Cressida McLaughlin - The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse - The perfect feelgood romance

‘I’m going home now,’ Mrs Harris called up. ‘I’m going to see to my own guests. They know what to expect, they know they can trust me.’

Mrs Harris swept down the stairs and out of the front door, leaving a trail of sweetly floral perfume in her wake. Molly appeared in the doorway of Sea Shanty, a glass of champagne in her hand, and Tim peered out over her shoulder.

‘Mrs Harris didn’t like the rooms, then?’ Molly asked. ‘Don’t pay any attention to her, she’s just jealous because her hotel’s stuck several centuries back.’

Robin stopped on the bottom step and leaned her arms on the banisters. ‘She accused me of being involved in some huge, destructive plot to demolish Goldcrest Road and replace it with a shopping complex.’

‘What?’ Molly’s eyes widened. ‘What planet is she on?’

‘Planet suspicion,’ Robin said, her gaze going to Tim, who looked as relaxed as ever, no suggestion that Mrs Harris had touched a nerve. ‘She thinks I’m in cahoots with you.’

‘Me?’ Tim’s eyebrows shot up.

‘You. You’re responsible for this plan, apparently, and me taking over the guesthouse is the first step.’

‘Because launching a brand new seaside B&B is definitely the right course of action when the building’s about to be demolished.’ Molly rolled her eyes and tapped her toes against the floorboards.

Robin sighed. ‘She’s nervous. She feels threatened – not by this place, specifically, but by any kind of change. Apparently things should just carry on, exactly the same as they always were.’ She caught Tim’s gaze and he flashed her a knowing smile. Robin swallowed. ‘I’ll go and talk to her later,’ she rushed. ‘See if I can reassure her that Goldcrest Road isn’t about to disappear in a cloud of fancy restaurants and TK Maxx stores.’

‘God, I’d love a TK Maxx in Campion Bay. This playsuit came from the Bridport store.’ Molly did a slow twirl in the hallway, and Robin nodded approvingly. The playsuit was hot orange, Molly’s lipstick matching, the overall effect with her blonde hair and smooth skin was tanned, summery and utterly gorgeous. From Tim’s expression, she could see he was also a fan.

‘Don’t give him any ideas,’ Robin said and then, realizing how that might sound, tried to clarify. ‘About building a TK Maxx, not about …’ She gestured lamely at Molly’s outfit. ‘Though of course it’s up to you what you … It isn’t any of my …’ She stalled, mortification presenting itself as a red flush across her cheeks, her friend and her ex staring at her with confusion. ‘Is there a glass of champagne for me?’

‘Of course!’ Molly thrust one into her hands. ‘Where are Adam and Paige?’

‘Still upstairs.’ Robin clinked her glass with Tim’s, and then Molly’s, her toast lodged in her throat as she saw Molly’s expression.

‘You left Paige and Adam alone in one of the bedrooms? It wasn’t Starcross, was it?’

‘What’s Starcross?’ Tim asked. ‘When do I get a tour?’

‘They’re in Canvas,’ Robin said. ‘And I don’t see why you’re worried. It’s daylight, and it’s not like they’ve booked the room, is it?’

Molly shook her head, pityingly. ‘They’re sixteen, Robin. I find it hard to trust them alone together in any room with a soft surface – or a wall, for that matter.’ Molly hurried up the stairs, her low heels tap-tapping on the wood. ‘We need to watch those two, it’s worse than when she was a toddler. I thought her getting into the biscuit cupboard was bad enough, but now when I compare it to Adam getting in – well, you get the picture.’

‘I heard that, Mum!’ Paige screeched. ‘Oh my God, could you be any more embarrassing? We’re just Snapchatting!’

When they were alone, Tim took a step towards Robin. ‘She’s worried about her daughter losing her virginity in one of the guesthouse rooms? Wouldn’t that be a turn-up.’ Robin focused on his chin, on how close his shave was, rather than meeting his gaze. But she couldn’t help smiling, the memory distant but still there – the excitement, nerves, the clumsiness, the fear of being discovered by her parents as they snuck into the bedroom – now Wilderness – when it was unoccupied. At the time her attic bedroom hadn’t seemed exciting enough for what they were planning, and there was more chance of them being discovered there, despite it being at the top of the house.

‘You brought your dad’s homemade wine,’ she said, the smile becoming a grin as she finally caught his eye. ‘It was awful. And those Superman boxer shorts.’

‘Hey,’ Tim said, but he was smiling too. ‘I seem to remember you had made an effort as well. Lilac matching underwear.’

‘From Debenhams,’ Robin said. ‘I loved that underwear. I felt so grown up.’

‘I was fond of it too. God, it was awkward, wasn’t it?’

‘It was,’ Robin admitted. ‘But somehow perfect.’

‘You’d better not let Molly know that you’re an advocate of losing your L-plates at sixteen, or she’ll never let Paige round here again.’

‘I’m not an advocate, you’re the one who brought it up.’

‘It was hard not to,’ Tim said. ‘This house is full of memories.’ He glanced around the hall, as if picturing how it had looked all those years ago. ‘I seem to remember we had lots of opportunities to get better.’

Robin swallowed. ‘We did.’ While the memory of their first time together was sweet and nostalgic, and held no lingering feelings of passion for her, there were plenty of memories that did. She was finding that, though she’d spent less than an hour with him since she’d been back, those feelings were being brought to the surface, like a stick churning the mud up from the bottom of a lake. They were swirling through her, clouding her thoughts, not entirely welcome.

‘Robin,’ Tim murmured, his face close to hers.

‘I need to get on, I need to check everything’s ready for the guests.’

‘You’ve not shown me the rooms yet.’

‘Another time,’ she said quickly. ‘I’m sorry, I know you’ve come here specially, that you’ve brought champagne.’

‘I can bring more,’ he said easily. ‘Just tell me when.’

She nodded. ‘I appreciate you coming round today.’

‘I wouldn’t miss it. Now that we’re reacquainted, I feel like I want to know more about the last fourteen years. I want us to get to know each other again.’

‘I do too,’ Robin whispered, his eyes on her suddenly uncomfortable. She forced herself to look at him, at the linen shirt, his blond curls and his open, easy expression. She wanted to move forward with her life, to start a new chapter, but Robin was in danger of being dragged backwards by her ex-boyfriend, whether deliberately or not. As he said goodbye, giving her another warm, lingering kiss on the cheek, and Robin was left standing alone in the hall, she wondered how much danger she was actually in.

Robin had never been able to resist Tim. Only the pain of him being unfaithful while they were trying to make long-distance love work had been devastating enough to sever her attachment to him all those years ago. Now, despite the growing up she’d done, and all that she’d been through, she felt herself weakening in his presence. But she wasn’t convinced the feelings were real, as opposed to simply the cosy nostalgia of happy memories. She felt all at once like the grown-up, thirty-three-year-old Tim was a complete stranger, and equally, that she knew every inch of him.