ he turned off the engine, ‘can I tempt you?’
That woke me up.
He’d taken off his jacket and his white shirt strained pleasingly across his broad chest. He’d pushed up his sleeves and my eye was drawn to the taut muscles in his forearms and a smear of engine oil on his tanned skin.
He really was very attractive.
After an extremely dry period on the man front in London, Devon was turning out to be incredibly good for my ego; last week, Danny had offered to go Dutch on a plate of mussels, this morning Theo had caught me naked and pronounced me to be ‘ravishing’ and now this. Third time lucky. Of the three, Jude was definitely the most appealing.
Could he tempt me?
Yes, I thought, conscious of a sudden pull in my stomach. Yes, he could.
I’d taken so long to reply that Jude started to laugh. That rich warm laugh that had caught my attention the first time I’d heard it.
‘It’s just breakfast.’ He nodded ahead of us. There was a mobile café parked at the far end of the layby. ‘I thought we could grab something to eat now before I pick up Mabel. Plus, there’s nothing in at home.’
Just breakfast. Of course it was. This was a man who’d been up partying with eleven gorgeous women all night. What was I thinking? I almost laughed out loud. Breakfast sounded great. Not as great as whatever I thought had just been about to happen, but still great.
I was starving and a chalk board propped up outside was advertising bacon and brie melts. I reached down towards my feet for my purse in my handbag but it wasn’t there. I’d left Driftwood Lodge with just the clothes I stood up in: no phone or money, nothing.
‘Oh, not for me, thanks,’ I said, doing a ‘I couldn’t possibly eat a thing’ face.
My stomach gave a loud rumble.
He grinned. ‘My treat.’
He hopped out of the van with my order and came back a few minutes later with coffees, my bacon and brie and a sausage sandwich for himself.
‘To make up for the one Theo promised me after I helped get breakfast ready for the ladies,’ said Jude, squeezing two sachets of ketchup under the bread.
‘You helped?’
‘Yep. In exchange for kipping on his sofa last night.’
I was confused. ‘But I thought I saw …’
‘You thought I’d come from the guest cottages this morning, didn’t you?’ He grinned and took a big bite of his sandwich. ‘I’d only popped back to fetch my jacket.’
‘Oh, I’m so glad!’ The words blurted out of me before I could stop them. ‘I mean, I thought … I was worried.’
‘Worried?’ He looked amused.
‘You know, impropriety. With guests.’
Sort of. I felt my face heat up and bit into my breakfast to hide my expression.
He hadn’t spent the night with anyone. What a relief. I didn’t want him to be a man who took advantage of women who’d had too much to drink because … because I just didn’t. Was he single? I wondered. Eliza had said that he didn’t give his heart away easily, so I’d assumed he was. But what about Angie, was she a business partner like Jude said, or the other sort of partner?
He grimaced. ‘It was me you should have been worried about. Ruby is wild. She was very keen to play strip poker. That’s how I lost my jacket. Even the game of truth or dare got a bit close to the bone at times.’ He shuddered. ‘I was grateful to get out with my trousers on. I managed to escape the party just after three but then the van wouldn’t start. It’s Angie’s van and it has always been temperamental. I gave up in the end because it was making such a noise right under your bedroom window. Luckily Theo heard me and offered me his sofa for the night.’
‘Good.’ I had a big silly grin on my face. ‘That’s all right then.’
A blob of ketchup landed on his chin and I reached across and wiped it away with my fingertip.
‘You should use your mirror more often,’ I said cheekily. ‘That was the first thing you ever said to me.’
I held up my finger to show him the sauce.
He took hold of my hand and sucked the ketchup from the tip of my finger. I bit back a gasp at the intimacy of the gesture.
Single. Definitely. Hopefully.
I lowered my sandwich down to the bag on my lap, still looking at him. He did the same and for a second time hovered between us and I could hear my heart thudding with anticipation. And then we kissed.
One exciting fierce kiss. Which came out of nowhere and any thoughts I had about whether he was single or not evaporated into thin air.
It was shocking: the feel of his stubble on my skin, his lips against mine, the smell of him, the taste …
We broke apart, our breathing heavy, and stared at each other. The amber flecks in his eyes looked like fire, his pupils dark and intense.
‘I guess I could say something about using your brakes,’ he said huskily. ‘Like the first words you said to me, but I’m not sure I want to stop.’<
br />
He remembered, my stomach flipped.
‘Nina Penhaligon,’ he murmured, a smile playing on his lips, ‘this is not usually the way I behave on a first breakfast. But I’m glad I did, that was amazing.’
‘Ditto.’ The way he was looking at me heated me up from inside and then something struck me … I hadn’t realized he knew my surname. ‘Please don’t mention this to anyone, will you? I’d rather not be in any more gossip columns for a while.’
‘I’m the soul of discretion.’ He mimed zipping his lips. ‘Eliza said you were an actress but I only know your name because Sapphire told me about you last night,’ he explained. ‘I don’t watch much TV. I’ve never kissed anyone famous before; I feel … honoured.’
Jude looked so bashful that I couldn’t resist teasing him.
‘We learn to kiss like that in drama school,’ I said lightly. ‘All in a day’s work.’
‘Oh.’ He looked deflated. ‘Not for me, it isn’t.’
‘I’m kidding,’ I said with a soft laugh. ‘A screen kiss is more like …’
I leaned across cupping his face in my hands, hardly believing what I was doing. But why not? I could treat this as an experience to add depth to my craft just like Maxine had recommended. How had she put it? Oh yes, feast on life. And Jude was delicious. Deliciously Devon, in fact …
There was a sharp blast on a car horn behind us and we both jumped.
‘Just as we were getting to the good bit,’ Jude murmured.
‘Saved by the horn,’ I agreed.
Jude flashed me a look of amusement. ‘Fancy a walk on the beach?’
After fleeing from Driftwood Lodge, I had nowhere else to be. ‘I’d like that very much.’
He looked pleased. ‘Let’s go and collect Mabel.’
‘Would you mind waiting here? I’ll only be five minutes, I promise,’ Jude said, rubbing a hand through his dark hair. Whatever product he used to tame his hair had worn off now and it was springing up from his forehead in thick waves.
‘I’m timing you,’ I said, turning on the van’s radio.
He laughed and ran up the driveway, disappearing indoors.
A Match Made in Devon Page 22