Page 61 of One Cornish Summer With You
If there had been no other owner since his great-uncle, then that meant … he’d got his hands on the place from someone. And one of the former owners could only be Tammy’s father. Not only did Ruan now own their beloved former home, he’d come by it from the man who’d contributed to her father’s downfall.
He closed the laptop brusquely. What was the point in even trying to work? He had to tell her and he had to do it now. After what she’d been through, she deserved nothing less than complete honesty, even if the news would be painful to them both.
The burden of knowledge he carried weighed heavy on his shoulders as he trudged down the alley at the side of the Harbour Studio. He hadn’t phoned because he was worried Tammy would detect his despondent mood and he didn’t want to break the news on the phone or scare her by saying he had some dramatic secret to tell her.
For a few deluded seconds, he’d wondered if she might not be as upset as he anticipated. After all, it wasn’t his faultthat he’d come into possession of the place, but it was going to be very difficult to explain that he’d had no contact with Walter or any expectation of an inheritance at all.
It all looked very much as though he’d come to Cornwall to gloat, rather than a horrible coincidence. No. Meeting Tammy was a coincidence but wanting to get closer to her certainly wasn’t. How could he ever get that across to her?
The second he rounded the corner, he saw Davey, who rose from a metal garden chair.
‘She’s not in,’ he said without any preamble.
‘Oh …’ Ruan didn’t know whether to be relieved or despairing. The inevitable had only been put off.
‘Was she expecting you?’
‘Not specifically. Not tonight … I sent a message earlier and had no reply, so I decided to call round and see if she was in …’ There was no way Ruan was going to give any more details. Even so, he was disappointed.
‘She would have been in but Hattie the yoga instructor fell over on the rocks in the cove. Tammy rushed off to take her to Penzance hospital.’
‘That sounds nasty. I hope Hattie’s OK.’ It was also probably why Tammy hadn’t replied to his message. ‘No worries. I’ll speak to Tammy when she can and I’ll leave you in peace.’
‘Hang on a minute,’ Davey said. ‘Do you want a drink? Beer? Tea?’
‘I’m driving …’ Ruan said, completely taken aback. He wanted to get away, but he sensed that Davey had taken aquantum leap by inviting him to stay. ‘But maybe a cup of coffee?’
‘Hmph. I only have instant. No fancy beans.’
‘Instant is fine,’ Ruan said. It would do no harm to be on better terms with Davey. He also hoped that, if he lingered, Tammy might come back or message, which he both dreaded and longed for.
‘Come inside. It’s getting chilly for my bones out here.’
Ruan was about to joke,You’re not old,but realised that any guff wouldn’t go down well with Davey.
Instead, he said nothing and followed Davey inside.
‘I was just finishing this vase.’ He showed Ruan the sinuous clay shape which was ready for firing.
‘Looks good to me,’ Ruan said, though he hardly knew what to say.
Davey had a wry smile on his lips as if he was aware Ruan had been lost for a reply. ‘Thanks,’ he said, filling the kettle and then grimacing. ‘I’m out of milk. I’ll fetch some more from the flat.’
Before Ruan could object and say he’d be fine with black coffee, Davey was on his way to his kitchen.
Ruan lingered in the studio, looking at the pots and vases on racks and shelves, all in various stages of decoration. He knew from Tammy that the kiln was in a separate outhouse at the rear of the yard. As he had with the vase, he admired the skilfully thrown shapes and the colours of the glazes, but he was no ceramics connoisseur.
Davey returned with a fresh carton of milk, made the drinks and handed one to Ruan.
‘Sorry about the mug. I use all the wonky ones for myself and visitors.’
Ruan smiled. ‘I’m sure the coffee will taste just as good.’
‘You should worry if you get my best china,’ Davey said, making Ruan smile and giving him encouragement. ‘I don’t know when Tammy will be back. You know what it’s like in hospitals these days. They’re so overworked …’
‘It’s fine. Like I said, I’ll call her when I get home.’
Davey put his mug on a worktop. ‘I – You probably worked out that I asked you to hang around for more than a social chat.’
