‘And you’re absolutely sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me, Tess?’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I’m sure.’
I wondered if he had guessed that I was having doubts about my job too. Perhaps he was coming to the conclusion that I hadn’t only left because I hadn’t faced up to losing Mum.
‘Are you at least going to tell me where you are?’
‘No,’ I said, ‘there’s no point and besides I’m moving somewhere else today.’
I had taken the precaution of packing my passport so if he did go looking around the apartment, he wouldn’t find it and would hopefully assume I was abroad.
‘You do know that if you don’t come back today, I’m going to have to hand your entire portfolio over to Chris, don’t you, Tess?’
‘Of course.’
‘He’s really come into his own since you’ve been gone.’
‘I had a feeling he might. You should have promoted him months ago.’
‘Perhaps.’
He sounded tired all of a sudden and resigned, but given what I’d recently discovered I couldn’t feel sorry about that.
‘Look,’ I said, ‘I have to go. I’ll ring in a few weeks, okay?’
‘This is all far from okay.’
I didn’t say anything. There was no point.
‘If you decide to stay away beyond June, Tess, then we’re seriously going to have to think about your long-term future with the firm.’
He was getting frustrated. No doubt annoyed that the Tyler work ethic in me wasn’t as firmly fixed as it was in him.
‘Are you going to fire me?’
‘No, of course not,’ he snapped. ‘But I do have to think about the business, the needs of our clients and the Tyler reputation.’
The way he still prioritized the firm over family, even after my dramatic desertion, made my stomach pull even tighter.
‘You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to take some time off too,’ I said bitingly.
‘That’s as maybe,’ he snapped back, ‘but someone has to stick around to hold the fort.’
‘If you say so,’ I swallowed, determined not to get upset. ‘Bye, Dad.’
There was a painful lump lodged in my throat as I turned the phone off again, tossed it back into the drawer, slammed it shut and grabbed the cottage keys. Hope had been right: I was in need of a pick-me-up.
‘So,’ Sam asked, ‘how did you get on?’
‘Was it as bad as you thought it would be?’ added Hope.
‘Worse,’ I huffed, wrinkling my nose. ‘Much worse.’
The call thankfully hadn’t resulted in a blazing row, but it had got me stirred up and feeling unsettled nonetheless.
Hope indicated the row of tempting optics behind her.
‘What can I get you?’ she asked.
‘Thanks,’ I said, ‘but I don’t think I’d better start on the hard stuff.’
I was tempted but knew I wouldn’t feel any better for it.
‘Coffee then?’ she suggested.
‘Yes, please. A really strong one.’
‘You didn’t get fired, did you?’ Sam asked.
‘No,’ I told him, ‘not quite, but if I stay too long, it might come to that. Not that I have any intention of leaving early.’
At least if Dad did give me the boot that would be one less decision I would have to make. I shook my head and Sam leant over the bar and squeezed my hand. I risked a look at Hope, but she didn’t seem fazed by the gesture at all. My heart on the other hand, was behaving ludicrously.
‘Don’t worry, Tess,’ Hope smiled kindly, ‘whatever’s wrong, Wynmouth will soon set you right.’
‘Nothing’s wrong,’ I shrugged as Sam released my hand.
Hope raised her eyebrows.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘If that’s the story you’re sticking to for now, then that’s fine by me. I’m sure you’ll share your woes in your own good time.’
She was obviously every bit as perceptive as her mum.
‘I think I might go for a walk,’ I told the pair, once I had finished the extremely strong coffee and was feeling more like my old self, as well as a little jittery thanks to the extra shot (or three) that Hope must have added to my cup.
‘Mind if I tag along?’ she asked. ‘I really should be getting to the café.’
‘Not at all,’ I said, ‘I was planning to head that way.’
The heat had really begun to build as we walked along the seawall and there were already lots of families enjoying the beach. We stopped and watched some children dashing in and out of the sea, squealing as the icy water reached their knees.
‘Everyone looks so happy to be here,’ I sighed.
‘Including me,’ said Hope. ‘As much as I enjoyed my travels, it’s wonderful to be home again.’
Looking around, I could see why. Wynmouth might not have been exactly as I remembered it, but with the sea in front and the farmland, dotted with the odd wooded copse, stretching to the horizon behind, it was still a stunning little corner of Norfolk.
‘It does feel like home, doesn’t it?’ I said huskily, the words escaping without my meaning them to. ‘There’s still nowhere else quite like it.’
I might have only spent my holidays here, but I had never felt the same level of comfortableness and connection anywhere else in the world. Nowhere seemed to fit me quite as well as Wynmouth.
‘I thought this was your first visit,’ Hope said, sounding surprised. ‘You made that sound as though you’ve been before.’
I certainly hadn’t meant to.
‘No,’ I faltered, ‘I just meant that it’s so warm and welcoming, that you can’t feel anything but at home here.’
Hope linked arms and we started walking again.
‘I’m really sorry your boss gave you a hard time,’ she said, ‘but I suppose given the amount of extra time you’re taking off it probably came as a bit of a shock to them.’
‘Yes,’ I agreed, ‘he did sound a bit surprised. And I’m pretty certain that if I was working for anyone other than my father, I most likely wouldn’t have got away with it at all.’
‘You work for your dad?’
‘Yes,’ I sighed. ‘He owns the company I work for, so now I’ve not only upset my boss, but my father too.’
Hope was quiet for a moment.
‘At least I don’t have that problem,’ she then shared. ‘I’ve never known my dad.’
I thought of all the extra complications my relationship with my own father was currently facing.
‘At this point in time,’ I said, ‘I wish I didn’t know mine.’
‘You wouldn’t say that if you were in my shoes.’
There was no sting to her tone, but I felt uncomfortable nonetheless.
‘Sorry,’ I said, ‘that was insensitive of me.’
Hope didn’t say anything and I realized that it really was a terrible thing to have blurted out, even if I had momentarily meant it.
‘Have you and your mum lived in Wynmouth long?’ I asked, keen to make amends.