There was no surf. The sea was as calm and flat as a cup of tea as she sat astride the board, legs dangling in the water while she watched Laird demonstrating to Archie, again, the explosive power needed to get from lying down to standing in under two seconds.
‘Cass,’ Laird said, looking across at her, ‘do you want to give it a go?’
She nodded reluctantly and lay tummy down, moving into a slow crawl with her arms before suddenly planting them on the board and pushing up as she tucked in her feet, but unlike on the sand, and even without any waves, the board wobbled on the water’s surface; although she got her feet down, she couldn’t find her balance enough to straighten her legs and in the next instant she was in. Again.
She surfaced with a gasp. The water was shockingly cold, even with a wetsuit, and she was sure a jellyfish had missed her face by inches. That would have been all she needed – red welts to decorate her sunburn. She felt her sense of humour – and her sense of adventure – desert her.
‘Good effort there, Cass. You nearly had it,’ Laird said encouragingly.
‘You think?’ she asked drily, heaving herself back onto the board with a groan. Who were they kidding? She and Archie had spent four days having lessons now, trying just to stand on the boards, and this was the first time they’d made it into the water. Conditions couldn’t have been better for novices like them yet they seemed doomed to spend their time lying on their tummies. ‘I’m beginning to think I’ll make an excellent boogie-boarder.’
Laird, hearing the tone of her voice, paddled over, pushing himself up to sitting easily. ‘Don’t give up, Cassie. I know it’s depressing, this stage. You think you’ll never master it, but believe me, all this groundwork you’re doing, it’s creating muscle memory that’s going to come together. And when it does’ – he flashed her a winning smile – ‘nirvana. There’s nothing like it in the world, trust me.’
She shrugged, feeling useless, feeling angry, feeling depressed. Everything in her world was just wrong right now, like it had tipped off kilter by one degree, leaving her unbalanced and lurching slightly.
‘Shall we give it another try?’
‘If you want.’
‘That’s the spirit.’ He turned back to Archie, who looked like he was trying to nap on his board. ‘Arch, shall we try again?’
‘OK, boss.’
They lay tummy down and went into crawl again. Twenty seconds later there was a double splash.
‘How was that?’ Suzy asked brightly, chopping tomatoes for a salad as they walked with a squelch into the kitchen. ‘Oh.’
‘I’m going to have a long, hot shower and then a lie-down,’ Archie said morosely, opening the fridge for a beer and finding only elderflower. He closed it again and walked off in an even bigger grump.
‘Don’t wake Velvet – she’s having her lunchtime sleep,’ Suzy called after him, but he didn’t reply. She looked over to Cassie for an explanation, but she was just as unforthcoming.
‘Still not standing, then?’
‘I’ve decided I’m going to go back tonight. There’s a train at half seven,’ Cassie said, ignoring the question and walking over to the fridge too. ‘This just isn’t working for me. It’s lovely down here, Suze, but thrashing about in the ocean, swallowing seawater on an hourly basis and getting sunburnt is not what I need right now.’ She opened the fridge door and looked in.
There was a short silence as Suzy stopped chopping and put down the knife. ‘Oh right. Uh-huh. I see.’
‘What?’
‘That’s the reason, is it?’
Cassie glanced back at her. ‘Yes, why wouldn’t it be?’
Suzy watched her. ‘It’s got nothing at all to do with your ex next door.’
She turned sharply, her hand on the handle. ‘Of course it hasn’t! We haven’t even seen them for three days.’
‘Exactly. That’s what I mean.’
Cassie blinked at her. ‘Suzy! I told you, there’s nothing there. He’s apologized, I’ve accepted his apology, and we’ve both moved on. He’s a different person now.’
‘Oh yes, I totally agree he’s changed. He and Amber seem very settled. I have to admit it’s not played out the way I feared it might with him. I was dead worried when I saw him coming over the lawn that first night – I thought he’d followed you down here to win you back, but . . .’ She shrugged. ‘Well, he’s clearly moved on too. In fact, I almost quite like the fella. I saw him and Amber in town earlier, walking hand in hand eating an ice cream – they actually looked kind of cute.’
Cute? Luke? That man was all about sex in the shower, not teddy bears and love hearts.
‘And Arch thinks he’s great, although if he actually knew the truth about you and Luke . . .’ She pulled a face.
Cassie frowned. ‘Do you mean to say you haven’t told him who Luke is yet?’ She had simply assumed Archie was fully accepting of the fact that they had both moved on. After all, Luke was here with Amber, and she was a model.
‘Who Luke was, you mean? No.’ Suzy shrugged. ‘Why bother? It’d only make him feel like he had to hate him on Henry’s behalf, and really, he so doesn’t need that kind of stress right now.’
Cassie exhaled impatiently. ‘So then what is your point? Why would I be leaving because of Luke if everything’s cool between us?’
‘Because I think it’s rattled your cage that he’s over you.’ She held her hands up defensively as Cassie gasped in indignation. ‘Hey! Don’t think I don’t understand it – I do! Every girl should be able to get an ego-boost from her ex. He should remain bitterly in love with you forever. It’s all very well in theory you both moving on and behaving like grown-ups, but it’s quite another thing to have his newfound bliss flaunted in your face – especially when things are so dire with you and Henry right now. I get it, really I do.’
‘No, dire is not the word. It’s just a rocky patch – Kelly said so.’ Cassie stuck her head back in the fridge and scanned the cheeses on the top shelf. She rather liked the look of one of Velvet’s Babybels. Instead, she pulled out a pack of prosciutto. ‘And I couldn’t give a stuff about Luke and his bliss. Ugh, starved,’ she said, closing her eyes and chewing belligerently.
Suzy sighed, scraping a chair out from under the kitchen table and sinking heavily into it. ‘Well, then I don’t understand why you want to go.’
‘I just do.’
There was a pause. ‘I really don’t get what’s going on with you at the moment. You’re all over the place.’
‘No I’m not.’
‘Cass, you and Henry are seemingly at breaking point over something we all thought you’d agreed to a year and a half ago! If that’s not “all over the place” I don’t know what is.’
‘We’ve been over this, like, a million times,’ Cassie groaned. ‘You know why I feel how I feel.’
‘I reckon it’s a timing thing. You’re out of sync with one another: you want career and fun; he wants to settle down. You want more time to live the life you missed out on, but, Cass, time is passing – you’re getting older, hon.’
‘So you’re saying I’m embarrassing myself?’
‘No,’ Suzy demurred, before adding under her breath, ‘Not yet.’ She watched as Cassie replaced the prosciutto and started on the pack of mini Peperamis. ‘Well, if you and Henry are just in a rocky patch and you’re cool with Luke, why the big rush to escape? You know I need you right now.’
‘You really don’t,’ Cassie said with a mouth full of food. ‘Archie is almost fully back to normal as far as I can see, and I’ve already proved my utter uselessness with Gem – not only, as you pointed out, did I sabotage my own wedding instead of hers, but now I’m providing the bloody catering for hers too! I’m doing way more harm than good.’
‘Exactly. You’re doing the catering. You can’t disappear now,’ Suzy said, pivoting the conversation around again. ‘Gem needs you. I am not discussing soufflés with her. She’ll want them wheat-free, gluten-free and sprinkled with flipping unicorn’s tears or something. I don’t have the patience, I really don’t.’
Cassie rolled her eyes. ‘I’ll come back in time for the wedding next weekend. I need to get all the kit from home anyway.’
‘You really don’t. Because that wedding is not happening,’ Suzy said firmly, slapping her palm against the table and completely contradicting herself. ‘This isn’t a game, Cass. I’ve only just put the phone down again to Mum stressing about it. She’s not sleeping – she’s on the phone to your mum almost every night because she’s up at Hong Kong hours. Can you imagine her reaction when I had to tell her Gem’s gone and set the date for less than a fortnight’s time? Go on, just try. No, don’t bother. I’ll tell you – she nearly had a stroke, that’s what, and you know Mum – she’s as stoic as a battleship.’
‘They seem happy, Suze,’ Cassie sighed, shutting the fridge and slumping down at the table too. ‘Laird’s a good bloke.’
‘I’m not saying he isn’t.’ She leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘But I’d be a good bloke too if my fiancée was about to inherit her parents’ estate on her next birthday at the end of summer.’
Suzy waited for Cassie’s eyes to meet hers. ‘That’s right. Half of this place and two mill in the bank. She’s going to be minted, Cass. Don’t you think it’s just a little bit suspicious that her boyfriend’s so keen to get married? I mean, what male did you ever know who wanted to settle down in his early twenties?’
‘I wouldn’t judge anyone by your taste in boyfriends before Arch,’ Cassie said pithily, although she couldn’t deny the revelation about Gem’s inheritance did throw a new complexion on things.
Suzy threw herself back in her chair, disappointed by Cassie’s lack of suspicion. She drummed her fingers on the table. ‘I won’t let you go back to London. How are you going to get to the station? Hmm?’
‘Arch can drive me.’
‘He’s not allowed to drive.’
‘I’ll call a cab, then.’
‘With the mobile reception here? Ha! Good luck.’
‘Fine, so I’ll hitchhike.’
‘Cass, you can’t leave me here!’
‘You’re being overdramatic, Suze. I have to get back for work anyway. You know this.’
‘Not for another week you don’t! You know I’ve got it all sorted with Zara. You’ll only mess up our plans if you go back now.’
‘Talking of which, have you nicked my diary?’
‘No. Why?’
‘I can’t find it anywhere.’
Suzy shrugged, but Cassie wasn’t convinced. She wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if Suzy had pinched it to stop her from going back to work and to force her to stay down here.
The phone rang and Suzy slipped lower in her chair, dropping her head into her hands. ‘Oh God, if it’s my mother again . . .’ she groaned.
‘I’ll get it,’ Cassie said, standing up and crossing the kitchen. ‘Hello?’
‘Is that Cass?’ a female voice asked.
‘Yes,’ Cassie said warily. The woman sounded familiar. Certainly her tone of voice suggested they knew each other.
‘It’s Betsy. We got that place you was after.’
Cassie straightened up, straining to hear. There was a lot of background noise coming through from the other end of the line. ‘I’m sorry, who? What place?’
‘In the gig. Sarah can’t make it. She needs to do a double shift, and Emma’s still got her arm in plaster, so she’s no good. It’s as well you called when you did or we’d have been up the ruddy creek. See you eight o’clock, yeah?’
‘But I didn’t c—’
‘Oh, and ignore the forecast. We’s always baking by the time we get to Newlands, so keep it light and easy to strip. Catch ya later!’
Cassie stared at the handset in shock as the caller rang off.
‘What just happened?’ Suzy asked, watching her.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well, who was it?’
Cassie pulled a face, trying to remember. ‘Betty? Betsy?’
‘Oh, Bets!’ Suzy replied cheerfully. ‘Good news?’
‘No! I think she was telling me there’s a space in the gig tonight.’
‘Amazing!’ Suzy laughed, smacking her hands down on the table. ‘Talk about saved by the bell! That’s a stroke of luck. Now you’ve got to stay.’
‘No I don’t. I’m going, Suze. I’ve had enough.’
‘Of course you have. Henry’s thrown a wobbly, and you can’t even get your ex to flirt with you. It’s shitty, but it’s time to move on now,’ she said, patting Cassie on the shoulder and going back to her chopping.
‘Yes, straight back to London, thanks, away from you.’
Suzy shrugged, an infuriating smile on her face. ‘Not tonight, babe. There’s a gig out there with your name on it.’
‘But I’ve never even seen a gig before,’ Cassie protested, getting crosser and crosser.
‘Google it. And eat pasta for supper. And wear your bikini.’
‘You seem to know an awful lot about this,’ Cassie said, her eyes slitted. ‘Who made the call to Betsy in the first place?’ As if she needed to ask . . .
‘Henry and I belonged to the Gig Club when we were teenagers. Betsy and I go way back.’
‘Oh really? Uh-huh. I see,’ she said defiantly, planting her hands on her hips. ‘Well, you can jolly well row with her tonight, then.’
‘No can do,’ Suzy said, sauntering from the room as they heard Velvet begin to yell upstairs. ‘I’d love to help you out, really I would, but it’s not my list.’