Summer on the Little Cornish Isles: The Starfish Studio. Phillipa Ashley

an alarming noise as if one was going to pop through the mattress like in a cartoon. Seconds later, the bed lurched sideways and she felt herself tipping over.

      ‘Oh my God …’

      She tried to get up but it was too late. The bed collapsed onto the floor with a loud crunch as the leg gave way. Poppy found herself lurching sideways down the mattress, fully aware it was happening but unable to stop herself. A second later, she’d dropped the few inches from the mattress onto the floor and was face to face with the tufts of the rug.

      She’d been slightly winded by the shock of rolling off the bed but nothing hurt so she knew she was completely uninjured. Her descent had happened in such comedic slow motion that it was almost funny. In fact, it was funny and the tears that had bubbled out only moments earlier now turned into laughter. She rolled onto her back, her body shaking.

      Jake loomed over her, his brow creased in horror. ‘Christ. Are you OK? I’m so sorry.’

      She opened her mouth to answer but had a fit of the giggles as his face, almost six feet above her, bore an expression of complete disbelief.

      ‘Oh God.’ He looked so horrified Poppy laughed even more.

      ‘I’m f-f-fine. It’s just … well it’s s-so f-funny. The bed c-collaps-sing …’ Her sides hurt from laughing.

      ‘No. It’s not funny. It’s terrible.’ Jake dragged his hands over his face and groaned. ‘I’m so sorry. This bloody place. It’s not only a dump, it’s downright dangerous as well.’

      She managed to stop giggling for a few seconds and pushed herself up to sitting. Tears wet her cheeks.

      Jake held out his hand.

      ‘No. I’m fine. Please don’t worry,’ she said, but he clasped her hand anyway and she half clambered and was half pulled to her feet.

      He let go of her hand. ‘I knew the place was a mess, but I hadn’t realised it was this bad. Look at that bed!’ he cried.

      She glanced at the mattress. One leg had snapped clean off, hence her undignified fall to earth. ‘It could have happened any time. Good job it wasn’t in the middle of the night,’ she said, with a giggle.

      Jake wasn’t amused and his embarrassment only made her smile more. He’d obviously been terrified of showing her the place, which somehow made her feel better about how shitty it was.

      ‘It’s not good enough,’ he declared. ‘None of it is. I wouldn’t blame you if you decided not to stay,’ he said.

      ‘Oh no. Absolutely not.’ She fired back the words so hard and fast that he looked taken aback. ‘I’m staying. Even if it kills me,’ she declared.

      ‘I hope it won’t do that. The sofa is safe enough. I’ve tested it,’ he muttered. ‘I’ll get the coffee.’

      She took his advice on the sofa. A few minutes later, Jake handed over a mug and sat next to her.

      ‘I’m sorry the place doesn’t meet with your expectations … I’m sure Grandpa and Fen hadn’t noticed or fully realised how much it had gone downhill … My parents are working full-time and now caring for him. I probably should have come over sooner and made more of an effort, but I’ve been away in New Zealand.’

      ‘Stop feeling guilty,’ she said, feeling sorry for him and wondering what he did for a living. She glanced around her again. ‘The flat’s fine and I can see you’ve tried to make it look welcoming. I mean you have made it welcoming. I’m digging a deeper hole, aren’t I?’

      He shook his head and a crooked little smile touched his mouth. ‘I’d had no actual idea it was this bad, but I might have guessed. I had promised to come and visit Grandpa at Christmas and I could have checked it out then, but … well, I let other priorities come first.’

      She wondered what those priorities were, but certainly wasn’t going to ask. ‘A lot of things haven’t lived up to my expectations lately, so in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t massive.’

      Her words surprised even herself. She probably sounded far more confident than she felt, but Jake’s offer to let her off the tenancy only made her more determined to stay. Then again, how the gallery would ever be ready for a grand launch in less than a month’s time, she had no idea. She planned on opening over the late spring bank holiday weekend at the end of May when there would be plenty of holidaymakers around and her family and Zoey could get away from work for a longer visit.

      She savoured her coffee and checked out the furniture again. It might be old but it was perfectly useable and, anyway, beggars couldn’t be choosers.

      ‘I’m glad that the studio comes with accommodation though it might have been a bit too cosy if Dan had come with me. Especially knowing what I know about him now. We might have done away with each other.’

      Jake smiled. ‘You’d definitely have been getting under each other’s feet. It’s going to seem a lot better when you’ve got all your own stuff around you.’ He hesitated. ‘Take a look at the view out to the west.’

      They took their mugs to the window.

      Wow. The sun had come out while Jake had been showing her round and the space was now flooded with light. The flat had windows on all four sides: one at either end of the gable and two large Velux lights in the roof that gave views of the sky. The glass was sparkling and she guessed Jake had cleaned the windows earlier that day. His efforts had paid off because what greeted her made her breath catch in her throat. She wasn’t that high up but the elevation was enough to reveal a sensational vista over the beach towards the open sea on one side and the harbour on the other.

      ‘You can watch all the comings and goings at the harbour and jetty from here,’ he said. ‘And that way, to the west—’ he pointed with his free hand ‘—there’s nothing until America. Unless you count the lighthouse and a few Stone Age ruins.’

      Poppy gazed beyond the headland that marked the western extremity of St Piran’s, to the other low islets floating in the sea. In the far distance was little more than a large rock with a white lighthouse on it. She could feel the warmth from the late afternoon sun through the glass against her skin.

      ‘That’s the Bishop Rock.’ Jake pointed to the west. ‘In Grandpa’s younger days, he said it was manned and people used to hitch rides with the supply boat to shout hello to the keepers. He painted a picture of it in a storm – it’s in the gallery downstairs.’

      ‘I can’t wait to see that. I’m not surprised he was inspired by it. Imagine living out there with only the seals and gulls for company. Are the seas round here dangerous?’

      He hesitated before replying. ‘If you don’t respect them, they’re lethal. There are literally hundreds of shipwrecks. Some of the Spanish Armada foundered round here way back.’

      ‘Really?’

      ‘So they say. You should visit the figurehead museum on Tresco if you like that sort of thing. They all come from wrecks.’

      He said it almost sarcastically, so she guessed he considered the museum a touristy thing to do. She hadn’t actually been to the museum on her previous trip, however, and resolved to go there soon but not to let him know.

      The floorboards creaked as he moved away from the window but she stayed where she was. She craned her neck and looked the other direction to the harbour where a few yachts and workboats were moored. The sea looked calm within the harbour but she had an inkling of how wild it could be from her journey here.

      ‘If you want to have a little time to yourself, I’ll make myself scarce. I have some calls to make, so when you’re ready, come over to the cottage. You can’t miss it. It’s right there.’ He pointed to a stone house about fifty yards up the beach facing the harbour. ‘I’ll sort out some bedding and a few other things you might need and I’ll arrange for the bed to be repaired as soon as possible.’

      ‘Thanks.