Page 64 of Tricks & Treats at The Cosy Cornish Bakery

‘Not exactly. We were well away before then. Didn’t even get up on it.’ Ginger’s nose wrinkled. ‘The floor was slippery with sand and there was seaweed everywhere. It stank.’

‘Seaweed does,’ Chloe said, trying to keep a straight face.

‘But I was so carried away I didn’t notice until… afterwards.’ Ginger covered her face with her hands. ‘I feel such a fool. Not only did I fall into his trap, give him what he wanted, I literally threw myself at him. I couldn’t have looked more desperate if I’d tried.’

‘Oh, Ginger, lovie.’ Chloe took her friend’s hands and forced her to look at her. ‘You weren’t desperate.’

‘You didn’t see me in that cave,’ Ginger retorted. ‘I had desperation tattooed across my forehead. In big fat neon letters.’ She prodded her face. ‘Look at me. A thirty-seven-year-old desperate B&B owner. Come and get it. He must be laughing at me all the way back to the airport in his sodding luxury sodding chauffeur driven sodding limo.’ She swallowed another gulp of cider. ‘I’ve made an absolute tit of myself.’

‘Look,’ Chloe began, trying to reason with her, ‘you decided to go with the moment. Grab at some happiness while you could. Is that such a bad thing?’

‘That’s how I was rationalising it, but it was all a crock of shit. I thought I could cope with the reality of it all but I’ve just got hurt. Again.’

‘Do you think there’s any chance your feelings were returned? You said he seemed genuine?’

Ginger blew out a long, wavering breath. ‘I thought he was being genuine. Maybe. Possibly. Had some doubts. As you pointed out, he’s a trained actor, a skilled one. He could have been acting all along just to get his leg over. I was so muddled. Didn’t know if he was being sincere, and if he was, what the future was going to be. Or, if he was just playing me, whether I could accept it for what it was – a fling.’ Ginger was rambling a little now. ‘In the end I’ve completely fallen in love with him, and I haven’t the foggiest how he feels about me. I got back from the post office to make us some lunch and do a treatment on a client. Josh wasn’t there. Bed made up neatly, cases gone. His little hire car is still there but that’s it.’

‘Maybe that means he’s planning on coming back.’ Chloe was clutching at straws and sensed Ginger knew it.

‘The car was dropped off by the hire company. They’ll probably collect it.’

‘No note? Call? Text?’

‘Nothing. Not a thing. I suppose I should be grateful he paid in advance and I don’t have to chase his management for money. In fact, I’m in credit. He’d booked to stay for another month.’

‘Always an upside.’

Ginger didn’t respond.

‘Sorry. Trying to cheer you up. Bit tactless.’

‘A bit.’ Ginger stared into her cider. ‘Think I’ll go home.’

‘Want me to come with?’

Ginger shook her head vigorously. ‘I’m no fit company tonight. Just want to curl up and gorge on chocolate and a box set.’ She stood up. ‘Do you know the worst thing?’

‘What, lovie?’

‘Kezia went to change the room over. Josh’s room. I couldn’t face doing it. He’d…’ Ginger trailed off, tears filling her eyes. ‘He’d left his bucket hat on the bed. The one he always wore when he was in his Jim disguise.’

‘It’ll pass, Ginger.’ Chloe took hold of her friend’s hand and shook it a little. ‘I know it’s bad at the moment, but it will pass.’

Ginger stared at her, hollow-eyed. ‘You reckon?’ She shrugged her coat on and rammed her crocheted beret down over her hair. ‘I’m not so sure.’

‘I’ll ring you. I’ll come over tomorrow. We can swap anecdotes about how horrible Josh was.’

‘That’s the trouble,’ Ginger said sadly, ‘he wasn’t.’ She squeezed herself through the crowds and out of the pub.

Chloe’s heart broke for her friend. She swallowed the remains of her wine in one and then finished off Ginger’s cider.

‘Was that Ginger I saw?’ Nik slid into her vacant seat. ‘She didn’t look happy. Is she unwell?’

Chloe’s fury bubbled up. ‘Oh she’s unwell, all right. Suffering from that perennial affliction, Men Pissing About With Women-itis.’

‘Sorry?’ He looked confused.

‘Tell me, does your sex enjoy messing us about and humiliating us?’ Chloe’s fury at Josh, reined in when comforting Ginger, boiled over.