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‘Nope, unfortunately not.’ He grinned. ‘You may have to throw a roll or two at me if I fall asleep whilst serving.’
‘In that case, we’ll make a stop at the café on the way down to the beach to grab some strong coffee.’ She laughed. ‘Hopefully, it’ll prevent any rolls from having to be thrown.’
WITH TAKEAWAY COFFEE cups in hand, Layla led the way down the concrete ramp to the beach below. The air was crisp again, just the slight sheen of rain being carried on the breeze. She looked out towards the ocean. ‘It really is perfect here, isn’t it?’
‘It sure is. I can see why Harry and Diane have chosen to live down here.’ Graham took a sip of his coffee as they walked across the sand.
‘You live in Leeds, don’t you?’ She looked across at him as he nodded slowly. ‘What made Harry move down here? Diane met him whilst she was volunteering, right? He was already living down here?’
‘That’s right. My family are from Trestow, a town about thirty minutes away.’
‘Really? So, what made you move hundreds of miles away to Leeds?’ She widened her eyes. If she’d had all of this on her doorstep whilst growing up, she didn’t think anything would have pulled her away.
Graham grimaced.
‘Love?’
‘Yes, or what I thought was love, anyway.’ He took another sip, looking towards the waves making their way up the beach as he did so.
‘The ex who cheated on you with your cousin?’
‘That’s the one. Leeds is where my cousins grew up. My aunt, my dad’s sister, met my uncle up there on a weekend away and stayed. That’s where they raised their children, my cousins.’ He glanced down at the sand beneath his trainers before looking at her. ‘I met Julie, my ex, whilst I was visiting my cousin. They were old school friends, and we met on a night out.’
‘And you moved there to be with her?’
‘I sure did.’ He nodded.
‘So, why didn’t you move back when you separated? Surely it must be difficult to see her with your cousin around the city?’
‘I’d made it my home. I had my friends, my business.’
‘And you’ve never been tempted to move back down here?’
‘On numerous occasions I have.’ He nodded. ‘Once I went so far as to view a couple of properties down here but, I don’t know, it just didn’t feel right.’
She watched him as they paused by the water’s edge. Was he still in love with his ex? Hadn’t he wanted to move away from her even though they’d split up? No, that wouldn’t make sense. It would have been trickier to see her around than to have a clean break. Then what?
He turned and looked at her. ‘I know that doesn’t really make much sense. Why would I want to stay somewhere so far away from where I grew up, from my brother, my parents, when I’d only moved away for my ex, right?’
‘Umm...’ She nodded.
‘I guess it’s because I had no reason to move. Don’t get me wrong I had no reason to stay either but what I mean is by that point I’d got used to living in a big city, having everything at my fingertips at every hour of the day, always having jobs to do, work. I’d be moving back to the unknown. Despite growing up here, I hadn’t spent many years of my adult life down here and it was easier to stay in Leeds, where I’d made a life for myself.’
‘Was easier?’ Was he thinking of moving down here? Did he plan to?
He chuckled. ‘That slipped out. I have been thinking about moving, yes. This visit, getting to know everyone at the bakery and the locals through working at the bakery, I kind of feel welcome here, at home almost.’
‘So, you’re thinking of moving to Penworth Bay?’ She widened her eyes.
‘Possibly. Or back to Trestow maybe. I can imagine there’d be more work for my business there.’ He sipped his coffee again. ‘Although it’s not far to travel, of course. Plus, what with Harry and Diane getting married, well, Harry’s always spoken about having children. I want to be an hands-on uncle. I don’t want to be that Uncle Graham who lives hours away, I don’t want to just see my niece or nephew on special occasions or for the odd weekend here or there.’
‘Aw, that’s lovely that you feel that way.’ She smiled. She’d never been particularly close to her aunts and uncles, or her cousins, for that matter. It would have been nice to have been, especially as an only child. She linked arms with him. ‘When do you think you’ll make the move?’
‘I don’t know. It’ll take time. I’ll have to give notice on my rental house, drum up some business...’ He shrugged. ‘I’ve decided to stay on for a while after the wedding.’
‘You have?’ She grinned as her stomach lurched. It hadn’t occurred to her that he’d only been planning to stay until the wedding was over.
‘Yes, I have. I’ll put the feelers out, see how much work is about.’ He placed his free hand over hers in the crook of his arm. ‘Besides, I’ve met this girl who I’m told is staying for a few weeks and I’d like to see where things go.’
