‘Oh, ye of little faith.’ He was really grinning now. ‘I slipped my wallet and phone in my pocket. Called a taxi on the way here, too, so we’ll find one waiting for us about five minutes back along the road. He’ll take us wherever we want.’ Griff waggled his eyebrows. ‘We could even check into a hotel for a few hours?’
‘He says hopefully.’ Lyndsey grimaced at her own crumpled clothes, then shook her head at his faded gray sweats and old red T-shirt. ‘Looking like this?’
‘A takeaway coffee will do me. Just give me — us — this well-deserved slice of time. Please?’
‘I can’t resist a man who begs. We’ll go to The Sailor’s Rest in Port Glyn. It’s a no-frills sort of place, and they cook an awesome breakfast. It’s too early in the day for many visitors to be around, so it’ll be full of locals.’
‘Sounds good. You might need to act as my interpreter, though, if anyone decides to chat with the strange Yank.’
His warning made her laugh. She’d been forced to intervene and explain a few Cornish expressions already. Over the years, hers and Becca’s accents had smoothed out, but her parents remained staunchly Cornish. Their broad accents and uniquely local turns of phrase had defeated Griff on more than one occasion.
‘I expect I can manage that. Let’s get our cholesterol fix for the day.’ She took a deep breath. ‘There’s more we need to discuss, but our chaperones might allow us out on a date tonight if we’re extremely lucky.’
Lyndsey didn’t intend to talk about their future and what it might involve over their bacon and eggs.
* * *
Griff clambered off the boat and his knees buckled. He bent low and clasped them with his hands while sucking in several deep breaths to stave off another wave of nausea. He’d never been more relieved to place his feet on dry land.
‘We’ll make a fisherman of you yet, boy.’ Paul beamed at Theo, who’d leapt off first and was proudly holding up a string of nine mackerel. ‘Not so sure about your poor mate, here.’ He threw a rueful nod in Griff’s direction. ‘He hasn’t the stomach for it.’
As soon as the small boat chugged out of the sheltered harbor and started bouncing over the choppy waves, he’d been toast. The big greasy breakfast he’d enjoyed with Lyndsey, and Maureen’s delicious pasty from lunchtime, were soon history. He’d spent the rest of the seemingly endless trip either hanging over the side of the rocking boat or clinging onto his seat desperately trying not to be sick again. The amazing thing was that Theo, not the most outdoorsy sort usually, took to it like the proverbial duck to water. Or in this case, one of the ever-present squawking seagulls. Theo’s shaggy dark brown hair was salt-stained and tousled, and he’d caught the sun, but Griff had never seen him look happier.
‘Can we go out again tomorrow?’ Theo begged.
‘Course we can, boy, but we’ll leave this chap home.’ Paul clapped a hand on Griff’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry. Lyndsey will dole out the sympathy in a minute. That girl can do most anything except go to sea.’ His warm rumbling laughter broke out. ‘I took both girls out once and Lyndsey were like you — heavin’ all the time and pleading to go home. Becca weren’t much more than about five, I s’ppose, but she were like Theo and loved every minute. That was one more thing to set them against each other, ’cause Becca was a little minx and teased her sister to death over it.’
‘Siblings can be a blessing and a curse,’ Griff mused.
‘You’ve got one brother, Lyndsey said?’
‘Yeah. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re pretty close now.’ One day he’d share the full story with Paul. ‘Should we head on home? I’m supposed to be taking Lyndsey out tonight.’ Right now, the thought of eating, or doing anything beyond collapsing on his bed, struck him as ludicrous.
‘You’ll be all right. A hot shower and a bit of a sleep and you’ll be right as rain.’ The reassurance came with a wink. ‘Lyndsey will nurse you up.’
Back at the car, Griff fell gratefully into the front passenger seat and immediately opened his window. With any luck, the fresh air would mitigate the nauseating smell of fish filling the car, thanks to Theo’s prized haul. The twenty-minute drive back to St Lanow felt like two hours.
‘Hail the conquering heroes.’ Lyndsey breezed out to meet them, fresh and sparkling in a poppy-red sundress. Becca followed close behind, with her mother who was proudly carrying Nora. ‘Oh dear.’ She grimaced at him. ‘You won’t be throwing in your stained-glass art work to become a Cornish fisherman, then?’
He made a huge mistake and shook his head. Everything kept on moving even after he tried his best to stand still. Griff pushed Lyndsey aside and barely made it to the closest unfortunate hydrangea in time to unload the last few dregs from his stomach.
‘I know they say it’s good to have interests in common when you fall in love with someone, but this is a bit extreme.’ Becca collapsed in fits of laughter.
‘Let’s get you inside so you can have a lie-down.’ Lyndsey gently steered him towards the house.
‘I need to shower.’
‘Mmm, I won’t argue with that.’ She playfully wrinkled her nose. ‘You go up first, so I can steady you if you get wobbly.’
The short flight of stairs might’ve been Mount Everest where Griff was concerned, but he finally heaved himself up over the last step.
‘Why don’t you get your clean clothes from the bedroom, then I’ll hang around outside the bathroom while you’re showering, in case you feel woozy?’
‘You just want to sneak a peek at my bare ass.’ Griff’s half-hearted complaint made her grin. He even managed a fleeting smile himself. Maybe he’d live after all.
‘You have a problem with that?’ Lyndsey gave his rear end a sharp tap.
The rest of the family were moving about downstairs and he was swamped with fleeting regret that he wasn’t well enough to sneak a kiss.
