‘We might not, well… get on,’ he shrugged. ‘It’s been a long, long time since we’ve seen each other. What if we’ve both changed?’
‘What if you haven’t?’ replied Emma, tilting her head to one side. ‘Just wait and see. You’ve nothing to lose, have you?’
‘No,’ said Perry, seeing the logic in Emma’s words. He then showed her Bunty’s letter.
Emma quickly read it.
‘Oh, you’ve got her number then?’
‘Yep.’ Perry winked, making them both giggle. He pulled out his mobile. ‘So, what should I text her then?’
‘Right, let’s keep it simple, how about, “next Saturday at The Castle Café is good for me. Looking forward to it”? Oh, and finish with a kiss.’
‘Really?’ Perry furrowed his brow.
‘Yes! In fact, give her two, go on, xx,’ Emma said with conviction.
Perry dutifully did as he was told and pressed Send. There, he’d done it. The die was cast.
Chapter 26
Robin surveyed the work he’d done on the floorboards. Not bad, he thought, rubbing his hand along the smooth sanded wood. Now all he had to do was stain and varnish them and the bedroom floors would look newly polished. Then that was it. Job done. The cottage would be fully renovated and ready to go on the market. It wouldn’t take long to sell, he knew that for a fact. Not only was property on Samphire Bay popular and in demand, this particular location on the coastal path was an absolute dream, plus the house had been restored to a very high spec.
When taking all these factors into consideration, Robin couldn’t help but consider buying the property himself. He had already decided long since that Samphire Bay was where he wanted to stay. But was he being practical? It was a three-bedroom property with a large renovated loft space, a huge kitchen diner and reception room. Could he really justify living in such a spacious house? Especially when his flat was more than adequate. Then again, an opportunity to buy a cottage like this, in such a good spot, may never present itself again.
He smirked to himself knowing what Jack would say. He’d accuse him of letting his heart rule his head, again. Jack would remind him of what he’d lost in the past after buying the barn they’d worked on. And, Robin conceded, he would have a point. Was the real reason he considered purchasing the cottage because of the next-door neighbour? Deep down, was it more about living close to Jasmine?
Robin kept replaying Ellie’s scornful words about Jasmine. Had she really been outside The Smugglers? He hated to think of her alone and not joining them.
Not wanting to put it off any longer, he made the decision to go next door and see her.
As he walked down his garden path, he looked over the hedge and saw she was working in the studio. He made his way through her gate and knocked gently on the window. She looked up startled, obviously deep in concentration.
‘Come in!’ she called.
Robin entered with a smile.
‘Am I disturbing you?’ He tipped his head towards her desk which was covered in sketches.
‘Not really. I was due a break,’ she replied, stretching out her arms.
He admired the toned contour of them. Her morning swims clearly kept her in shape.
‘I saw your visitor the other day.’ Jasmine looked directly at Robin, taking him slightly by surprise.
‘Yes, Ellie.’ He sighed. ‘She turned up unexpectedly at The Smugglers, then again-’
‘She was here, snooping about when I returned from Bunty’s,’ cut in Jasmine.
‘What?’ Robin’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘I saw her outside on the path, staring into your cottage, then she actually went into my garden to get a better view,’ she said, still staring at him.
Robin’s mouth opened, then shut in amazement. He couldn’t believe the cheek of Ellie, to have openly trespassed on Jasmine’s property.
‘She flew off when I challenged her,’ she continued.
‘Jasmine, I’m sorry.’ Robin felt he owed her an apology, feeling responsible in some way.
