Page 105 of One Cornish Summer With You
‘It was a kite, a kite flying free.’
He dropped his arms, and his eyes widened in unease. ‘Flying free? Was it a final farewell?’
‘No. No, I hope not. It was meant to be you – and me – letting go of the past. If you still want to. You see, I was afraid that I might be turning into Walter. Too afraid to take a chance again. Too afraid to trust. All my life, I’ve wanted the people I love to stick around and now when they offer to do exactly that, I find it hard to accept. But Iwantto trust and believe.’
‘You do?’ He stared at her with incredulity. This time, he was the one who wouldn’t believe and that filled her with sadness.
‘Yes. I want someone to stick around. Someone to rely on.Someone who isn’t going to make me love them and then disappear. I want that someone to beyou.’
Her eyes stung with salty tears. She tried to blink them away, but they wouldn’t be held back. They spilled down her cheeks, hot and unstoppable.
He enfolded her in his arms, pressing her against the warmth of his body. ‘No. Oh, God. No. I didn’t mean to upset you. That scares me too but I’m not going to let it stop me from making you see how much you mean to me.’
‘Please d-don’t say stuff l-like that. I’ll bl-blub.’
He leaned back and looked into her eyes. His face was blurry through her tears. ‘I think it’s too late for that.’
‘Why do you always make me cry?’ she asked, half laughing too.
‘I don’t mean to. I want to make you smile and laugh.’
Tammy burst out in a grin. ‘You have. I’ve never been happier because now I’m glad you missed the message and I can tell you face to face.’ She took a breath. ‘It said, “I love you”.’
His eyes filled with pure joy. ‘I feel the same,’ he murmured. ‘I’m saying it out loud now. I love you!’
If anyone nearby heard, Tammy had no idea because she and Ruan were too busy kissing each other. All she knew was the warmth of being held in his arms, how sweet his mouth felt against hers … how amazing it was, finally, to hold nothing back and give herself up to the pure joy of being with a man she loved with her whole heart and who loved her back.
When the kiss ended, when she could breathe again, sheheld him and said, ‘I want you to stay in Cornwall. Move in with me, or I’ll move into the caravan with you. We can live in a tent for all I care, as long as you stay and we can be together.’
Epilogue
May of the following year
Tammy paused on her way to the car to gaze up at the house with its newly cleaned granite façade, pale green window frames and smart front door. It was almost ready to move into, with only cosmetic things left like kitchen units being fitted, skirtings painted, and one of the bathrooms completed.
As for the gardens, they were now tidy yet still bursting with mauve rhododendrons, pink azaleas and even some early roses. Though only a novice gardener, Tammy had even located and planted some Rambling Rectors in honour of Kathleen.
The May sunshine was warm against her cheek and she pulled a strand of hair out of her eyes as she surveyed her – their – new home.
Ruan slipped his arm around her back. ‘There were times when I never thought we’d get here.’
‘You can say that again,’ said Tammy, and they both knew they weren’t referring to the restoration of the house. That itself had taken over eight months and hadn’t been carriedout by Sean or the woman who’d tutted over it as if it was a nuisance that needed sorting out.
Luckily, they’d managed to find a newly established father-and-daughter building firm from Penzance, on the recommendation of Polly Tremain, to do the major work. To keep costs down, Ruan, Tammy and their friends had pitched in when they could in between their work commitments.
The momentum from Tammy’s festival appearance had propelled her profile and reputation to new heights, and she had a summer of commissions, events and workshops to keep her busy – and bring in an income that made her self-sufficient even without working for Davey.
Ruan had made another big change in his life. When a position had come up as part-time manager of the kitesurfing centre, he’d taken it – with encouragement from Tammy. While Hector had been ‘gutted’ to see him leave, he’d respected the fact that his talented young colleague had moved to Cornwall for a better work–life balance.
He hadn’t left the law entirely, but had set up as a sole practitioner, which meant any legal work he did do was part-time and on his own terms. He even did some freelancing for Gaverne’s on the Tremain estate as he’d been such a hit with Polly.
As for the house: there had been some agonising over whether to divide Seaspray/Rosewarne into two cottages again or leave it as the large property it had originally been. In the end, Ruan and Tammy had decided to leave it as onehouse, partly because it was quicker and simpler in terms of the building costs.
However, Tammy had also told Ruan that she felt it would be a step backwards to try to recreate Rosewarne.
‘Those days are gone,’ she’d said as they’d lain in bed in her flat one evening, Ruan having moved out of the caravan temporarily. ‘We should make a completely fresh start, if that’s OK with you. It’s your house, after all.’
‘It’s our house,’ Ruan had said. ‘Legally now.’
