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‘Sorry, Roo. It’s just – he took me by surprise. I’d thought about him turning up in my life so many times and I always intended to act cool, as if I didn’t care.’

‘But you do, Zen, and that’s OK. You can’t sweep the past away when your feelings are still raw.’

‘Thanks. That’s true, but I really wanted to be more grown up about the situation. Now he knows I am still rattled by what happened – by him – and that’s the worst bit. But’, she said with a determined set of her shoulders, ‘if we are going to be seeing more of him …’

‘I don’t think we have a choice …’

‘And that’s exactly it. Matt has taken our choices away. He’s bulldozed back into my life – our lives – without even asking if we wanted him to. That’s why I really, really, really want to make sure I’m – we’re in control of the situation from now on.’

Roo listened to all of this with a weary expression. ‘He is going to sort the building out though – and you must admit the place is falling apart around our ears. The alternative is to try and find completely new premises and this is the height of the season. I hate to point it out it but we really don’t have much choice but to accept his offer.’

Zennor groaned in exasperation. ‘I agree but why did it have to be him? He must have bought the place hoping we’d be the grateful recipients of his good works,’ she said sarcastically. ‘He probably thinks he should be looking out for me because I’m on my own.’

‘Er …’ Roo raised her hand.

‘Not in business,’ Zennor qualified. ‘You know what I mean. But I don’t need a man looking out for me.’ She grabbed at the door to the kitchenette, twisting the handle. It came off in her hand, the recoil almost throwing her backwards. ‘Argh!’

The handle clattered against the side of the bin. ‘And I don’t need anyone trying to complicate my life again – least of all Matt Veryan.’

CHAPTER FIVE

Later that evening, Matt leaned on the balcony of the Surf Club terrace, watching teams of kids in wetsuits and red swim caps perform lifesaving drills in the surf. That had been him once. It felt like another life.

He’d arranged to meet Tyler for a drink but his meeting with a client had ended earlier than expected so he’d headed straight to the club.

Tyler greeted him, breathing a little heavily yet beaming. ‘Hello. Sorry, I’ve been running late. Stuck behind a veg truck all the way from Sennen.’

‘No worries. I’m early. Meeting was cut short so I came straight here.’

Tyler tugged the front of his T-shirt and wrinkled his nose. ‘Sticky, isn’t it? Van’s a/c packed in. I think I’ll have to scrap it and get a new one.’

‘I might be able to help you with that,’ Matt said. ‘I was thinking of trading in mine if you’re interested?’

‘You help me enough,’ Tyler said. ‘But I also might have to take you up on it. I’ll get the beers and be straight back.’ He glanced at the queue snaking out of the clubhouse door. ‘Place is heaving tonight. I might be a while.’

‘I’ll come and rescue you if you’re longer than three hours.’

Holding up crossed fingers, Tyler swept off to the bar.

The kids were racing into the surf and thrashing their way out to a buoy, guarded by two women in kayaks. There were still a couple of male instructors whom he recognised from his days as a member, both of them more grizzled than he remembered.

Some older children were gathered around one of them, Vince, intent on learning how to use a rescue board. Hopefully some of the kids would mature into volunteer beach lifeguards themselves or go on to work as professional lifeguards as he had once done.

When he was eighteen, Zennor had headed off to uni and Matt had … licked his wounds, failing to heal them before going travelling. He’d ended up in Oz for a while, lifeguarding in the summer and even busking occasionally.

When he’d returned, he’d found out she was engaged and the rest was now history. After the wedding, he’d moved to southeast Cornwall, gone to college and trained in property maintenance before doing up Harry’s place and starting his business.

He’d known for a while that Zennor was divorced from Trev, and he’d wondered countless times if his antics had contributed to the split. From his reception earlier, he could have a guess: she blamed him and hadn’t forgiven him.

Tyler returned from the bar with two bottles of beer. ‘Penny for them?’

Matt nodded at the beach. ‘Just thinking that we used to be that young and enthusiastic once.’

Tyler smiled and handed over the beer. ‘Brings back memories, doesn’t it? How old were you when you first joined?’

‘I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a member so probably about four or five. Mum, Dad and Grandad were always here, instructing or running events or cooking or doing maintenance.’ He’d started by joining in the ‘beach games’ that eventually morphed into more formal drills and training. His parents had also been part of the organising committee until they’d emigrated – but it was always Grandad Harry who’d been the lifeblood of the club.

‘I’m glad Harry can’t see it now,’ Tyler said, echoing Matt’s own thoughts. ‘Those changing rooms should be condemned.’