‘Off to the rescue?’ she asked.
‘Yep,’ he replied, rolling his eyes in good humour. Of all the times for Bunty to call, just when he’d been about to spill all to Jasmine.
‘A real knight in shining armour, aren’t you?’ she teased, then frowned at seeing Robin’s face fall.
Those were the very words Ellie had uttered, and some part of him worried that perhaps there was some truth in her snide comments – did Jasmine only care for him as a ‘knight in shining armour’?
‘Robin?’
He shook his head.
‘Sorry, I’d better go.’ He paused. There was so much he wanted – needed – to say, but now was not the time. ‘Jasmine, can we talk? I meanreallytalk?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, definitely.’
‘Good. How about dinner tomorrow?’
‘Yes,’ she repeated, then gulped. They both knew what was going on. They had reached an impasse, and it was time to address how they really felt about each other. ‘It’s my turn to cook,’ said Jasmine.
‘No, I’ve an idea,’ Robin replied, suddenly feeling inspired. ‘Leave everything to me. I’ll be here about six.’
‘OK…’
‘And don’t dress up, keep it casual,’ he smiled.
‘Why? What have you got planned?’ she asked.
‘You’ll see. Bye!’ he called over his shoulder.
Jasmine watched Robin go. Rushing off to the rescue again, she thought. What a truly wonderful man he was. It reminded her of how fortunate she’d been in having such a next-door neighbour. How much easier Robin had made the whole renovating process for her. Yes, she had indeed been lucky.
She looked out of the studio window onto the bay and longed to go for a swim, to help ease the tension that had steadily built momentum since… well, since seeing Robin and Ellie kiss, or, according to him, Ellie forcing herself upon him. Did she believe him?
Yes, Jasmine conceded, she did. Why would he lie? Robin had made it pretty clear he no longer felt anything towards his ex-girlfriend apart from resentment, as Jack’s comments had verified. But where did all this leave her?
Jasmine sighed and looked out to sea, as if the clear blue water held all the answers. It did help alleviate some of the troubles on her mind and had a calming effect on her. So much so, she eventually managed to untangle all the mixed-up emotions bubbling up inside her. Like it or not, she was attracted to Robin. And all this pent up stirring inside was in fact jealousy. She had to be honest with herself and accept that she’d developed real feelings for him. She hadn’t moved to Samphire Bay intending to meet someone, but she had – the boy next door. She shook her head and laughed, of all the cliches!
A trace of guilt edged across her conscience. Jasmine honestly believed she would never find anyone, ever, to match Tom. And, in a way, that was still true. Robin didn’tmatchTom; he was an individual in his own right. He wasRobin, every bit as decent a man. Paradoxically she knew Tom and Robin would have been mates had they met.
Jasmine looked down towards her hand, conscious of holding the charm around her neck. She slowly unclasped her fingers from the gold heart. It was time to let go and follow her gut instincts again.
Robin heard the old boiler rumble and sing like a kettle and immediately presumed it was to do with the heat exchange. He had been proved right when examining the deposit build up, clogging the flow of water. He’d cleared the pipes and bled the system to get the radiators working at full capacity again, but he didn’t hold out much hope for it long term. When saying as much to Bunty, she groaned.
‘I thought so. It’s as old as the hills,’ she said.
‘I think it may even be the original. To be honest, it’s done well to last as long as it has,’ Robin told her.
‘Yes I know, but all good things come to an end, eh Robin?’ Bunty sounded rather melancholy.
Robin, misunderstanding her, replied, ‘Don’t worry about the cost Bunty, me and Jack will fit it for free.’
This earnt him a harsh look.
‘Indeed you will not, Robin Spencer. You’ll get paid just like any other job.’
‘Oh, I thought you were concerned about the expense—’
‘No, no.’ She waved her hand dismissing his remark. ‘It’s just… another thing that’s made my mind up, the maintenance of this place.’
