Bunty blinked, dumbfounded. This was the second time that afternoon she’d been caught off guard.
‘I’ll give them to you,’ Robin spoke softly.
Bunty coughed, still not knowing what to say. There was a pregnant pause.
‘Yes, thank you, Robin,’ she murmured.
‘Right then, I’ll let you get on.’ Robin tried to sound as assertive as possible. Bunty didn’t respond, just silently nodded.
Chapter 14
The glorious, warm weather rolled on well after the Tea by the Sea event and into mid-August. Jasmine had made the most of it and had taken to early morning swims in the sea. She loved watching the sunrise, giving a rose gold glow over the waves, finding it rejuvenating and lending her a sense of optimism.
Gradually, day by day, Jasmine was beginning to feel a little more like her usual self. Buying and renovating the cottage had clearly been the right decision, not only giving her purpose, but she loved being part of Samphire Bay; it was helping her to heal. The coastal village was a beautiful setting and she now considered it home, a place to lay down new roots.
The cottage was slowly taking shape. At last she was sleeping in a double bed, which was a blessed luxury after weeks of roughing it on a camp bed. Sam had helped her assemble it and also given her a hand stripping the wallpaper in her bedroom and redecorating it. After a new carpet and Roman blind had been fitted, the room was completely transformed. No longer a dark, damp place, but a light and airy one, the duck egg blue walls providing a fresh, calming feel.
Now, as she woke to see daylight, Jasmine stretched her limbs ready for a morning dip. She climbed out of bed and moved to the window to pull up the blind. It was promising to be another balmy day. She looked out onto the back lawn. All the grass looked yellow and singed from the heat, and Jasmine didn’t fancy working in that all day again. She’d previously sat outside with the laptop in the garden but was now tiring of it, thinking it would be ideal to have a separate workspace. The idea of a studio came back into her mind and, instead of heading to the beach for her morning swim, she decided to make a start on her new studio project. The rest of the house could wait. What she really needed next was a proper, designated space to work.
As the garden sloped down, it would need to be levelled for the studio to sit on. She’d have to hire a professional with a digger. Searching the internet, she rang the number of a local business and, after explaining what she needed doing to her garden, the man on the phone seemed keen to help.
‘No problem, I’ve a Bobcat that can soon sort that out,’ he’d said.
‘Great! When can you come?’
‘Early next week?’
‘That’s fine,’ she replied.
‘If you just give me your details, I’ll write them down.’
‘I’m Jasmine Boyd and I live—’ she stopped at hearing a sharp intake of breath. There was a short silence. ‘Hello?’ she continued.
‘Sorry, I can’t do it,’ said the man tersely.
‘But you just said—’
‘Sorry.’ Down went the phone.
What was all that about? frowned Jasmine. She made a note of the business, A.R. Hall Services Ltd, clearly one to avoid. Shaking her head she looked down the list. After several attempts she gave up. They were either too busy or too far away. Feeling despondent, she decided to go for that morning dip after all.
Robin had made an early start that morning. He and Jack had decided to knock through their kitchen wall into the adjacent room, making it a large kitchen diner, and today his task was to install a wood burning stove into it. From the kitchen window, he watched Jasmine as she left through the back garden gate, onto the footpath that led down to the beach. She was carrying a small rucksack. He knew she would be going for a swim, as she had told him it had become a morning ritual. He was so tempted to join her. He could just do to sink his aching limbs into the crystal clear shore. The sea water would be good for his bones, or so his mother always told him. Looking at the cast iron stove before him, he made an impromptu decision. He was leaving it. He’d fit it in the afternoon when Jack was there. The bright, warm sunshine and the glittering waves beckoned him. That and Jasmine. He’d swim in his boxer shorts, then go back home and change afterwards. Grabbing a towel from the downstairs loo, he headed off for the beach.
He could see Jasmine climbing down the dunes and soon caught her up.
‘Hey, Jasmine!’ He waved when she quickly turned.
‘Robin, hi!’ she called back.
He ran the small distance between them and climbed down.
‘Thought I’d join you, if you don’t mind?’ he asked, shielding the sun from his eyes.
‘Course not.’ Then she looked him up and down before giving a cheeky grin, ‘Not about to go skinny dipping though, are you?’
‘Nah, I’m wearing a very respectable pair of boxers,’ he laughed. He couldn’t help but admire her body in the black tankini she wore. The morning swims had obviously toned her muscles and her skin had gained an overall honey glow; she looked amazing.
As they reached the shore, Robin quickly whipped off his trainers, T-shirt and jeans. Now it was Jasmine’s turn to appreciate the sight before her. Trying to stay focused on the swim, she was unable to ignore Robin’s firm thighs and broad shoulders, the dark shadow of hair on his chest, his taut stomach. A tingle shivered through her – and it wasn’t due to the cold water.
