‘Come on then. Let’s have a ride in your truck, it’ll make me the envy of every girl in Port Agnes.’ She grinned again, the flirting coming far more easily than she’d ever thought it would. She’d been worried she might have forgotten how, after so long, but the look on Tristan’s face suggested she was doing something right. Maybe it was because she’d recently gone back to the same shade of blonde hair she’d last had in her early twenties, when everything had felt more carefree. Whatever the reason, she was glad.
‘It’s me who’ll be the envy of everyone, but we’d better go now before I do something really stupid like kiss you.’
They were in the kitchen of the farmhouse, and she wanted to say that it wouldn’t be stupid, because she wanted him to kiss her. He was right though, anyone could walk in, and having their first kiss witnessed by one of the boys, who’d no doubt react with revulsion, wasn’t the way she wanted it to go. But she did want him to kiss her.
‘Come on then, let’s go to the beach.’ She linked her arm through his and they headed outside, rounding up all four of the dogs on the way to the truck, because there was no way they could leave Betty and Marge behind, and just take Casper and Merlin. Less than ten minutes later they were down on the sand, at the end of the beach that was open to dogs all year round. The dogs might have had the freedom of living on a farm, but all four of them were making the most of a different environment, chasing one another across the sand and leaping into the rockpools left by the receding tide.
‘It’s a good job you can put them all in the back of the truck, there’s going to be serious wet dog aroma after this.’ Briony was smiling again, loving how much Merlin was enjoying being with the other dogs.He’s going to miss this if we leave.As the thought crossed her mind, she caught her breath, because she was going to miss all of this too, if the time came for them to leave. She didn’t want to go, not ever, but it might not be up to her. She just had to take things a day at a time, even if she knew for sure now that Port Agnes was where her heart would always be. Everything was going so well and all she could do was hope that nothing would happen to change that.
‘Can we not talk about wet dog aroma. I brought you down here because I thought it might be romantic.’ Tristan suddenlystopped walking and gave her a look that proved this wasn’t just jokey flirting. He meant what he was saying.
‘Why would you want it to be romantic?’ Briony’s voice was so quiet she was sure her heartbeat must have drowned her words out, but he’d clearly heard and he reached out for her hand.
‘Because I like hanging out with you, more than I like hanging out with anyone else, and I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first moment I met you.’ He looked away for a moment, shaking his head before meeting her gaze again. ‘No, that’s not true, I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first time I saw one of your videos. Does that make me sound like a weird stalker?’
‘A bit, but strangely enough I don’t mind.’ She smiled again, moving closer to him, hoping that he couldn’t feel her body pulsing with the desire that she couldn’t suppress. The truth was she’d been longing for him to kiss her too, from the first moment she’d seen him.
‘In that case, I’m going stop waiting to kiss you and actually do it instead.’ Tristan closed the last of the gap between them and she pushed her body against his, as his mouth pressed against hers, the taste of sea salt on his lips almost as delicious as the sensations pulsating through her body. She had no idea how long they stood there kissing, but it felt like forever and not nearly long enough all at the same time. When they finally pulled apart, somehow, she managed not just to speak, but to sound almost cool when she did. Even if she was like a giggly schoolgirl on the inside.
‘So, did the kiss live up to your expectations?’
‘No.’ Tristan’s face was deadpan for a moment and her heart almost sank down into the sand, but then a broad smile spread across his face. ‘I thought it was going to be amazing, but it exceeded my expectations a thousand times over and all I want to know now is when I’m going to get to do it again.’
‘Maybe I should make you take me out for a proper date first. I bet you bring all the girls down to the beach in your truck.’ If he could tease her, she could play him at his own game, but neither of them seemed able to keep the smiles off their faces.
‘I really don’t, but I’ll happily take you wherever you want to go, as long as I get to spend more time with you.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ She slipped her hand into his and as they followed the dogs along the beach, Briony realised she was smiling on the inside as much as the outside. This was the first time in as long as she could remember that she’d felt truly happy. Everything seemed to be coming right; the future felt as though it was filled with endless possibilities and Briony was determined not to waste a single moment of the second chance she’d been given.
‘We’re fully booked for the entire summer now, not one slot left, and I’ve already got a waiting list for certain dates, in case anyone cancels.’ Bex beamed at Tristan as he came into the campsite office, just after she’d taken a deposit over the phone to secure the final pitch available between now and the start of September.
‘That’s brilliant. Briony has worked miracles with her vlogs. I don’t think any advertising campaign we could have come up with would have come anywhere close.’ Just mentioning Briony’s name made Tristan light up. He had it bad and Bex’s heart sank. Part of her would love to believe that her sister could make a go of things with Matt’s lovely cousin, but Briony was a free spirit. Whereas she had a feeling Tristan would lose all thejoie de vivrehe radiated, were he ever to leave his beloved Cornwall.
‘She’s amazing at her job and I expect she’s itching to get back on the road to find some new destinations to vlog about.’ Sayingthe words made her feel as if she’d kicked a puppy, because Tristan looked completely downcast.
‘Do you really think she’ll do that? She seems so happy here.’
‘I know, but she’s never been able to settle down for any length of time. Even before she started all of this van life stuff, she always seemed to be searching for the next thing. She started at least four different potential careers, and God knows how many actual jobs. The annoying part was that she was good at all of them and could have had her pick, but none of them were ever what she was looking for. They couldn’t fill the void inside of her.’ Bex looked down at the screen of the laptop on the desk in front her, not wanting to watch Tristan’s face as she delivered her next line. ‘As for boyfriends, none of them ever lasted much longer than a pint of milk. Briony needs variety and excitement, and as much as I’d like her to stay in Port Agnes, I know she’ll go as soon as she’s well enough, and she’s certain that Mum is too.’
‘Right.’ Tristan paused for a moment, sounding as though her words had crushed him and she thought about backtracking and telling him he should ask Briony what her plans were himself, if he was as serious about her as he seemed to be. She was doing this for his sake, and Briony’s. So, when he seemed to shake off his disappointment, her body sagged with relief. Maybe things hadn’t progressed as far as she’d feared after all, and her intervention would turn out to be just in time. She really hoped so, and she felt another wave of relief as Tristan continued, seeming far more pragmatic than she’d expected him to be. ‘Right, I’d better go and clean the shower block then. It’s all glamour in this job, isn’t it? I think you had the right idea taking the lead on the admin side.’
‘With three boys at home, I’ve cleaned more than my fair share of dirty bathrooms, let me tell you!’
‘I can well believe it, and I don’t think I’d want to swap.’Tristan grinned and Bex couldn’t help smiling too, she was so happy that her words hadn’t hurt him nearly as much as she’d feared they might. She just hoped Briony wouldn’t be too upset either, when she realised that Tristan had cooled off. It had been for their own good, and Bex would rather they got a tiny bit hurt now than far more badly hurt down the line. She’d done the right thing, she was almost sure of it. Even if she had to remind herself over and over again of that, as Tristan headed out the door and a feeling of unease settled in her chest once again.
19
‘Do you know where Uncle Triss is?’ Henry had a shifty look on his face as he asked the question, and Briony closed her laptop. The video she was editing for her YouTube channel could wait. She’d felt well enough to take Merlin out for a long walk and had captured some wonderful footage. The farm had been beautiful when she’d arrived, but summer seemed to make every inch of it come to life; the foliage was brighter, the sky bluer, and even the sound of the sheep bleating seemed to have more clarity. It was a wonderful assault on the senses that she wanted to share with her followers. Although right now something was up with her eldest nephew, and that took precedence over everything else.
‘I’m not sure, but can I help?’
Henry regarded her for a moment, tilting his head to one side and pursing his lips. ‘I dunno, maybe.’
‘How about you try me?’ Whatever it was he was about to say, she wanted to make sure she maintained her composure. The last thing Henry needed was to feel judged, because then he was bound to shut down on her and he clearly needed someone to talk to.
‘I wanted to ask Uncle Triss’s advice about a girl.’ Henry’s face flushed with colour, and she had to resist the urge to hug him. Unfortunately, she didn’t temper her response nearly as well as she should have done.
‘Ohh, a girl… is that code for a girlfriend?’
