Page 102 of One Cornish Summer With You
It was madness yet it was how she felt. As if demons of the past were clinging on to her with their sharp talons, trying to drag her back from jumping into the light.
Davey was sitting at the wheel in his studio when she returned, working it with his foot as he had as long as she could remember. He was looking tired after a radiotherapy session and didn’t notice her. She waited for him to finish the pot he was throwing and stop the wheel.
‘Hello,’ she said, stepping nearer. ‘How’s it going?’
‘OK. It’s great to be finally done with the hotel commission and on to something fresh.’
‘Good. But I meant with the treatment.’
‘OK, I suppose. Well, actually, it’s pretty crap and I’ve still got a long way to go. It leaves me knackered but I shouldn’t complain. It could be so much worse.’
Tammy patted his back and flipped a thumb towards the kitchenette. ‘Cuppa?’
‘Yes, please.’
When they were both hunkered down in the kitchen, heasked, ‘How did this morning go?’ The earlier overcast skies had darkened and rain was drumming on the studio roof. Tammy shivered.
‘It was good. Better than good. The couple were lovely and really happy with the proposal.’ Tammy sipped her tea and then sought refuge in the cup.
‘You don’t sound really happy.’
Tammy sighed and met his eye. ‘No. It’s been a difficult couple of days.’
‘Being given a choice often makes life difficult. It forces us into decisions we’ve been putting off. I used to think it was easier not to make those decisions, and safer to stay in the same old groove. Meanwhile, I was turning into the kind of old grump I’d have laughed at in my youth.’
Tammy looked at him in surprise.
‘I don’t want to be one of those old gits sitting on the bench outside the Smuggler’s, envious of the youngsters and moaning at everything. I don’t want to take root and never try anything new. So, I’ve decided to go mad and move in with Breda. God knows what she sees in me, but she’s agreed.’
‘Davey, that’s – amazing.’
He chuckled. ‘You look as if I told you I was emigrating to the South Pole.’
‘I – I’m really thrilled for you both. It’s wonderful.’
‘For me it is. I want to make Breda happy – or die trying.’
‘You can’t.’
‘Maybe not for a good while but I certainly intend to make the most of every minute I have left. And so shouldyou – but that’s none of my business. What is my business is making sure you have a roof over your head. If you’re not going to accept Rosewarne, then you need a place to live. I plan on letting out my old flat but you’re welcome to stay in yours for as long as you want. In fact, I’m going to sign it over to you permanently.’
Tammy held up her hands in dismay. ‘No, you can’t do it.’
‘I want to. You need a start in life and I don’t need three places, now do I? You can have the flat – I’ve spoken to my accountant about how to do it so you don’t lose out too much with the taxman.’
‘B-but … Davey …’
He took her hands in his. ‘No buts. I may not be your dad, but I will make sure you have the legacy Neil would have given you if he could. Is me giving you the flat any different than you inheriting a home from your father?’
‘No. No, I suppose not. Only it seems way too generous.’
Davey let go of her hands and folded his arms. ‘Stop now. You’re having the place and that’s that. You can stay in it or sell it or whatever.’
‘I won’t sell it. I love living there.’
‘Maybe, but it isn’t Rosewarne, is it?’
‘I don’t give a toss about Rosewarne, I care … about …’
