‘You must’ve been deep in thought,’ I say, after he bends down to give me a kiss.
‘I was,’ he agrees.
‘Anything to tell me?’
‘Actually, yes, there is.’
His expression is serious, but he doesn’t look worried.
We go and sit on the sofa in the upstairs living room. Thedownstairs apartment is currently occupied by a couple of artists.
‘I’ve been to see a doctor,’ he tells me.
My smile slips from my face.
‘It’s okay.’ He reaches out to take my hand.
He hasn’t been to see a doctor in all the time I’ve known him.
‘I’ve decided I want to get diagnosed.’
I squeeze his hand. ‘Why now?’
‘I’m ready,’ he says gently. ‘But also …’ He takes a deep breath. ‘Also … I think it could help us.’
‘How?’
‘When Cara and I got a mortgage, we were urged to take out life insurance policies. I decided to go one further and take out critical illness cover.’
I’m wondering where he’s going with this.
‘If I’m diagnosed, I’ll be due a payout, Liv. A big one. We could potentially buy into Seaglass. If you’d like to.’
My head spins. Buy into Seaglass? Chas has been looking into bringing in an investor. He doesn’t want to step away permanently, but he’s finally accepted that he’snotas young as he feels and could actually be in serious danger of taking himself out if he doesn’t slow down.
So he decided that, rather than sell up entirely, he’d try to see if he could find an investor he’d like to work with.
And I suspect he would love to work with Tom.
Tom is head chef now – Bill left to open his own restaurant in Redruth. I love walking into the kitchen when Tom’s at work, shouting for service and plating up salads like a pro. Just like the bar staff, the kitchen crew move and flow aroundeach other as though they’re water. Service is an art form in itself.
I only work part-time at Seaglass during June, July and August these days, because I need the other nine months of the year to sculpt. I was invited to attend the International Sculpture Symposium in Vietnam back in January, along with thirty other sculptors from around the world. It was such an incredible experience, getting to know other sculptors and watching them in action. We each created our own pieces, which have now been erected in a sculpture park for the public to enjoy. My sculpting career is going from strength to strength, but I still love working at Seaglass with Tom. It’s a perfect combination.
‘What do you think?’ Tom asks. ‘I want it to be something for both of us.’
I nod and climb onto his lap, my eyes filling with tears. ‘I think that I love you. And I would love Seaglass to be ours.’
It already feels like it is anyway.
Three summers from now …
I sit five rows back with Amy, staring at Finn’s head. He’s in the front pew, his grandfather on one side of him and Liam on the other. Tyler is sitting next to Liam.
Finn’s grandmother, Trudy, passed away a couple of weeks ago after a massive stroke.
Tom offered to come with me to the funeral, but he understood when I asked if he’d mind if I went alone. This is the first time I’ve seen Finn in three years.
‘Thank you for coming,’ he says to me after the service.
