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Later that evening, he spotted her over by the barbecue. At some point since she’d left him, she’d piled her curls up with the claw clips she’d always used when she went surfing. The scoop back of her sundress revealed the little tat of a starfish she’d had done after a music festival.

Matt remembered kissing it as she lay on her stomach in the dunes after they’d had sex and the feeling of profound happiness he’d felt afterwards.

They were just teenagers at the time. How grown-up they were now. How adult and burdened with worries. How free to make their own choices, and yet not free at all. Just as you were handed the agency to live your life your way, you took on the realisation of how your choices affected those you loved. You weren’t ever free to make your own decisions. Not without consequences …

As for any idea that Zennor might have mellowed towards him, that had been blown to smithereens. She hadn’t forgotten and she certainly was never going to forgive him.

CHAPTER SEVEN

On Monday morning, Zennor was back in the office and thrown in at the deep end when one of her biggest clients called.

‘Zennor. Hi. I’ll get straight to the point. Can you do a mermaid birthday party for six on Saturday? Oi! No, please don’t leave those boxes in here, if you don’t mind. There’s a delivery bay around the back of the hotel. Yes, to the right. Thank you.’

Zennor held the phone away from her ear as Shilpa broke off to issue instructions to some unfortunate delivery driver. Shilpa and her husband ran White Rocks, the boutique hotel above a remote cove a few miles west of St Ives.

‘Sorry, Zen, that was the toilet-roll supplier trying to leave two hundred and forty loo rolls in reception.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Hang on while I go into the office because I can see some guests on the warpath.’

Zennor waited patiently while Shilpa issued her instructions. It was followed by heavy breathing and she pictured her hotelier friend hurrying back down the steps from the reception and through the side door to her office. Along the way, she could hear voices, the beep of a delivery van reversing, tinkly music and finally a deep sigh.

‘I am so sorry about that. I should never have tried to call you from reception but there was a lull and I went for it and now …’ Shilpa sighed. ‘… we can talk properly. Where had we got to exactly?’

‘You were saying about mermaids and six kids …’

‘Yes. I know it’s really short notice, but someone’s already let the children down. A local charity got in touch with me. Someone passed on my name because they’d organised this mermaid-themed party for the group and then the entertainers said they couldn’t do it. I don’t know the exact details but these youngsters have been through a very tough time, apparently.’

Zennor took her chance to jump in. ‘How old are they?’

‘Youngest is four, I think, the oldest nine. All girls apart from the four-year-old, all have had a really rough time lately. One’s mum has been having treatment for breast cancer, another lost their dad recently, and another had a bike accident and has had to have a lot of hospital visits. I was almost in tears down the phone and I kind of said that yes, we could wave our magic wands and do something.’

‘A mermaid party at such short notice will need a magic wand. I’m not sure I can wave mine hard enough.’

‘Oh, I do hope so! Anything you can do will be fine, of course. I mean, even if you have to persuade someone to sit on a rock and pretend to be a mermaid, although apparently the children are hoping to see actual mermaids swimming in the cove. And I said we’d throw in a mermaid-themed tea here at the hotel for them and their families afterwards. I’ll handle that, of course, but if you could possibly find some entertainment for them after or before the mermaid appearance, I’d be your friend forever.’

Zennor let Shilpa run on, guessing that her strategy was not to give Zennor a chance to say no. You didn’t get to run a successful hotel without being a forceful character, but Zennor didn’t mind. Shilpa was very supportive of the community and patron of several local charities.

‘Is there anything you want to ask?’ Shilpa added breezily.

‘Quite a few things, actually,’ Zennor said, ‘and I’d love to help …’

‘I knew you would. You are a star.’

‘Genuinely, I don’t know where I’m going to find one mermaid at this short notice, let alone two or three.’

Silence, then: ‘Oh, well, I can tell the charity that we’ll have to let them down this time. I’d rather not but … and I’m covering the artiste’s costs if that’s what you’re worried about.’

‘It isn’t and that’s very generous of you. However, I know for a fact that our usual troupe – shoal – are booked out elsewhere for Saturday.’

‘I knew it was a big ask but I thought if anyone can sort it, Zennor and Roo can.’

Zennor paused. She thought of all those disappointed little faces when they heard their dream party was off. Kids who’d been through so much and probably had to be let down a lot due to circumstances they couldn’t control.

‘Look, I’ll do my very best. There are a few others I could try. As for the entertainment before, I’m sure I can help with that. Can you send me all the details by email?’

‘I will, and you can call me any time. Thank you, thank you.’

Zennor ended the call and walked to the window. It was not beach weather. In fact, she could barely see the sand because of the mizzle – a mixture of mist and rain – and the umbrellas. Those who would normally head to the beaches had piled into the town in their rainwear, many with dogs in tow.

She picked at the window frame, removing a splinter of rotting wood.