Returning to her seat, she watched as he settled himself opposite, pausing to retie one of his shoelaces, which had come undone. As he finished he looked up from his task, his blue eyes meeting hers. Dropping his foot to the floor he cleared his throat.
‘You’re worried Nathan won’t bother to contact you, aren’t you?’ she said, guessing this was the reason for such a private conversation. ‘You’re concerned he’ll try and go it alone. Well, don’t worry, if he does, I promise faithfully I will phone you.’
‘Cat, it’s not Nathan,’ Ruan said calmly. ‘It’s about Luke.’
‘Luke?’ She frowned. ‘What about Luke?’
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing him?’
‘Only because I didn’t think you’d be interested. He’s just a friend, that’s all.’ She shrugged. ‘Why, is there a problem?’
‘Quite the reverse. He’s a breath of fresh air in comparison to those other young men you brought home when you were at uni.’ Ruan gave her a thoughtful smile. ‘No, if I’ve any complaint it’s simply that you didn’t tell me. We’ve never had secrets in our family.’
‘Dad, I’m so sorry if I upset you, I had no idea,’ Cat apologised. ‘I promise it won’t happen again.’
‘Good.’ He looked pleased. ‘I know life here at the hotel can sometimes be hectic but I always take an interest in what my children are up to.’
‘Yes, of course, I understand and I’m pleased you do.’
So her father approved of Luke, but in the great scheme of things that didn’t mean much. For some reason they seemed to dance around each other with so many ‘almost’ moments. She knew he wanted her, but something held him back. Even that kiss hadn’t been enough to break down the barrier between them. In fact it appeared to have driven him even farther away; seen as an embarrassing and regrettable act. It was so frustrating. How could she ever change their situation when she had no idea what the cause of the problem was?
‘Now then,’ her father’s voice broke into her thoughts, ‘I guess it’s time for me to leave on this Italian adventure you’ve both organised for me. The car’s outside; mustn’t keep Étienne waiting. Are you coming to wave me off?’
‘Of course.’ Leaving her chair Cat joined him, giving him a hug and reminding him how much she loved him. Then slipping her arm in his, they made their way past reception and out to the waiting Bentley.
Chapter Fourteen
The evening after her father’s departure, Luke met Cat at The Smugglers where they had a couple of drinks before heading off out of the small port for their evening walk. A semi-circular sweep of pathway took them down towards West Beach. With the ending of the day, the crowds had gone and the beach was deserted. Even the evening clean up of litter had been completed, the tractor unit returned to its shed next to the lifeboat station. All that was left was the gentle wash of the tide against the beach and a few gulls hanging on the evening breeze further out to sea.
Luke was first to reach the sand, kicking off his shoes. Slipping off her sandals Cat followed him down to the water’s edge, the tide washing over their ankles, wet sand sucking at their feet as they walked.
Usually, their evening strolls along the beach were slow and leisurely, but tonight was different. There was somewhere he wanted to take her, he’d told her in the pub. Something he wanted her to see.
‘Luke, slow down,’ she called out, realising he was now striding along the beach ahead of her.
He stopped, allowing her to catch up. ‘Sorry,’ he said as she reached him. ‘I was caught up in my thoughts.’
‘Where exactly are you taking me anyway?’ she asked, resting her hands on her hips as she got her breath back. ‘Is it far?’
‘Can’t tell you, that would spoil the surprise.’ He grinned mischievously. ‘And no, it’s not far. Come on.’
Reaching the end of the wide stretch of golden sand, Carrenporth now far in the distance, Luke helped her over a dark cluster of rocks which separated West Beach from the nextsmaller stretch of sand the locals referred to as Tern Bay. ‘Nearly there,’ he reassured her.
She gazed up at the high, imposing cliffs, wondering where in the world they could be heading. There was nothing here but sea, sand and dark rock.
Halfway along the beach he stopped and pulled on his shoes. ‘Ah, here it is,’ he said, pointing upwards.
Cat frowned. ‘I don’t see anything except grey cliffs and outcrops of grass.’
‘This way.’ Luke reached for her hand and pulled her gently forward so she could see the narrow gap cut into the rock. He waited while she slipped on her sandals and then he led and she followed, carefully picking their way along the path, which zigzagged upwards towards the summit. Ahead of them, two huge boulders appeared to block the path.
‘Is this it?’
He turned to see her puzzled expression. ‘Not quite. As we get closer you’ll see the boulders overlap. All we do is slip between them and we’re there. Come on, you first.’
‘A cave,’ she said, as he joined her on the other side. Staring at the large dark hole in front of them she hesitated. ‘I don’t think this is such a good idea,’ she said, taking a step back. ‘What if there are bats in there? Or something even bigger with claws and teeth?’
‘Cat, I can assure you it’s empty. I wouldn’t have brought you here if there had been any danger.’
