I realise I’ve left it in the café at the same time that I spy the barista striding towards us with it clutched in his hand.
‘Sorry! Thank you!’
‘No worries,’ he replies, handing it over and shielding his eyes from the sun.
‘How’s your co-worker’s hand?’ I ask, wishing I hadn’t been quite so quick to strip down to next to nothing. I’m in a lilac bikini, but still.
‘She’ll live.’
‘Hi,’ Rach calls over.
I whip round and pin her with a look of warning.
‘I’m Rach,’ she says, avoiding eye contact with me as she leans back on her hands. ‘I’ve been admiring your artistry.’
‘Oh, thanks,’ he replies.
‘Are you an artist in your spare time?’ she asks.
He chuckles and scratches the sandy-blond stubble on his jaw. ‘Er, no. Not much of one, anyway, as Liv can probably confirm.’
‘How do you know my name?’ I ask with surprise.
His tanned face takes on a pink hue as he replies, ‘I might’ve asked around.’
Rach looks as though she’s about to spontaneously combust.
‘I’m Brendan,’ he introduces himself.
‘Hi,’ I reply shyly.
‘Are you up to anything later?’ Rach interrupts.
Rach! WTF?
‘No,’ he replies, glancing at me.
‘We’re having a surprise birthday party for a friend. The more the merrier – bring a mate if you like.’
‘Oh. Okay, cool.’ He’s taken aback, but not unpleasantly surprised.
‘Liv will text you the details,’ she adds, lying flat out and turning her sunglasses-clad face up to the sun.
I laugh under my breath at her tactics and get my phone out of the zipped pocket inside my beach bag. ‘What’s your number?’
I’m too amused by my friend’s brazenness to give her much stick, but later that day, my stomach is writhing with nervesas we pull into the Chapel Porth car park. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything close to a date and I’m not even sure if that’s what this is.
‘Relax,’ Rach says firmly, yanking my hand away from my face.
‘I can’t!’
I really want to bite my nails.
‘You need this,’ she states.
‘Do I?’ I ask uncertainly, fighting the urge to fidget.
‘Yes, you do.’
