Eve held tightly to Jack’s hand as they walked back up through the lanes. She felt like she had sand everywhere; in her hair, her bra, her knickers and her shoes. Her skin was dry with salt and when she licked her lips she could taste it. But she also felt happy. Contented. And overwhelmed.
What had happened down in the cove had taken her breath away. Being there with Jack on the sand as the waves foamed against the shore, he had told her so much about himself, allowed her access to the inner workings of his mind, and she’d begun to open up to him too. Impossible to believe that it had only been a week since she’d first met him.
They crunched along the gravel road and Eve looked around her. How strange to think that seven days ago she had driven along here, unaware of how it would be to see her aunt after so long and carrying the tension of her job and her grief so tightly between her shoulders. Now she took a moment to think about how her body felt and the differences were clear. Though the tension hadn’t gone completely, it wasn’t as bad. Her left shoulder didn’t hurt when she turned her head. She hadn’t even realized how bad it had been, but now that she could move more freely, she knew just how stiff with tension and grief and loneliness she’d become.
Because she had been lonely. But being around Aunt Mary and around Jack had changed that.
They reached the end of the road and slowed, as if reading each other’s minds.
‘So …’ Jack said as he gently caressed her cheek. ‘What happens now?’
‘Now?’ Eve smiled. ‘I need a shower to get rid of this sand.’
‘Me too,’ he said. ‘You want …’ He paused and licked his lips. ‘Probably not a good idea.’
‘If you mean to share a shower, then probably not.’ This is so difficult. ‘Jack, I enjoyed what happened down at the beach. A lot. But we shouldn’t rush things. I really like you and I don’t want to spoil how this is between us right now.’
‘I like you too.’ He swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple bob. ‘But you’ll be going back to Bristol in a few weeks. I can’t pretend that’s not going to happen, even though I’d like to.’
Eve nodded, hating that the thought made her stomach churn as if she’d swallowed seawater. ‘Can we just … take this slowly? See what happens?’
‘Sounds like a good plan. If I came on a bit strong then I’m sorry. I know you’re fragile at the moment and it was wrong of me to muddle you up even further.’
Eve shook her head. ‘I wanted that kiss as much as you did. For the first time in what feels like a lifetime, I was free. My body was alive with something other than sadness and stress, and it seemed in that moment that there were … possibilities!’ She held her arms out and laughed, then frowned and scratched her head.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, his face etched with concern.
‘My head’s really itchy. Must be the salt.’
‘Could be. Give your hair a good wash to get it all out. So I’ll see you later at dinner?’
‘You will.’
Jack lifted her hand and kissed it gently and Eve’s heart fluttered. She was relieved that he hadn’t tried to kiss her on the lips again, because she knew that if he had, she’d probably have lost her tenuous hold on her willpower and gone with him to share that shower.
After dinner that evening, Jack helped Eve to clear away, then he excused himself. Eve and Mary had been reminiscing about the summers of her childhood and he thought they needed some time alone.
As for him, he had an overwhelming urge to go to the shed. It had been a good day and he wanted to continue with a project that, luckily, Eve hadn’t spotted when she’d gone in there. He’d hidden it behind the rest, almost as if he was afraid to admit that he was doing it, as if it was an invasion of her privacy.
He grabbed a bottle of water then stripped off his shirt and headed up the garden path. The night was clear and cool but he knew the shed would be warm from a day of sunshine. He opened the door and switched on the light then padded across the wooden floor as the door swung shut behind him. The woody scent of his creative space was instantly comforting.
He carefully lifted the large sketchpad from behind his other work and flipped back the cover. There she was. Beautiful and pale. Her eyes were so big in her tiny face that they dominated the portrait. He stared at her, captivated by her beauty and her sweet essence of vulnerability. This woman was under his skin, in his heart, and he couldn’t get her out of his head. It was as if an invisible thread had been fastened between them and now he couldn’t sever it – or didn’t want to.
He got to work, shading and highlighting, perfecting and shaping, until the Eve in the painting was at the pretty cove he’d taken her to today, sitting on the beach facing inwards, with the waves lapping at the sand behind her, their froth fluffy as candy floss. The sun sat low in the sky, illuminating the clouds and creating a glow around her. He shaded her hair so that it appeared roughly tousled, just like it had been today when she’d emerged from the water, then he smoothed around her breasts, making the nipples point through her top as they had done after he’d soaked her. She was, he knew in that moment, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
And his heart ached as he thought about how she’d soon be leaving.
Unless I can persuade her to stay.
But how did you ask someone you hadn’t even known for that long if they’d give up everything and spend their life with you? It would take a lot of trust. Could Eve trust him to take care of her? Could he trust her not to break his heart?
‘Hello?’ There was a gentle knock at the door, then Eve called through the gap. ‘Is it okay if I come in?’
Jack quickly pulled the cover back over the sketch, then tucked it behind a canvas under the window. He crossed to the door and opened it. ‘Hello. I thought you and Mary were having a chat then you were going to watch that documentary together.’
‘We were.’ She smiled, her eyes flickering over his naked chest. ‘We are … but it’s not on for another half an hour, so I said I needed to check if it was okay for me to come up to the farm with you tomorrow. I want to take Gabe his treats.’ She plucked at the hem of her knee-length dress. It was made of some lightweight crinkle material and the green leaf pattern brought out the colour of her eyes, while the spaghetti straps showed off a faint T-shirt mark from their time at the beach. Her feet were bare and he noticed that she’d painted her toenails a golden-green colour that shimmered in the light.
‘Of course it is. Gabe will appreciate that, I’m sure.’
‘How was your shower?’ Eve asked. She licked her lips, and when she raised her eyes again he saw hunger. A hunger that echoed his own.
‘It was … lonely.’
They laughed together, both embarrassed by his loaded comment, and he realized that they were also both a bit confused by their feelings. ‘You want an art lesson?’
‘Me?’
‘There’s no one else here.’ He made a show of looking around him.
‘No, I know that, but … uh … I’ve never been any good.’
‘Come on, I’ll show you. I’m a good teacher.’
Jack set up a new sketchpad on the easel then handed Eve a stick of charcoal. ‘Now I want you to try to draw me. I need to see what you can do first, then I can assess how to help you improve.’
‘Okay …’ She frowned and a tiny line appeared between her brows.
‘I’ll stand here like this.’ He stood beneath the light bulb and crossed his arms. ‘Then you draw what you see.’
‘Really?’ Eve tilted her head. ‘But I am so bad at art.’
‘Humour me.’
‘Okay, but let your arms hang down or stick your hands in your pockets.’
‘Why?’
‘Oh come on, Jack. At least let me admire the view.’ Eve gave him a cheeky wink and Jack was amused to feel heat rush into his cheeks.
He stood there for about ten minutes, occasionally shifting his weight from one foot to the other, but trying to keep his face still.
‘This isn’t going well,’ Eve said. She wiped a hand across her brow and sighed.
‘Are you too hot?’ Jack asked.
‘It is warm in here.’
‘That’s why I work topless,’ he said, shaking with laughter.
Eve peered at him from behind the easel. ‘Oh no you don’t. I see where you’re going with this, Mr Charming Ex-Marine.’
‘What?’ He held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘I can’t take my top off because I’m wearing a dress. With nothing underneath.’
‘What?’ His heart raced. ‘Nothing?’
‘Ha ha! Now who’s shocked? I ran out of underwear so it’s all in the washing machine. I didn’t bring that much with me because I didn’t know how long I was going to stay.’
‘So now you’re – as they say – going commando?’
Eve nodded and continued working on her sketch. Jack tried not to think about the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything under her dress, but it was impossible. After another ten minutes, he couldn’t stay still any more. ‘Right, let me see!’
Eve stepped back and he turned the easel around. He had to bite the inside of his cheek. She hadn’t been kidding; she really was awful at art.
‘It’s great, Eve.’
‘No it’s not.’
‘It is. You’ve got my basic shape right and my face kind of looks … like a face.’
‘It looks like a marshmallow.’ She swayed from side to side, hanging her head.
‘Hey, come here.’ He positioned her in front of him so he could see the sketchpad over her shoulder, then lifted her right hand and gently wrapped his fingers around it. ‘Let me guide you.’
He slid his left arm around her waist and moved her closer to the paper. As he guided the hand that held the charcoal over the page, the image began to take shape, and soon it looked more like him and less like a cartoon character. He used her forefinger to smudge and soften the shadows and tried hard to focus on the picture, but it was hard not to be distracted when she was so close. When she slipped her left hand over his where it rested on her waist, he buried his face in her neck and breathed deeply of her fresh apple-blossom scent. ‘You smell so good, Eve.’
She tapped his face with the hand that still held the charcoal. ‘Focus, Mr Artist!’
‘I’m trying. Stop distracting me.’
‘I’m not doing anything.’
He growled into her ear then nipped at her ear lobe, and she squealed and slipped out of his embrace.
‘I’d say that looks a lot better now, wouldn’t you?’ he asked, taking a few deep breaths to try to slow his heart rate.
‘It certainly does. Thank you for the lesson. How much do you charge?’ Eve’s eyes sparkled. She rubbed at her nose and Jack had to contain his laughter when he saw the charcoal smudge there. Hazard of the job.
‘I’ll have to think about that and let you know. Unless you have any suggestions?’ He wiggled his eyebrows.
‘Just because I’m not wearing underwear doesn’t mean I’m fast and loose!’ Eve wagged a finger at him. ‘Now I’m going to watch that documentary with my aunt. You coming?’
Jack looked around the shed then back at Eve. It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Any excuse to spend another hour in her company, even if it did mean watching one of Mary’s bizarre documentaries and being fed yet more cake. He flicked the light switch then followed Eve out into the night air. It was good to have a reason to spend time with people, to have someone want him around. Mary had always been warm and kind but he didn’t like to overstay his welcome at her cottage. He was conscious of the fact that she probably wanted time alone, or with Edward, even though she always claimed to the contrary. But Eve had invited him and it made him glow inside, because right now he could imagine nothing better than squashing up next to her on the sofa with at least one dog, and just enjoying her company.
Eve could barely contain her delight when Jack agreed to come with her to watch TV. She hadn’t wanted to leave the shed but knew she had to because it was getting harder and harder to resist him. When she was with him, she just felt lighter, more vibrant, as if she’d been walking around seeing in shades of grey and now she was slowly noticing colour again. It was wonderful.
They entered the kitchen and she switched the kettle on.
‘Tea or coffee?’
‘Eve?’ It was Aunt Mary.
‘Yes?’
‘I’ve made a pot of tea ready. You just need to bring some extra biscuits. Edward has eaten all the ones I brought through.’
Eve raised her eyebrows at Jack. So Edward was here.
‘Okay! Be there in a minute.’
Jack opened the cupboard above the kettle. ‘You want chocolate chip cookies or malted milk?’
Eve shook her head. ‘I don’t mind.’
He handed her the cookies. ‘Hey, what is it?’
‘Nothing.’
He stroked her face and she shivered with delight.
‘Something’s up.’
‘I didn’t know Edward was coming round.’
‘He often comes to visit, especially in the evenings. They watch TV together or play cards. Sometimes Mary goes down to his house to play on his games console.’
Eve suppressed a smile. ‘I just … I wish I’d known about him before, you know? That Aunt Mary had someone special in her life.’
‘He’s a good man, Eve. He makes her happy.’
‘She seems to like him.’
‘And I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.’
‘I feel like I’ve missed so much.’ Her throat tightened.
Jack nodded. ‘That’s natural, but you can’t turn the clock back. All you can do is take it from here and make it good from now on.’
‘You’re so right.’ She stepped closer then pressed her lips to his cheek. ‘Thank you.’
They took the biscuits through to the lounge and found Mary and Edward sitting together on one of the squishy sofas with Harry wedged between them. The dog’s head was hanging off the cushion and his legs pointed up into the air. The room was lit by two floor lamps, and a red candle burned in a clear glass jar on the table, making the room smell of spiced apple. It was warm and homely. So unlike Eve’s lounge in her large, empty house in Bristol.
‘Is he okay like that?’ Eve asked.
‘He’s just roaching,’ Edward replied.
‘Roaching?’
‘It’s what we call this position. It means he’s extremely comfortable and relaxed.’ Edward smiled at her then rubbed Harry’s ears gently and the dog let out a long, low grunt. ‘See, he’s happy.’
Jack sat on the other sofa next to Clio, then patted the seat next to him. There wasn’t much space because the greyhound was taking up over half the sofa, but it meant that Eve got to snuggle up to Jack, so she didn’t complain.
‘How has your time at Conwenna been so far, Eve?’ Edward asked as he leaned forward and retrieved his mug of tea from the tray on the table.
‘Good, thank you. I’m enjoying being here.’
‘You should consider staying around. I know Mary would love to have you here.’
Eve swallowed hard. Was he criticizing her or just making a kindly observation? His face was warm, his smile seemed genuine. In his faded jeans and AC/DC T-shirt, he looked cool and casual. Eve wasn’t used to being around men of her father’s age, except at work, and she wondered how it would be to live surrounded by a family like this.
Mary clapped her hands then pointed at the TV. ‘Here it is! I’ve been waiting for this Mary Berry documentary since I first saw it advertised.’
The opening credits rolled and Eve accepted a mug of tea from Jack then settled back on the sofa. When he slid one arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, she could barely contain her happiness. However long this lasted, even if it was just for tonight, she would be grateful that she’d had the chance to be a part of her aunt’s life again, and that she’d had the chance to meet Jack.
Before Jack had left to return to his cottage, Eve had arranged to go with him to Foxglove Farm the following day. As they crossed the farmyard the next morning, her stomach flipped over. She was nervous about seeing Gabe again. Nervous in case he was still anxious around her, nervous in case he didn’t like his presents and nervous that she wouldn’t be able to contain her emotions around him. Since her arrival at Conwenna Cove, she had been catapulted from one emotion to another. It was as if, having had a lid on them for months, it had been blown off and now she couldn’t contain them. Since university, she’d liked to think of herself as being strong, calm and in control, but now she was feeling things she hadn’t felt, or allowed herself to feel, in years: guilt about her neglect of Aunt Mary, desire and affection for Jack, fear about her job, both losing it and returning; she was a boiling pot of emotion. Perhaps that was why her head was also so itchy right now. Some kind of stress-related skin condition. She’d have to get some antihistamine from the chemist later on.
Jack opened the door to the small office at the end of the stable block. ‘After you.’ He nodded at Eve and she entered. Neil was sitting at a desk in the far corner, his hands full of papers and a pair of smudged glasses perched on his nose. He grunted at them in acknowledgement.
‘Hey, Neil. How’re you?’ Jack asked.
‘Can’t keep on top of all this damned paperwork, to be honest. I’m a practical man, me, not an office administrator, and I don’t have time for all this. Plus it’s getting worse the more dogs we take in and the more that I hear of needing homing, rehabilitation, fostering and adoption.’
‘Well I’ll help out if I can,’ Jack said, approaching the desk.
‘Think I’m going to need to get someone else in, to be honest; someone who’s good with this type of thing. Vet’s bills. Adoption certificates. Dog histories. Cases reported to the RSPCA. You know anyone wanting an admin job – part-time to start off with, and the pay won’t be great – send them in my direction.’
‘Sure,’ Jack replied. Eve bit her lip to prevent herself from offering to help out. She could do the job standing on her head, she felt sure, after juggling so many things for so long as a head teacher. But she wasn’t staying long, and she shouldn’t start something she couldn’t finish.
‘How do you fund all this?’ she asked.
‘Partly through donations from those adopting the dogs, partly through a very generous donation left by an elderly lady who passed away two years ago and partly through fund-raising. Last year Nate Bryson got some of his surfing buddies involved and they did a sponsored surf. They all have contacts and managed to get an online sportswear company involved. It was brilliant.’
‘I bet that was fun.’ Eve looked at Jack.
‘I wasn’t around then but I’ve heard about it. Surf for Sighthounds, wasn’t it?’
‘That’s right!’ Neil smiled. ‘Hoping he’ll do another one this year, or maybe next. Then there’s Oliver Davenport, the village vet. He does as much as he can for the charity pro bono, but at the end of the day he has children and needs to make a living. Especially since he lost his wife.’
‘What happened?’ Eve met Neil’s eyes and saw sadness there.
‘Tragic it was. Linda grew up round here. Lovely girl. They have two young children, a girl and a boy. Terrible thing when kids lose a mum like that. It was cancer. She fought it but it claimed her in the end and she was only thirty-one.’ He shook his head.
‘That’s so sad.’ Eve’s eyes stung for the woman who’d lost her life, for the children without a mother and for Oliver, a man bringing up his family alone. Life could be so cruel.
Neil nodded. ‘We’re lucky here in Conwenna Cove, though. It’s a real community and everyone chips in to do what they can. Oliver’s had a lot of support, although nothing can make up for what he’s lost. But like I was saying, the community here helps the hounds as much as it can … from funds raised at the annual village fair to generous tourists who donate when they’re around. We’ve been quite lucky in that respect, and obviously Elena and I do what we can ourselves.’
‘They’re too soft sometimes.’ Jack smiled. ‘You should have seen it up here at Christmas.’
‘Really? Why?’
‘Not one dog without a present.’
Eve glanced back at Neil and noted his flushed cheeks. He evidently had a generous heart.
‘That was down to the shoebox appeal. Gifts came from far and wide for that one.’ Neil stood up. ‘People can be very kind, especially at Christmas.’
‘So who’s up for some attention today?’ Jack asked.
‘Mainly Gabe. He needs some time in the assessment room to see how he reacts to normal surroundings.’
‘What does that involve?’ Eve asked.
‘We want to see how he deals with objects that would be found in a normal family home. Most of these dogs have never been in a house before,’ Neil explained. ‘So they need to get used to similar surroundings before they can be homed.’
‘Can I help with that?’ Eve asked, toying with the handle of the bag containing Gabe’s treats.
‘That would be great. Thanks, Eve. Jack can explain the process to you in more detail.’
‘Come on, I’ll show you the assessment room.’ Jack took her arm gently and her skin tingled where his fingers touched her.
They left the office and went around the back of the stables, then through a door at the end. Eve was surprised to find herself walking into someone’s living room. Except it wasn’t. It was a room in the barn made to look like someone’s living room. It had two sofas draped in patchwork quilts, a table that held an old portable television, and a coffee table in the centre of the room. A small window with red curtains looked out onto the yard, and there was another window in the back wall next to a door.
‘That door goes through to a room with a kettle and a toilet,’ Jack explained. ‘The window is there so that whoever’s working with the dogs can keep an eye on them when they’re left alone and see how they react to being in a home.’
Eve nodded. ‘Do they behave?’
‘Sometimes, though sometimes they mess things up a bit. We’ve had to replace the cushions and the coffee table a few times after they’ve had a good chew on them. It’s like Neil said … many of the dogs don’t know how to react in a home environment. It’s all about helping them to adapt, kind of like rehabilitating them so they can be rehomed.’
Eve gazed around the room. ‘So can I sit in here with Gabe?’
‘Sure. Today we’ll just let him have a good sniff around and try not to react to the things he does. We have to allow them to adapt.’
‘How long can it take?’
‘Depends on the dog. They’re all different. I’ll go get Gabe now and you make yourself a coffee if you like, then perhaps take a seat.’ He gestured at the sofa.
‘See you in a bit,’ Eve replied as she headed to the kitchen area. She knew that she needed to mentally prepare herself to see Gabe again. Just like Jack, he’d been wounded by his past, and just like with Jack, she was apprehensive about startling him or scaring him away. She wanted them both to learn to trust her, though deep down she knew she had no right to do so when she’d be leaving soon. Where would that leave Jack and Gabe? And where would it leave her, especially if she gave them both access to her heart?