A Starlit Summer Page 10

  ‘He’s got confidence; I’ll give him that.’

  ‘I also hadn’t warned him about you being over early in the morning or given you the head’s up that there’d be someone in the cottage.’

  ‘Well, I’m sorry, for assuming too much and not believing you when you said you weren’t together. I like you, that’s all.’ His hand found hers beneath the table. Jenna had a momentary flashback to them sitting in the garden at Bramble Cottage, that unexpected kiss that had surprised her and then left her wanting more, whereas being alone with Milo had left her stressed and worried that she’d say yes to him when really she meant no.

  ‘Where have you gone?’ Finn leaned closer, waggling a hand in front of her face.

  ‘Sorry, I was thinking.’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘That I like you too.’ It hardly took anything for Jenna to close the gap and kiss him. He didn’t pull away like the first time as if it had been the wrong thing to do. And this time it felt so right. They shuffled closer on the picnic bench, Jenna not caring if anyone was watching. Their hands slid around each other’s waists. She’d admired him plenty of times when he was topless in the garden and his chest was pleasingly firm beneath his T-shirt. His kiss was tender, un-rushed, and Jenna savoured it until the chatter and clatter of glasses flooded back and the people around them came back into focus.

  Finn was grinning at her. ‘I don’t think we have the excuse this time of the sun having gone to our heads.’

  ‘I can’t even claim it’s because I’ve had too much to drink.’

  His hand was warm where he held hers in his lap. ‘Maybe we don’t need an excuse.’

  ‘Maybe you’re right.’ She ran her fingers up his chest, reaching his beard and cupping his face. She kissed him again and lingered, playing out in her mind if she should be brave – or reckless – and ask him back to the cottage. She imagined him in her bed and walking naked to the bathroom in the morning.

  She pulled away and let go of his face. ‘Do you fancy a walk?’

  ~

  It was a balmy summer’s night, away from the noise and busyness of the pub. Lined by houses and bungalows, the road was quiet with only a few cars passing and it was even quieter once they headed along the narrow lane that led to the hotel the cast were staying in. They turned off before the hotel car park on to a track that joined the coastal path with a view over a deserted Polurrian Beach. The night was starlit, the sea an endless black, the only colour the white surf catching the moonlight as it foamed on to the beach. They were close to civilisation with the hotel on the hilltop behind them and the village only a short walk away, and yet Jenna felt truly disconnected from the world.

  Finn’s hand was warm in hers as they walked. Just before they reached the steep path that led down to the sandy beach they stopped. Finn kept hold of her hand as they gazed out over the dark expanse of sand below. ‘Is acting what you’ve always wanted to do?’

  ‘One of the things. My mum always complains I’ve flitted from one thing to another, although I guess acting’s always been my constant. How about you?’

  ‘It was kinda expected that I’d go into the family business.’

  ‘Did you want to?’

  He paused. ‘Yes.’

  ‘You don’t sound sure.’

  ‘I wanted to be a builder like my dad. I mean, it’s all I know; I’ve been helping Dad since I was twelve, probably even younger. I’m good at it and it’s a successful family business. I’d have been foolish not to go into it.’

  It wasn’t hard to hear the justification in his voice. ‘I guess that’s great if there was really nothing else you wanted to do...’

  His thumb rubbed along the side of hers in time to the waves breaking on the shore. ‘I wanted to surf, that’s all I did as a teenager and still do, every chance I get. What about you? What do you do when you’re not working?’

  ‘At the moment downtime is either on my own at the cottage or meeting up with the cast and crew in the evening – like Lily and Amanda tonight.’

  ‘But back home?’

  ‘You know, the usual, going out, meeting friends. Go to the theatre, cinema, gigs. I have a gym membership...’

  ‘That you actually use?’

  Jenna playfully slapped his shoulder. ‘I do. I play netball as well and years ago I used to love working on my parents’ garden – not very cool, I know, and a bit odd a teenager being into gardening. I’ve been on a waiting list to get an allotment for the last two years. Never surfed, though.’

  ‘Never?’

  Jenna shook her head.

  ‘We’ll have to do something about that.’

  ‘Yeah, you can teach me some time.’ She grinned and he held her hand tighter.

  ‘So, is that why I always see you in the garden at Bramble Cottage?’

  ‘Yeah, I love it. Taming it but holding on to its wild beauty at the same time. I find it therapeutic. Maybe it’s because it’s the complete opposite of my job – the nature of being an actor is social, constantly meeting new people, going to auditions. Working on set you’re always surrounded by people – hair, make-up, costume, ADs, lighting, sound, other actors. It’s pretty full on. So gardening is an escape from all that.’

  ‘I like Jenna the Gardener – it’s the only side I’ve really seen of you.’

  ‘The acting stuff is a whole other world. It’s weird. Sometimes I feel completely comfortable and a part of the acting world, and other times totally disconnected from it.’

  ‘Maybe it’s not what you really want to do deep down? Maybe your passion lies somewhere else. Like being outdoors doing what you love?’

  His words hung in the night air, toying with her. Jenna knew that right this moment being out here, looking at the ocean was what she loved – the peacefulness, the beauty of the starlit night with the moon reflecting on the glass-like sea.

  It also helped that Finn was with her, his hand firm in hers, their shoulders touching sending tingles through her. They remained standing side by side looking out over the beach.

  ‘This has been a good night,’ she said.

  He turned to her and the moonlight caught one side of his face, defining his cheekbone. ‘I’m very glad we bumped into each other.’

  ‘For that cold beer.’

  ‘Exactly.’ He leant closer and kissed her. The tingling in the pit of her stomach intensified. Her hand dropped from his and circled his waist which was hard and toned from all the building work and surfing. His hands ran up her sides, finding her face as they kissed each other deeply, the only sound the continual breaking of the waves.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jenna drove him home. It wasn’t far, only on the edge of Mullion, walkable but it was late and his friends had already left the pub. Jenna didn’t want the evening to end.

  She pulled up outside a large and modern semi-detached house in a leafy cul-de-sac. He turned in the passenger seat to face her. ‘I’d invite you in but my parents are home. Not that they’d care, it’s just... well, it’s not particularly cool living with my folks.’

  Was he waiting for her to invite him back to the cottage? Maybe she should... But then again it was probably a bad idea. He was the builder working on her parents’ cottage and she was supposed to be overseeing the work, not actually seeing the builder.

  ‘No worries, it’s late anyway and I still need to drive back.’

  He undid his seat belt and slid his hand on to her thigh. ‘Are you going to be okay?’

  ‘I’ll be fine.’ Jenna strained against her seat belt as she moved closer to kiss him. ‘And maybe we should do this again sometime.’

  ‘How about tomorrow, if you’re not working?’

  ‘No work on the weekend. I’m free. I’m always free.’

  ‘How about I take you to my favourite beach.’

  ‘Sounds amazing.’

  ‘I’ll pick you up at nine.’

  ‘Perfect.’

  His lips brushed hers again, his beard tickling a
s he pulled away. He opened the car door, letting cool air in. The door slamming shut was loud in the darkness. She watched him walk up the path. The security light switched on, bathing him in light, accentuating his broad shoulders beneath his pale T-shirt, and his muscly legs in jeans that hugged him in all the right places. He turned, waved and closed the door behind him. The security light switched off, returning the cul-de-sac to darkness. Jenna sighed and did a three-point turn, her headlights cutting through the night as she drove away.

  She wished he’d asked her in; it didn’t bother her that his parents were there. Was it so strange that at twenty-eight, only a year older than her, Finn was still living with his parents? He worked for the family business after all, and buying your own home must be crazy expensive in this part of Cornwall. It was probably the easier and most sensible option. She’d only moved out from her parents’ because of work, to be closer to London and jobs, otherwise wouldn’t she still be there? And maybe she should have gone back when she’d moved out of the apartment with Heidi – she was spending a fortune on rent for a tiny place with no outside space.

  Her head hurt from concentrating on the dark narrow roads, difficult to navigate even with full beams on. She was relieved when she pulled into the drive and switched off the engine. She got out of the car and shivered – it was so much cooler this late at night. A bat flew between the trees, its dark shape silhouetted against the moonlit sky. She shivered again, but this time more from the eerie stillness of the night rather than the cold.

  She power-walked to the door, trying not to think about the beady eyes of an owl watching her from the treetops. It would feel quite different with Finn’s strong arm around her waist. Once again she regretted not having the nerve to invite him back.

  She closed the cottage door firmly and locked it. At least she’d see him tomorrow. Deep down she knew that this evening was enough, to know they felt the same way about each other. More could wait; she had enough going on without jumping into bed with him and into a new relationship. That was the last thing she’d expected when coming to Cornwall, but like everything over the last couple of weeks, life had a way of surprising her.

  After bumping into Finn, she realised just how much she looked forward to seeing him. It was a good start to the day if he arrived before she headed off to work. She hadn’t been able to get him out of her head from the moment they shared that kiss in the garden.

  It was late and she was sober but tired. It had been a long week filming mainly outdoors in stifling heat. The cottage was cool, although warmer upstairs and she stripped down to a vest and knickers, leaving the curtains drawn and the windows wedged open as far as they would go. She closed her eyes and fell asleep thinking about Finn.

  ~

  It was difficult to sleep much past dawn with birdsong and daylight streaming through the windows. Jenna didn’t fight it and got up. She had a shower and put on a bikini beneath her denim shorts and T-shirt. The sun shone across the lawn promising another beautiful day; so far it had been a charmed summer and Jenna wondered how long it would last.

  She made coffee and toast and ate it outside. A peacock butterfly fluttered around the purple flowers of a hebe. Jenna still hadn’t got used to how peaceful it was with no traffic, only the rustle of leaves, the sway of branches in the breeze and the buzz of a lazy bee. There were no man-made sounds, not even the rumble of a lawnmower, which was so reminiscent of summer when Jenna was growing up. She loved being able to potter out in the garden whenever she wanted to.

  There was still plenty to do outside and loads of weeds to remove. Bare patches of soil needed replanting, while other areas were overgrown and threaded with brambles. It was the best time of day to work on the one border that always got the sun. Jenna retrieved her gardening gloves and secateurs from the lean-to, and started cutting her way through the brambles making a spiky pile next to her. There were already a few deep red juicy berries and she picked those and ate them. She was still hacking away when she heard an engine and crunch of tyres on the drive.

  Jenna dropped the secateurs and gloves on the grass, wiped her brow with the back of her hand and walked across the grass to the driveway.

  Finn emerged from his van and grinned. His hair was windswept, his T-shirt sleeves rolled up to his shoulders showing off his muscles and tattoos; he was in board shorts and grey Converse trainers.

  ‘Morning.’ He slammed the door closed.

  ‘Morning.’ Jenna wondered if it’d be inappropriate to kiss him... daytime felt very different to the end of last night.

  His hand found the small of her back as they walked to the cottage together. He didn’t attempt to kiss her so she restrained herself too.

  ‘Is it strange being here and not having to work?’

  ‘It’s nice not working and even better spending the day with you.’

  Warmth flooded through her at his words. ‘Fancy a coffee? I’ve made a pot.’

  ‘Love one.’

  ~

  They sat outside in the same spot Jenna had sat on her own an hour or so earlier. The sun made Finn’s tanned skin look even darker than it had inside.

  Finn took her hand. ‘I wish I’d invited you in last night.’

  Jenna knew her cheeks were flushing. Before falling asleep last night she’d played over and over in her mind what could have happened...

  ‘I should have invited you back here, it’s just...’

  ‘I know, a bit forward. We had a nice night. It didn’t need to be more, it’s just, well you know...’

  Jenna laughed. ‘Yeah, I know.’

  ‘I love my folks to bits but there are times... Sheesh, it’d be good to have my own place.’ He cupped his hands round his mug of coffee. ‘I haven’t always lived with my parents. I spent a summer in Newquay and then I shared a flat with Jake in Falmouth until he moved in with Stef.’

  ‘You couldn’t stay there on your own?’

  ‘Couldn’t afford to and no one else was in a position to move in with me. And I didn’t fancy sharing with a stranger.’

  ‘I know that feeling.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘I fell out with my best friend – we’d lived together at drama school then moved in together afterwards. Heidi’s parents bought a flat in London, they said as an investment for their retirement, but were happy enough for me and Heidi to live there and pay a fraction of the rent we’d have to pay anywhere else. They’re loaded anyway. Then end of last year me and Heidi had a massive argument and I moved out. I had the choice of back with my parents making it harder to get jobs in London, or rent a poxy little flat closer to train and Tube links.’

  ‘So you went for the flat.’

  ‘Yep. It’s nothing special, but it’s my space and I’ve kinda liked living by myself these last few months.’

  ‘No boyfriend?’ He grinned.

  ‘No boyfriend. And you had no girlfriend to move in with?’

  He shook his head. ‘I’ve had relationships but the one serious girlfriend who I hoped to move in with broke my heart. I want to move out of my parents’ though. A couple of surfer friends are talking about renting a place along the coast. It won’t be cheap though, even for a small place, but it’ll be worth it. I work with Dad and we get on great, but I just need space. Not all the questions, you know what I mean?’

  ‘Totally.’

  ‘So what happened between you and your friend?’

  ‘It’s a long story and one that’s going to wind me up too much.’

  He held up his hands. ‘Say no more.’ He drained his coffee and stood up. ‘Let’s make the most of today, then.’

  ~

  Finn drove. It was good for a change to not be the one navigating narrow winding lanes. Apart from going to her parents’, she mostly took the bus, train or Tube back home. It was a different lifestyle here. Weekends spent surfing, on the beach, in the outdoors, or for her, pottering about in the garden she loved. There were plenty of leafy green open spaces within driving distance of wh
ere she lived or reachable by public transport from central London, but it was very different having so much beauty right on the doorstep. It was a joy to wake up and smell air free of exhaust fumes or stale greasy chips from the local Chinese. Her tiny flat overlooking a main road just didn’t compare to the period cottage in the middle of an acre of garden and woodland, with not another building in sight.

  They parked in a large and busy car park that overlooked the sandy expanse of Dayton Bay. Finn passed Jenna’s rucksack to her from the back of the van and swung his on his back. They didn’t head to the beach as Jenna expected, but set off along a sandy path that cut through grass to the headland and away from the village and bay. Although the sun was high in a nearly cloudless blue sky, the breeze coming off the sea was fresh. Where the path narrowed, long grasses tickled their bare legs, while the sun warmed her arms enough to keep goosebumps at bay.

  ‘So,’ Jenna said, matching Finn’s long stride as he led the way. ‘You’re taking me to your favourite beach?’

  ‘Yep, one of them. Been coming here for years; well, for as long as I can remember. It’s my mum’s favourite place too, near where she grew up. I don’t think Dad was ever too keen on lugging everything we needed for a day on the beach along this coastal path but Mum always liked the peacefulness away from the worst of the summer crowds.’

  With Dayton Bay behind them, their surroundings were just grass and trees on one side and to their left jagged rocks jutting down into the sea. As they rounded the corner, the view opened up with sloping grass leading to white-walled slate-roofed coastal homes. The sandy path cut between the swathes of green grasses and colourful wild flowers swaying in the breeze. They kept going until a sandy rock-studded beach backed by sloping grassy cliffs began to reveal itself.

  Finn stopped. ‘It’s worth the walk.’

  Jenna stood next to him, gazing at the pale sand and sparkling sea. It was worth the walk for the views alone; the coastal path edged by tall grasses and studded with tiny mossy flowers, the view of blue sky and an even deeper blue sea stretching to the horizon and beyond. Endless. Jenna liked that, being on the edge of something, at the start with all the possibilities that promised.