Page 62 of One Cornish Summer With You
Here we go,thought Ruan, bracing himself. This was where he’d get the warning about not letting Tammy down. Perhaps he should have expected it.
‘OK. What do you want to say?’ Ruan said, guessing the man would appreciate a direct approach.
‘You’re obviously someone she cares about. I’ve seen others come and go. You’re different.’
Ruan’s spirits lifted marginally even though it was a very awkward conversation to be having. ‘So’s Tammy.’
‘It’s serious between you, isn’t it?’
‘I think so. I hope so. I don’t want to put pressure on Tammy, though. I know she’s had a tough time.’
Davey emitted a huff. ‘You can say that again. It’s not been easy since her mother left. Once they lost the house, Neil went downhill. When he was found on the beach that morning, her life fell apart.’ He paused. ‘We were all shattered by his passing. Tammy’s only started to rebuild her lifein the past couple of years. I don’t want to see her knocked down again.’
‘No. No … I had no intention of doing that. I’d never want to hurt her …’ Ruan found the words dry in his mouth.
‘Had? What do you mean by that?’
Ruan tightened his grip on the steaming mug of coffee, deciding he had to start being completely honest with everyone. ‘There’s no easy way to say this …’
It was too late to unsay his piece now.
‘Boy, you’re not saying it at all. Spit it out. I can’t bear pussyfooting around.’ Davey glared at him and his tone became angry. ‘You’re going back to bleddy Bristol, aren’t you? You’re leaving her before you’ve even got going? Jesus.’
‘No. No, I’d never leave her.’
‘You’ve only known her a month,’ Davey scoffed.
‘That’s enough. Enough to know.’ Ruan stiffened his spine and kept his tone measured, even though his hackles were up. ‘I’m not a boy. I’m old enough to know when something – someone – is special. Someone utterly unique and amazing has walked into my life. I’m not leaving Tammy. Not unless she wants me to. It’s not that.’
‘Why would she want you to leave?’ Davey said, pouncing on his comment.
‘Because … Because I’ve found out something about Tammy’s old house. About Rosewarne,’ Ruan said.
‘Rosewarne?’ Davey’s forehead knotted. ‘Neil’s old place? What’s that got to do with you?’
‘You have to understand I didn’t know this untilyesterday morning when I was clearing some ivy off the front. It’s all overgrown now and a bit of a wreck.’
‘What do you mean, you were clearing ivy off the house? I thought you lived in a caravan.’ Davey’s bushy eyebrows knitted together. ‘This isn’t some other woman’s house, is it?’
‘No. Nothing like that and Idolive in a caravan, except it’s currently in the grounds of an old house that I’ve inherited. The house used to be two cottages. And one of them was Rosewarne.’
Davey stared at him. Ruan could almost see the questions building up like a towering cloud of a gathering storm. And if this was Davey’s reaction, what would Tammy’s be when he told her?
‘I think I should be telling Tammy this,’ he muttered. ‘I absolutely shouldn’t have spoken to you about it first.’ He abandoned the mug. ‘Thanks for the coffee. I really should be going now.’
Davey put his down too and folded his arms. He wasn’t as tall as Ruan, but he did look like a grizzly bear barring the way. ‘Oh no, boy. You can’t leave without explaining yourself. How the bleddy hell did you get hold of her house?’
‘I inherited it. It’s called Seaspray now, but I’d no idea that it had once been two cottages and that one of them was Rosewarne. No idea at all. I didn’t even tell Tammy that I’d been left a place because … well, I didn’t want to boast that I’d landed this amazing big place by the sea when she’d been struggling to find a permanent home until you helped her.’
‘Jesus. Jesus Christ.’ The bear backed down, defeated. He sat down heavily on his office chair and put his head in his hands, muttering, ‘Bleddy hell …’
Ruan was very concerned. Was the guy going to have a heart attack? He might have guessed Davey would be shocked and annoyed, but not this devastated. He looked as if Ruan had told him someone had died.
‘Can I get you a glass of water? Davey … I’m so sorry that you’re this upset.’
Davey was slow to reply and eventually lifted his head. He looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
Ruan spoke softly. ‘I honestly had no idea – and I wish I could undo it, but Walter left me the place and now I need to tell her. Tonight, if I can.’
