Kit squeezes my elbow, drops an ice bucket with a bottle on the table, then puts his camera bag on the floor. ‘Okay kids, let’s take a few more for the album before you settle in.’
I give the rugs on the director’s chairs a last pat, and step back towards the door. ‘And while you do that, I’ll prepare the goodies.’
It couldn’t be a better night. As I carry out the tray later the velvet blue sky is studded with diamond pricks of stars, the warm breeze along the dunes is ruffling the sand as it passes, and the sea is dimpled with the shimmer of moonlight.
I arrange the full cups on the table, Kit takes yet more pictures, he pops the champagne cork, tops up the flutes, we both chorus ‘Enjoy!’, then we slip inside and I point Kit towards the sofa.
‘So what are you treating them to?’ Even after a full day with clients, as he sits down the only sign that he’s kicking back is his shirt cuffs pushed up his forearms.
‘I’ve done a selection…’ That’s as far as I get before I breathe in that familiar scent of his and lose my thread. I wasn’t ready for his presence in my living room to be this unbalancing.
‘Keep going.’
I make myself concentrate. ‘Sticky toffee pudding with ginger ice cream, lemon cheesecake with sorbet and popping candy, chocolate fudge cake with double chocolate chip ice cream, Coco Pops, and dark chocolate sauce, and Victoria sandwich with jam, fresh raspberries and vanilla ice cream. All with my usual additions and embellishments.’ Custard, cereal sprinkles and flamingos, in other words.
He’s leaning forward so eagerly I take pity on him. ‘You aren’t hungry?’
His face splits into a grin. ‘I could eat a horse.’
I bite back my smile. ‘A cupful of ice cream won’t do the job then.’ I watch his face fall, and then I relent. ‘Don’t worry, there’s an extra-large serving waiting for you in the fridge and one for me too. I made a guess at your favourite flavour.’
Two moments later, as I hand him the cup piled high with chunks of brownie cake and scoops of dark chocolate ice cream, he murmurs, ‘You know me so well.’ Then he takes the spoon and instead of digging into the cake pile he points it straight at me. ‘You do know you’re extraordinarily good at all this, Floss?’
I pop a piece of jam and sponge into my mouth and laugh. ‘What? Putting people at their ease then watching them eat their body weight in ice cream?’
He shakes his head at me, then he nods towards the deck. ‘Those two were ready to walk this morning – it’s entirely down to you that they stayed.’ He pauses to let a spoonful of double chocolate chip Häagen-Dazs melt on his tongue. ‘And whatever unique and memorable processes they did earlier with their rings, I know this will be the highlight of their day.’
I shrug and get ready for an admission. ‘Making people relax and have the best time is one thing Icando.’ It’s what I lived night after night at The Circus. ‘Hospitality used to be my thing – a few years ago.’
He frowns. ‘I only realised today what a difference it makes having a woman in the studio with me.’
I nod as I remember. ‘When Dillon and I came in as an engaged couple it felt super-romantic that you were working with your fiancée.’ It feels like he’s left this wide open for me to ask what I’ve been aching to know. ‘So is your “real” partner looking after the London end?’
He blows out his cheeks. ‘I’m afraid there isn’t a London end to the business anymore. After Vee and I went our separate ways, I handed the studio on to a friend and moved everything down here to Cornwall.’
Somehow saying I’m sorry sounds too negative. ‘A perfect place for a new start.’
And I’m not sure why my heart feels like it’s left my body and started to orbit the earth either. Knowing he and Vee are no longer an item has absolutely no bearing on anything to do with me.
He lets out a sigh. ‘Vee wasn’t ever my fiancée. We weretogether, but she pretended the rest for the sake of the client experience.’ He pulls a face. ‘She insisted that so long as she wore a big enough diamond no one would be any the wiser or any worse off.’
Now it’s confirmed, I can’t ever imagine Vee kicking back in St Aidan. But at the same time, thinking he was fully committed was useful because it’s much easier being around someone hot when they’re spoken for. This way means I’ll need to put a lot more effort into keeping any unconscious – inappropriate – thoughts under control.
This throws up a lot more hypothetical stuff too. It would be bad enough for me trying to date someone ordinary. Imagine if it were someone I really liked. How much worse it would be if they knocked me back. This is why I’m right. Why I can never go there.
I need to smooth over about making our rings. ‘Vee gave us a great day at the time. You both did. I mean, us never using the rings had nothing to do with her faking it.’
He laughs. ‘That’s good to know.’
I hesitate for a second knowing he’s not going to push. But having got myself in this deep I might as well explain. And this is the plus side; if I’m fully decided that I’m not going to put myself through the dating, I don’t have to think of drip feeding the information. I can just be honest, put it out there, and move on. ‘I was ill for a while, and by the time I was over my cancer we wanted different things.’
He nods. ‘I’m sorry. Illness can change everything, but it’s good you’re better.’
I’m grateful he hasn’t asked more. But I do feel better that he knows. Even as a friend slash colleague, it’s a relief he hasn’t gone all weird about it, because a lot of people do. I give a rueful smile. ‘Running west to St Aidan wasn’t anywhere in my original life plan, but here I am.’ I pull a face. ‘Believe it or not, I came here hoping for solitude.’ It feels strange now to think how certain I was that I wanted to be left alone and do nothing.
‘I can see that’s working out for you.’ He laughs and looks at the ceiling. ‘I’m having a similar level of success. I assumed relocating the business to the beach huts would be easy, but with two couples close to abandoning in as many weeks, I may need a rethink.’ He frowns into his cup, then he looks up hopefully. ‘Do you have any ideas?’
I have approximately a million, but I stick to the basics. ‘It could be about client expectation?’ We were all over this in the cocktail job. ‘Your buzzy urban cool might not work in this location.When people travel to a sleepy seaside village, they’re buying into something more relaxed and laid back.’
