Jack parked his hire car where Kara had instructed then took his suitcase from the boot, tapped the 1066 code into the key store, unlocked the big front door and made his weary way up the stairs to Number One, Ferry View Apartments. His mate Ralph had said that yes of course he could use his Airbnb profile, as long as he promised not to wreck the joint and would come clean if an awkward situation arose as he didn’t want to lose his high guest rating.
It was a great relief to Jack to find out, after sending a couple of messages, that Kara would be away with Billy while he was there. After all, the whole point of him coming was to surprise Star, and knowing how tight the two young women were as friends, that would have been nigh on impossible if Kara saw him first. He could have booked in at The Dolphin up the hill, it looked like a really nice hotel, but his memories of staying here in this apartment earlier in the year were so good that he wanted to relive them. The uninterrupted view of the estuary from the front room was what had sold it.
He put a couple of bottles of water in the fridge, then on opening the balcony door to take in the beautiful vista before him, he stretched out his arms and released a sound of pure pleasure. New York had been bitterly cold when he had left; the snow had gone, but a smoggy freeze had remained – almost as chilly as the farewell he had received from Riley, who had had the jealous (and accurate) hunch that he wasn’t really coming to England to visit his parents. It wasn’t a complete lie as he had flown in a day early and had met them for dinner at the Heathrow hotel he had stayed in last night, saying that he had business meetings in Plymouth today and Monday, so was making the most of a little Cornish break. A photo of them together over dinner had appeased Riley, who said how sorry she was and that she probably wouldn’t contact him again now as she was off to the Hamptons with her friends and would be busy herself.
All these lies. He wasn’t proud of them, but it was easier than trying to explain that he had come all the way across The Pond to see if the feelings for a girl he had been with for such a short time were real or just a complete fantasy. His practical GP parents would think he was being foolish, while his girlfriend would probably push him out of the window of the Dakota Building. But something inside was telling him that he had to do it. Hearing that Blaise Pascal quote in that film had been too much of a coincidence. Star believed that people were drawn together for a reason, something he had found ridiculous initially, but despite trying to make a go of it with Riley, Steren Bligh had remained on his mind. And why, at that precise moment in his life, did old Blaise have to pop his circa four-hundred-year-old head up again?
After the long drive he had just had from London, the November rain when he stuck his head out on to the balcony brought with it a crisp Cornish breeze and a much-needed breath of fresh air. It was so nice to be back in Blighty. To be back amongst nature rather than the concrete jungle and constant pressure of the Big Apple and his life there. It had also been so wonderful to see and hug his mum and dad. It made Jack realise how much he missed them, and also his sisters, who sadly had been unable to make it last night due to work commitments.
The sea was calm apart from a few wrinkly waves when the light wind hit its surface. On noticing Kara’s dad’s little yellow and red tug pulling cars over on the ferry in the distance, Jack smiled fondly. He loved the sound of gulls, a comforting signal that he was by the sea. As he watched, a couple of guys in a dinghy pulled up alongside a yacht, then one climbed aboard while the other whizzed his way back to the quay. It was so relaxing, Jack thought. He literally could estuary watch all day.
‘Hello, James Bond.’ He was effusive in his greeting as the black and white cat came tearing through his cat flap then purred around his ankles. ‘I’m sure I can find some treats in the kitchen for you.’ He went through to the compact kitchen area and found a packet of Dreamies next to the kettle. There was also a box of cat food with a note from Kara saying, S. Once a day is fine, honestly, just load him up with 2 sachets. Thank you! See you Monday, K xx. When Kara had told Ralph a.k.a. Jack that a friend of hers called Star would be coming in to feed the cat in the morning, his heart had started beating at a million miles an hour. It was a perfect scenario; he didn’t even have to try and find her or convince her to see him. She would just be there.
A text brought him out of his daydream. It was from Kara, checking he was in and all was OK, and if he had any questions, to just shout. He was just about to ask what had happened to Sid Vicious, the terrapin who had lived here back in June, when he suddenly realised that he was in fact moonlighting as Ralph Kaufman from San Francisco and not Jack Murray, an Englishman from New York.
He looked around the apartment. It had changed, felt like it had more soul. Was more lived in, with its new comfy sofa and different pictures. A photo of her and Billy Dillon, the young ferryman he had briefly seen when he was here last time, was on the shelf where the terrapin tank had once been. The couple looked really loved up. He was so pleased; Kara was a great girl. On opening the cupboard in the bathroom, he realised that young Billy must have moved in already too. That was fast work. Jack felt an urge to chat to her and find out what was going on. The chance to do this when he had returned home had obviously been halted with Riley’s jealousy and him wanting to keep a wide berth of everything connected with Hartmouth in order to try and save his relationship. He also noticed some wonderful photos of Kara in Barcelona, New York and Australia. She looked so well and happy, it was a delight to see.
Kara’s sister, Jen, with whom he used to work, had told him the dates when Kara would be in New York and had asked if he could deliver something to her. She explained that it was a message and a ticket to spur her younger sister on to the next leg of the travel journey, which Jen had secretly arranged to allow Kara to open up her horizons. This had pleased Jack greatly, especially as during his short visit to Hartmouth he could see that his hostess was struggling after a break-up. This was when he had imparted his No more I wish, but I will message to her. Yes, Kara Moon had made an impact on him too, but in a very different way to her best friend.
Jack looked at his watch. It was 2 p.m. and his stomach was telling him he was hungry. It would be breakfast-time in New York, and he was used to having a large bagel delivered to his office around this time. Unpacking could wait, he decided. Pulling a bobble hat over his thick black hair, he made his way downstairs, out of the Victorian apartment block and began to walk along the crazy-paved promenade towards Frank’s Café.
‘Good morning,’ came a greeting from a big Irishman. ‘What can I do you for?’
Jack was grateful the man didn’t recognise him from before.
‘A ham and cheese toastie and a black coffee, please.’ He was the only customer aside from a young woman with a pushchair sitting in the very back booth. The jukebox was belting out ‘You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’.
‘Sure. Sit down and I’ll bring it over. Sugar?’
‘No, thank you.’
Frank began to sing along with the tune as an effortlessly elegant woman appeared at the doorway. Frank ran around the counter to open it for her.
‘Mon chéri.’ She kissed her lover cheek-to-cheek three times. ‘You forgot your wallet, and I thought you might need it.’
‘Aw. You drove all this way from home? That’s so sweet.’
‘I am hungry too. You can make me an omelette. No cheese.’ She looked out of the window to see the car ferry just coming into the quay. ‘Your Conor is in charge today, I see.’
‘Yes. Billy’s away with Kara so our boy is loving it, especially now he’s won over the seasickness. Star gave him some sort of potion, so he tells me.’
‘They seem very happy, he and Star, non?’
Jack’s ears pricked up and homed in on the conversation. Damn those Righteous Brothers singing so loudly.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he never left here, you know. He seems smitten,’ Frank said, beating some eggs in a bowl.
‘He needed a good girl to sort him out.’
‘Yes. I think they are perfect together. What’s more, we could do with a wedding down here. I’ve still got all those beers that Roger the Dodger delivered last Christmas to use up before their sell-by date.’
‘Bah! You are so romantic, Frank, not!’ Monique swiped at him with a tea towel.
And as Big Frank laughed his throaty laugh and scooped his pretty partner into his arms, Jack Murray felt more like crying – into a glass of Dodgy Roger’s beer.