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‘They’re not quite that bad but they do need completely refitting,’ Matt said. ‘And the whole place needs a new roof, rewiring and decorating. I was shocked when I saw it a couple of months ago.’

‘How long had you stayed away?’

‘Pretty much since Grandad died.’

‘Too many memories?’ Ty asked.

‘You could say that.’ Matt sipped the beer, grateful for its cool smoothness, and raised the bottle to Tyler. ‘Thanks. I needed this.’

‘I guessed you might. How’d it go with Zennor, then?’

Matt had been waiting for this question, yet it still made his mood take a nosedive. It hadn’t been that high anyway. ‘Swimmingly. Perfect. She hung out the bunting, popped open a bottle of champers and threw her arms around me.’

Tyler arched his eyebrows. ‘That well?’

Matt sighed. ‘I suppose it was what I expected.’

‘Really?’

Matt tipped the bottle to his lips, letting the beer soothe his parched throat. ‘I did think that after so long, she might have … mellowed a little.’

Tyler grimaced. ‘This is Zennor we’re talking about. The woman whose wedding reception you ruined. The one we had to literally drag you out of kicking and screaming.’

Matt scoffed. ‘I wasn’t actually kicking.’

Tyler’s mouth twisted. ‘Mate, you were seriously out of control.’

‘OK, I grant you, I might have been a bit pissed and overwrought.’ Matt shrugged but inside he was squirming at the memory of the scene he’d caused: Zennor with her hands to her mouth in horror, her eyes pleading with him to stop as if he’d hurt her physically as well as emotionally. He felt a little bit sick, even now.

‘I – wish it hadn’t happened,’ he murmured.

‘I blame myself too. I knew I should never have asked you to step in but we were desperate. I would never have asked if I’d realised how you felt about Zennor.’

Matt shoved his hair off his face, watching the kids churning up the water as they raced to a buoy just offshore. He used to be first every time when he was younger. Nothing else mattered but winning – in training or competitions. ‘I don’t think I knew how I felt about her until I saw Trev snogging that waitress behind the staff block. On his frigging wedding day too.’

Tyler left a significant pause before replying. ‘Mate, are you still sure that’s what you saw? You had had a few.’

‘I’d had one solitary beer by then.’ He turned away from the sea and leaned his back on the railing. ‘Ty. I know what I saw. The woman had her legs wrapped around him and he had his hands under her arse. They were pressed up against the wall between the building and the bike racks. I’m not sure they’d have stopped if one of the chefs hadn’t wandered outside for a vape. But you know all of this already. Why question it now?’

‘Because …’ Tyler shrugged. ‘It was a long time ago. I had thought today might have started some kind of reconciliation between you two.’

Matt snorted. ‘Not from Zennor’s point of view. She’s still as angry as the day it happened and I do remember that day in every excruciating detail. I wish I didn’t but it was only after I’d spotted Trev that I really hit the bottle. Someone had foolishly left some vodka open in the kitchen after I saw them. I was in no mood for restraint.’

Tyler’s mouth quirked. ‘I know.’

‘No.’ Matt sighed. ‘It was a bad time. Grandad hadn’t been well and Mum and Dad had started talking about “making a new life” in Oz. I was drifting and wallowing in self-pity but that was no excuse to take my frustrations out on Zennor. It would never have been a good time but to do it at her wedding was unforgivable.’

‘No matter what you thought about Trev?’ Ty offered.

‘No matter what I thought. Not that I’ve changed my mind about him. And even if Zennor has, it wasn’t for me to change it for her.’

‘And now you’ve had to revisit all that shit because you’ve had to step in and help out my dad?’

‘No.’ Matt softened his tone. ‘No matter what Zennor thinks of me now, I want to help her and Roo. The building will be a good investment once it’s been sorted out.’ Matt wanted to put the most positive spin he could on the situation and didn’t want to go too over the top about the issues with the building, which was breaking several regulations already.

‘My dad’s so relieved to have it off his hands and to someone he trusts. I am too.’

Matt was embarrassed. ‘I was lucky enough to be in a position to help and, if it makes you both feel better, I feel I lucked out by being able to take the building off your dad’s hands.’ He grinned. ‘I’m hardly going to lose out because it’s in a prime position in the middle of St Ives with a view if I ever needed to sell, which I don’t intend to.’