Lynsey James - The Sunflower Cottage Breakfast Club

Oh great, I thought, the verbal sparring was starting again. There was no way I was letting him win, though.

‘And you’re something that might be popular but still liable to cause heart attacks?’

‘I’ll miss this back-and-forth when you go back home,’ he shot back. ‘When is that exactly?’

‘Not soon enough for my liking!’

Our latest run-in was interrupted by Rose gleefully announcing she’d found the maple syrup and the Canadian couple bursting into the kitchen, full of the joys of summer.

‘Till next time,’ I said, throwing him a sly smile over my shoulder.

*

As my stomach gurgled and lurched thanks to no green smoothie, I found a shred of phone signal to phone Paul with an update on Sunflower Cottage. You had to watch with Paul. He had a reputation for being slippery and conveniently forgetting things. I also needed a distraction to stop me thinking about the fact my biological dad was just a few feet away, living his life, with no clue I was about to show up on his doorstep.

‘It’s practically in the bag,’ I said after my belly groaned again. ‘Owner’s really keen to sell; she just needs a bit more time to think it over. Also, she called the lovely Tara an incompetent fool. Great decision giving her that promotion!’

I could almost hear the cogs of Paul’s oily little mind turning as he tried to formulate a smooth and winning response. ‘Just think of when you’ve got business development executive after your name on your business card and running your own team. Tara might’ve had an… unfair advantage, shall we say, but you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you earned it.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Yeah that’s a real comfort right now; I’m two hundred miles away from home, there are no decent coffee shops or sushi bars for miles and I’m standing on a bloody chair to get mobile phone reception. Oh, and the town arsehole already hates me!’

‘You’ll win him round; you always do.’ Paul’s voice was silky and soothing. He’d used the same tone with countless disgruntled clients over the years and I could see why it worked. ‘And even if you don’t, who cares? It’s a tiny little village in the middle of nowhere that you’ll never have to visit again.’

I sighed as I tried to keep my balance on the chair. ‘You’re right. It’s only a month and then I’ll never have to see anyone here ever again. Doesn’t sound so bad when you put it like that.’

‘That’s the spirit! Just think of coming back to civilisation and that should get you through. Let me know when you’ve definitely got Sunflower Cottage in the bag. It’s a big one, Emily, and I know you can do it. If anyone can get her to sign on the dotted line, it’s you.’

*

I was jiggling the laptop around, trying to find even a wisp of a Wi-Fi connection, when Rose came in, proffering tea and scones.

‘I felt so awful I didn’t have the ingredients to make your smoothie earlier, so I thought you might like these.’

‘Oh thanks, that’s lovely!’ I put my laptop aside and took the cup and plate from her.

I expected her to leave, but she sat herself down on the edge of the bed. The frame groaned a little under her weight.

‘You seem like a busy young woman.’ She gestured to the laptop with an uncertain smile. ‘All these gadgets you have with you! I wouldn’t know where to begin with them.’

‘They’re all part of my job.’ I sipped my tea and took a bite of my scone. ‘Don’t know where I’d be without them!’

‘Noah’s always fiddling with that tablet computer of his… what’s it called, an iPad? I don’t bother with them; Sunflower Cottage doesn’t even have one of those website thingymabobs. I think sometimes people need to put the technology down and have a look at their surroundings. Like now, for instance: you’re in one of the most beautiful parts of Yorkshire and you’re stuck inside working! Still, I suppose this place is a million miles away from what you’re used to, isn’t it? Which part of Scotland are you from?’

I opened my mouth to respond, feeling a little awkward about answering a question about myself. The answer was Glasgow, but was it? I’d already found out my dad was a Yorkshireman called Derek; maybe my mum was really a Highland princess like Merida from Brave ?

I shook my head to displace the thoughts. ‘I… I’m from Glasgow.’

Rose smiled. ‘I visited Glasgow once; it was years ago now. It was so busy and there was so much going on! It seemed like such a lively place. Is it still the same?’

‘It’s the best city in the world,’ I replied. ‘I can’t imagine living anywhere else.’

I picked up the laptop to see if I could pick up any more Wi-Fi. My hopes were dashed when I couldn’t. ‘Looks like I won’t be getting much work done today then!’

Rose chuckled. ‘People don’t come to Luna Bay to be busy; they come here so they won’t be busy. You should put that laptop of yours down for a little while and have a look round the village. It’s a beautiful place; you’ll love it here.’

I closed the laptop lid and sighed in defeat. ‘I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have a million things to do. Ever since I started at Walter Marshall, it’s been non-stop; I haven’t had time to catch my breath! I wouldn’t have it any other way, though; I love being busy.’

Rose walked over to the door, but didn’t immediately leave. ‘You know, Luna Bay has a habit of casting its spell on you. Sometimes you end up finding something you didn’t even know you were looking for.’

With an enigmatic smile, she was gone.

*

After spending most of the morning swearing at my laptop, salvation came in the form of a phone call from Frankie. She asked if I’d met any gorgeous surfers yet and if so could I bring one back for her. She also begged me to come back because she claimed her soul wasn’t complete unless I was in the G postcode area.

‘Well, I’m sorry your soul’s incomplete right now, but I promise I’ll be back soon. With any luck I should have this wrapped up in about a week tops. The owner’s lovely; it’s just her nephew, or whoever he is, trying to put a spanner in the works.’

‘Is he hot?’ Frankie asked in true Frankie Moretti style. ‘Maybe he could put a spanner in my works…’

I rolled my eyes and did my best to stifle a chuckle. ‘Can you drag your mind out of the gutter for five minutes?! He’s…’

I trailed off as I realised I wasn’t sure how to answer her question. I brought up his face in my mind and tried to come to a conclusion.

‘He’s OK, I suppose. Doesn’t look like a foot, but he’s not my type. You’d like him, though: he’s mean, moody and got a massive attitude problem.’

Frankie giggled. ‘Now you’re talking! Bring him up the road with you; tie him up and throw him in the boot of your car if you have to! I’m making wedding plans already. Any more scandal, news or gossip before I go back to work?’

‘Oh, you know,’ I said in a mock-casual voice, ‘my long-lost dad’s just a few feet away from where I’m staying and my life feels like it’s slowly turning to shit. The usual.’

‘Are you going to see him soon?’ she asked. ‘What will you say to him? Hi, Dad. Sorry I haven’t visited for twenty-five years but I didn’t know you existed until a few days ago?’

A cold sweat washed over me as the prospect of coming face to face with him crossed my mind. ‘I’ve got no idea what I’m going to say to him… Oh God, Frankie, I really didn’t think this through, did I? I’m going to fuck this guy’s life up by turning up on his doorstep; you can’t just take that sort of thing back, can you? I should never have come here; I’m going to tell Paul I’m coming home and to hell with the promotion!’