One Summer in Cornwall Karen King (positive books to read TXT) 📖

He’d have loved to, thought Marcus, but he didn’t trust himself not to kiss her and then that might lead to them ending up in bed again. It might be just sex to Hattie, but it meant more than that to him.

‘I’d better not, I’ve got an early start in the morning. I’ll collect Buddy tomorrow about five thirty.’ He leant forward and kissed her on the cheek ‘Night, Hattie.’

Chapter Thirty-Eight

‘Hattie!’ Lou ran to the door in delight as Mali let Hattie in.

‘Hello, Looby-Lou, how are you?’ Hattie knelt down and gave the girl a hug.

‘I’m good. Especially now you’re coming to live near us. You’ve got my bed this weekend,’ she added. ‘I’m sleeping with Mummy.’

Hattie smiled. ‘Thank you, Lou, that’s very kind of you.’

‘You can take some of my fluffy toys in bed with you, if you want. All except Bumble, he’s coming in Mummy’s bed with me.’ She grabbed Hattie’s hand. ‘Do you want to see the bedroom.’

‘Let’s show Hattie later, Lou. I bet she could do with a drink and something to eat, she’s had a long journey,’ Mali said gently.

Lou looked so disappointed that Hattie said, ‘It’s okay, we can go and check out the room then I can have a drink.’

‘Coffee, lemonade or wine?’ Mali asked.

‘Coffee please, but wine later would be lovely,’ Hattie told her.

Lou proudly showed her the single bed with the light-blue and yellow stars duvet cover and matching curtains beside it, as well as the row of cuddly toys that sat along the bottom of the bed. ‘You can choose any one you like.’

‘It’s a lovely room, Lou. Thank you for letting me stay in it,’ Hattie told her.

‘That’s okay, I like snuggling in with Mummy sometimes. Not all the time, though, cos she snores and pinches all the duvet.’

‘Cheeky madam,’ Mali shouted from the kitchen, where she’d obviously heard every word.

Hattie felt her spirits lift. A weekend with Mali and Lou was exactly what she needed right now.

Later, when Lou was finally worn out and fast asleep in bed, Mali poured them both a glass of wine and sat down on the sofa beside Hattie. She kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs underneath her. ‘Now, tell me all the goss. How are things with you and Marcus?’

‘Friendly. We don’t see much of each other, really. We’re both busy.’

Mali picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. ‘That’s surprised me. I thought he fancied you and you are definitely into him.’

‘I am not!’

Mali studied her over the rim of her wine glass. ‘So, that’s it, friends? Not even a kiss?’

Hattie chewed her lip while she tried to think about how to phrase her answer.

Mali narrowed her eyes and stared at her. ‘Hattie . . .’

‘Well, okay we did . . . er . . . get a bit close, but it was only the once and it meant nothing.’ Liar.

Mali put her wine down on the coffee table and turned to face Hattie. ‘How close?’

So Hattie confessed.

‘And it was that bad neither of you wanted a repeat performance?’

‘It wasn’t bad, it was good.’ Make that earth-shatteringly good. ‘Then I got the call to say we had a buyer for the house and Marcus backed right off. I guess he thinks it’s a waste of time getting involved with each other as I’ll be leaving soon.’

‘And what do you think?’

Hattie hesitated, then decided to be truthful. Mali was her best friend. ‘I think I’ve fallen for him, but I know that there’s no future in it so it’s best if we keep a distance from each other. I’ll be gone in a few weeks.’

‘Are you sure that he doesn’t feel the same way?’ Mali asked.

‘Positive. He suggested that we forget all about that one incident and just be friends until I go. So, we went out for a drink last night, chatted, then he walked me home and kissed me on the cheek.’ She picked up her glass of wine. ‘And earlier tonight he came around to collect Buddy because he’s looking after him while I’m away, and didn’t even bother giving me a peck on the cheek, just got Buddy into the travel cage, said he hoped I enjoyed my weekend and that one of the houses was suitable, then went.’ She’d been so disappointed, that when he’d left, she’d almost burst into tears and had had to give herself a stern talking to.

‘Bummer! Well, you’ll soon forget about him when you’re back in the swing of things here. We’ve got three fab houses to see, one is only around the corner, which I think would be perfect, but obvs you have to choose what’s best for you.’

Hattie took a long sip of her wine, and as she felt the liquid slide down her throat, she felt herself relax. Mali was right, she would be fine once she was in her own little house in Bristol.

They spent the evening chatting away. Mali wanted to know all about Nick and was surprised when Hattie told her about her dad’s offer to go and stay with them once the house was sold.

‘So, you and your dad are getting on now, then?’

Hattie shrugged. ‘Sort of. I realise that I was a bit hard on him; he was struggling to adapt to his new life and I made it difficult for him to see me. I will go and stay with him, Nick is great and I’d like to get to know my stepfamily more, but not until I’m settled.’

‘You never know, you might like France and want to live there. Although, me and Lou would miss you like mad.’

‘No, I don’t fancy living abroad. Mum’s been really supportive too, she’s been on a Caribbean cruise the past few weeks but messages me when she can and has offered for me to stay with her and Howard as long as I want. I’m beginning to realise how lucky I am to have two parents living abroad. Lots