Page 57 of Second Chance Summer
‘No, I’m not,’ Lily said, thinking that she could never be cross with a generous soul like him. ‘It can’t do any harm. I didn’t know she’d named the business after her dog. I like it …’
‘So, you want me to delay the Cockahoop meeting until you come back?’ he asked.
‘Why don’t you take it? You can handle it, can’t you?’
‘Well, yes, but …’
‘But what?’
‘Nothing. Only normally you like to be on top of every detail.’
‘Richie, I’m supposed to be on holiday – a holiday that you practically forced me to take.’ She added with a smile, ‘I’m joking again, though as we’re discussing the issue, you’ve handled everything that’s come your way perfectly well. As you seem to have a rapport with Cockahoop, I think you should call them and set up an initial meeting. Now, you go home to Jakob. I’m off to the pub.’
His jaw dropped before he said, ‘Off to the pub? At five p.m.?’
‘Yes. For fish and chips and a night out with a hunky rowing crew. You’d love it,’ she added mischievously.
‘Too right I would!’ he exclaimed, then added, ‘IfI wasn’t in a very meaningful relationship already, of course.’
‘Of course.’
‘Try to send photos though …’ Richie’s voice had a hopeful lilt.
Lily cut the FaceTime, enjoying the open-mouthed amazement of her PA a little too much. Her stay had shown herthat the world wouldn’t end without her – that for a while, at least, her team could handle things better than she’d dared to hope.
While she was delighted and relieved to see how well they were doing, she couldn’t help but wish she’d trusted them enough to delegate more in the past. She might not have missed quite so much of her own life if she had.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Rock had the best location of any pub anywhere on the entire planet, Lily decided as she approached it from the direction of the Quayside Café.
Situated on the channel that separated Bryher from Tresco, it stood on the edge of the white sand beach. On this balmy June evening, the granite inn was bustling with locals and holidaymakers. It was also fish and chip night and a ‘supper boat’ had arrived from Tresco especially for the occasion, making it even busier.
Sam waved at Lily from outside the pub where the crew had gathered around an outside table. Even from a way off, she could sense their closeness, laughter ringing out and people slapping each other on the back.
Her stomach knotted and her courage faltered. She was used to meeting strangers in her job but these were people who might only know her via her TV or online reputation. Those harsh comments online could have given them a pretty awful view of her, one that might be hard to overcome. What if they were expecting the ruthless witch some people had painted her as?
She stiffened her spine. There was nothing she could dobut be herself: her real self. Pasting on a smile, she walked on and met Sam a few yards from the table. Despite what she’d told Richie about them being hunky, the rowing crew comprised a mix of men and women, all tanned and strong of arm but of various shapes and sizes.
‘This is Lily, guys,’ Sam said chirpily.Toochirpily?
‘Hi,’ Lily said, grinning fit to burst while feeling like a specimen under the microscope.
Sam introduced the gang to her, accompanied by banter and laughter.
Even though she was used to remembering faces and names, Lily was so nervous the new information flashed by in a blur.
Fergal: Irish, ginger and drinking a lurid cocktail. Penny: smiley, blonde bob, sixty-plus? Suman: tiny – how did she row miles in Atlantic swells? A married couple called Ivanka and Mike who ran the post office stores and wore matching bandanas. Bruce – not his real name, according to Fergal – who knew? – but an Aussie so he was now stuck with it. Several others …
She’d smiled and laughed during the introductions, aware she must not try too hard to dispel any image they might have formed of her from the press.
‘And this is Aaron,’ Sam said finally with an eye roll.
Aaron was a man mountain with a bushy beard. He raised his pint glass to Lily and met her with a head-on gaze as if he was facing off to her in a scrum. He was smiling yet Lily was slightly shaken by his direct scrutiny.
‘Great to meet you,’ he said. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’
‘Everyone’s heard far too much about me,’ she quipped.
