Despite wearing her flat black pumps with the cushioned insoles, Zoe’s feet were throbbing by four o’clock. She loved working at her diner but some days were really hard going, physically. The first Saturday of July had been busy, which was promising for the summer ahead. Good business was good for Zoe’s bank balance. It was important to have savings and security, and she certainly had plenty of both. The diner had been very successful, which was a huge relief as she’d invested a significant portion of her inheritance in the business.
The bell over the door tinkled and Zoe suppressed a sigh. When the last customers had left, she’d hoped that she might have a quiet half hour, but she was well aware that was highly unlikely on a busy Saturday. She plastered on a smile and strode towards the family that had entered.
‘Hello there! Welcome to Zoe’s Diner. I’m Zoe, the owner.’
The tall man with wavy grey hair and small brown eyes behind silver-rimmed glasses smiled in return.
‘Well, hello there, Zoe. Say hello, kids!’ His American drawl was strong.
‘Hello, Zoe!’ The two girls and one boy at his side greeted her.
‘Let me guess… New York?’
‘New Jersey.’ The man smiled, flashing perfectly white teeth.
‘I’m from New York but I moved to New Jersey to be with Ted, many moons ago.’ The woman at Ted’s side offered Zoe a smile as dazzling as her husband’s. ‘Isn’t this a quaint little place!’ She waved her hands at the interior and Zoe looked around, as if remembering what she’d done to make the diner as pleasant a place to eat as possible.
The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a wonderful view of the harbour and, if diners sat at the front tables, they could feel as though they were actually on the water. The lighting was low, to create a relaxed atmosphere. The seats were red and chrome, and there was a black and white checked floor. The jukebox played a stream of Fifties hits, and right then Sinatra was crooning rather appropriately about New York.
‘Well, thank you for choosing to eat at Zoe’s today. Let me show you to a booth.’
When Ted and his family had settled, Zoe took their drinks order and then handed them menus. ‘I’ll be back with your drinks shortly.’
She went behind the counter, which had an open window to the kitchen, and made a start on the drinks order. Conwenna Cove attracted people from all over the world, and she wasn’t at all surprised. It was such a beautiful location and although small, it offered tourists the opportunity to soak up the wonderful Cornish experience. Zoe knew she was lucky to live in the village and to have a business there. After what had happened, she’d needed a safe place to flee to and Conwenna had been that haven. Now she never wanted to leave. It was as if she could escape the real world and harsh reality if she just stayed at the cove.
She carried the tray of drinks back to the booth and handed them to the family.
‘Are you ready to order yet?’
She wrote the orders in her notebook, looking at each family member in turn. When she got to the older girl, she couldn’t help noticing how she played with a stud in her tongue as she spoke, and the eternity symbol tattoo under the girl’s right ear.
‘And Zoe, we’ll have an extra side of fries with that, please.’ Ted tapped his menu.
‘Sure thing. Anything else?’ Zoe scanned the family again and when she met the older girl’s eyes, she caught her knowing smile then followed the girl’s gaze down to her left arm that was exposed as she held the notebook up. The girl had spotted her own tattoo – that of a rolling wave that she’d had etched on the inside of her wrist. Zoe returned the girl’s smile, but as she walked away, her hand crept to her fringe and she patted it across her forehead to check that it was still in place. There were some marks from her past that she wouldn’t try to hide but there were others that she didn’t want anyone else to see, because she didn’t even want to see them herself.
‘So what do you think, Oli?’ Nate sipped his pint of lager as he waited for the vet to reply.
Oli nodded. ‘I think it would be a great idea to have another Surf for Sighthounds this summer, but have you got time to organize it?’
‘I think so.’ Nate nodded. ‘I’d like to do something to help the dogs out.’
Before I go away.
‘We could always do it a bit later on,’ Jack suggested. ‘Perhaps September time.’
Nate shook his head. ‘It has to be August.’
Jack and Oli stared at him and he realized he needed to say something.
‘Look, uh, don’t say anything about this to anyone yet, as I haven’t told my aunt and uncle, but I’ve decided to go away soon. Probably the second week of August.’
Guilt flashed through him as he thought about how good his aunt and uncle had been to him. He probably should stay until the summer was over to help out at the cafe but he was worried that if he didn’t go soon, he wouldn’t go at all.
Jack frowned. ‘Is this your bucket list trip?’
‘I told you about it before, huh?’ Nate asked.
‘One night when we’d had a few, yes. But I thought it was just one of those things.’
‘Well, I’ve been thinking about it quite a lot lately and I’m not getting any younger. Plus I’m single, footloose and fancy-free as they say, so I figured why not this year? I’ve saved enough to go, so why not now?’
‘What’s this?’ Oli asked. ‘I must’ve missed that night out.’
‘I’ve always wanted to travel a bit, for six months, possibly longer. You know, buy the plane tickets but wing the rest. I didn’t know if I’d ever do it but it feels like the time is right.’
‘Good for you.’ Oli raised his glass. ‘To foreign adventures.’
The three men clinked their glasses then drank.
Nate glanced around the Conwenna Arms, the pub where he’d spent so many nights and eaten so many meals with friends, in particular female friends. With its cosy corners and circular bar, as well as a separate dining area, it was perfect for the small village, and Nate knew it did a roaring trade in home-cooked pub meals during peak season.
‘Where are you thinking of heading?’
‘Well, I always wanted to catch the surf in Australia.’
He caught the knowing look that passed between Jack and Oli.
‘I’d also like to visit Hawaii and California. It doesn’t have to be just a surf trip but I do want it to be the main focus. Obviously, I need to plan it a bit better but I’ve only recently decided that this is the year I’ll do it. I’m thirty-four now so perhaps I could spend my thirty-fifth birthday on an Australian beach.’
‘Sounds amazing.’ Jack smiled. ‘But you’d like to run Surf for Sighthounds before you go?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Well, I’m happy to help with the planning.’
‘Me, too.’ Oli drained his glass. ‘As long as you’re happy to help with my engagement party.’
Nate laughed. ‘Exactly how big is this party going to be?’
‘Not that big. But if you could help with the food, then that would be fabulous.’
‘No problem at all.’
‘You could get some of the local businesses involved in Surf for Sighthounds,’ Jack said. ‘I’m sure they’d be happy to help.’
‘There’s Catch of the Day, Sugar and Spice, A Pretty Picture, Pebbles and, of course, the Conwenna Cafe.’ Oli ticked the names off on his fingers.
‘There’s also Riding the Wave.’ Jack referred to the local surf shop.
‘Lucinda was a great help last time.’ Nate referred to the owner of the surf shop. ‘She put up a board and a wetsuit, as well as a course of lessons.’
‘What about Zoe’s Diner, too?’ Oli asked. ‘I’m sure Zoe will sponsor the event. She lost her own greyhound, Raven, not that long ago, but she loved that dog.’
Nate nodded, although the thought of approaching Zoe made him slightly apprehensive. Zoe Russell was a quiet woman who kept very much to herself. Whenever he’d seen her she was polite enough, but he sensed that she was holding something back, almost as if she didn’t trust people and didn’t want them to get to know her properly. He’d been his usual self with her whenever she came into the cafe, teasing and joking and flirting a bit, but she had a veneer that he’d been unable to penetrate. It was as if she didn’t approve of his openness for some reason, and because of that he’d felt awkward around her, and a bit foolish.
Not that it mattered, of course. He couldn’t be friends with everyone and Zoe was not his type at all; she was far too quiet, reserved and aloof. Although, having said that, the fact that she was so seemingly unreachable did make him curious about her. Why was she so quiet? Why didn’t she ever seem to go on dates? She was certainly quite attractive, so he was sure she could have had plenty of attention, but then not everyone liked to play the field. After all, even Nate was getting tired of it. Perhaps Zoe had tired of dating a long time ago and…
He shook his head. Why was he thinking about her at all? It was none of his business.
‘I’ll go round the village next week and start asking people if they’ll help out.’ Nate finished his drink. ‘Right, who wants another one?’
‘Go on then, one more, seeing as how I just got a text from Grace saying she’s looking at bridal magazines with Eve now.’
‘Bridal magazines?’ Nate chuckled.
‘Yeah, well, we’re thinking about next summer or possibly the Christmas. We might go away somewhere with the children and our parents and get married there.’
‘If you went to Hawaii you could get married on the beach and have a swim in the sea afterwards.’ Nate had always thought this would be a lovely way to celebrate getting married.
‘Sounds amazing.’ Oli nodded. ‘I’ll suggest it to Grace. Although how her father will get the huge cake he’s talked about making onto a plane will be something we need to consider. Make sure you stay in touch while you’re away so that I can keep you posted. After all, if we decide to get married here in Conwenna, you could come back for the wedding. Or if we hop on a plane… which I doubt, but I can dream, right… then you could meet up with us somewhere.’
‘I don’t want to miss your wedding, Oli, that’s for sure.’
‘Are you definitely going to come back then? Once you’ve travelled?’ Jack asked, as he stood up and picked up their glasses.
‘I think so. I mean, I love Conwenna. My aunt and uncle live here and my mother isn’t far away, so I don’t want to go for good. However, if I meet a beautiful Australian woman then I can’t promise to return.’
‘You have to see where life takes you,’ Jack said. ‘I really believe that.’
‘I know.’ Nate nodded, but he wondered if it was easier for Jack to say that because he was in love. Oli was also at a different stage in his life to Nate, but after all Oli had been through – losing his first wife to cancer – Nate was delighted to see him and Grace so happy.
Nate hadn’t ever been in love and he didn’t think he ever would be. He couldn’t imagine giving his heart to someone, because he didn’t know how. However, he was happy to do as Jack had suggested. He would enjoy the summer, then head off into the world and see what happened.