The Little Kiosk By The Sea: A Perfect Summer Beach Read. Jennifer Bohnet

      ‘Yes, of course. When are you coming?’

      ‘Be with you in about an hour,’ Ellie laughed. ‘Sorry to spring it on you.’

      ‘That’s fine but … have you got your key? Because neither Dad nor I are home at the moment.’

      ‘Oh. Where are you?’

      ‘Dad’s on a business trip and I’m in Devon – having a short break.’ No need to explain why. ‘Ellie, is everything all right? You sound a bit hyper. I can come home this evening if you need me.’

      ‘Everything is fine. Just got an unexpected holiday. Enjoy your break. I’ll see you when you get back. Love you.’

      ‘Love you too,’ Harriet said as the call ended. Something had happened in Ellie’s life, she was sure. She was too determinedly cheerful. What did ‘coming home for a bit’ mean in reality?

      The river was sparkling in the noon-day sun as Harriet walked back into town deep in thought. She’d promised to meet Sabine at the kiosk for a picnic lunch.

      Sabine had a small crowd round her as Harriet approached, so she hung back watching the passenger ferry and looking at the river scene. Far more boats and moorings in the river than she remembered.

      Once Sabine had finished dealing with the holidaymakers, she opened a couple of the director’s chairs and placed them on the embankment pavement.

      ‘How did it go up at the house? Pasty and wine okay?’ she asked. Without waiting for an answer to her second question, she handed Harriet a plastic cup of red wine. ‘Pasties will be here soon.’

      ‘It was weird. After all these years it was as if I’d never been away,’ Harriet said. ‘I kept expecting Amy to appear and tell me off for not telling her I was popping in and why hadn’t I brought Ellie.’ She took a sip of the wine. ‘I can’t tell you how guilty I feel over Amy. I wish I could say sorry to her. Make up for the lost years.’

      ‘Doing what she wants and living in the house could be one way,’ Sabine said.

      ‘But she won’t know, will she?’ Harriet sighed. ‘It’s too late.’

      Their pasties were delivered just then by a young lad on an old-fashioned bicycle with a large wicker basket fixed to the front. For several minutes both women ate contentedly.

      ‘Gosh these are good,’ Harriet said. ‘Haven’t had a pasty in years.’ She glanced at Sabine, who’d muttered an oath.

      ‘Just seen Owen coming this way. Didn’t think when I suggested lunch here that certain other people would be around. Sorry.’

      Harriet shrugged. ‘Not to worry.’ Managing two days incognito in her home town had to be some sort of record anyway.

      ‘Hi, Owen,’ Sabine said. ‘Guess who’s turned up?’

      ‘Harriet, nice to see you. I’d heard you were back and wondered if we’d meet.’

      Harriet glanced at Sabine, who held up her hands. ‘I swear I didn’t tell him. Who did?’ she said glaring at Owen.

      ‘Can’t remember,’ Owen said, shrugging. ‘Staying long?’

      Harriet shook her head. ‘Just a few days.’

      ‘Sabine filling you in with all the news?’

      ‘Hear you’ve done really well with the business,’ Harriet said.

      ‘She tell you I’m off at the end of the season for a bit of travelling? Try to persuade her to come with me, will you? Right. I’m off to have lunch with the mayor – want to bend his ear about this kiosk. I’ll be back for the 2.30 trip. Don’t forget to sign the Save the Kiosk petition, Harriet.’

      As he left them, Harriet looked at Sabine, ‘Travelling with Owen?’

      Sabine shrugged. ‘Told him I’ll think about it, that’s all, but it’s not going to happen.’

      ‘Could be fun.’

      ‘Mmm,’ Sabine said. ‘More wine?’

      ‘No thanks. Have to drive to Totnes later to meet Frank,’ Harriet said. ‘Oh, Beeny what am I going to do?’

      ‘Selfishly, I want you to come back! It all happened so long ago I can’t see it affecting your life now. People won’t even realise you’re a true local unless you tell them. They’ll think you’re another incomer. And old friends will just accept that you’re back.’

      Harriet looked at Sabine. ‘You make it sound so easy.’

      ‘Accept the legacy, Tatty. Worry about it afterwards. Ten to one, there won’t be half the problems you imagine happening.’

      ‘Even if that proves to be true – what about Ellie’s reaction? I’m terrified she’ll hate me for my past mistakes.’

      Harriet scrunched up the plastic cup and threw it in a nearby waste bin. ‘I’d better go and let you get on with selling tickets.’

      Impulsively she hugged Sabine. ‘Oh it’s so good to be back together. Why did we ever lose touch?’

      ‘Because you did a runner, you daft bitch,’ Sabine said.

      Harriet laughed. Beeny never had been one to hold back.

      Four hours later, Harriet, sitting in the car at Totnes railway station waiting for Frank, mentally went over the pros and cons regarding Amy’s legacy.

      Accepting and going back to live in the town – could she really do it? The condition of living in the house for a year wasn’t that long, really. If it didn’t work out at the end of the twelve months, she could return home and use the house simply as a holiday home. Or even rent it out. The last few days had shown her that she still had friends in the town and the warm fuzzy feeling she’d always got driving down the hill towards the Higher Ferry whenever she’d been away for some reason, had hit her hard the day she’d arrived. Deep down, she knew she wanted to live back in the town.

      Ellie’s reaction was the real worry. There was so much she didn’t know about the past. Would it all have to come out when she was told about the legacy? The scandal itself might have happened a long time ago and, like Beeny said, people were more forgiving because it was so common place these days, but how would Ellie react to her mother’s secret. She wouldn’t have to tell Ellie anything about the past if she turned the inheritance down, but how could she live with herself if she did that? Besides, she and Frank had always said they would tell Ellie the truth about the past when the time was right. Now Amy’s legacy had catapulted into their lives, the moment couldn’t be denied any longer. Whatever the consequences.

      And Frank? How would all this affect their relationship? Would he be prepared to move with her to the town she’d vowed never to return to? Could his work commitments even make it impossible for him to live in Devon? No that wasn’t a reason for not returning. These days the Internet made it possible to live and work anywhere.

      Harriet reached into her bag and took out Amy’s letter and turned it over and over. She didn’t need to read it again. She’d read it so many times now she could have recited the contents word for word if she’d been asked. Intriguing that Amy had anticipated her saying NO to the legacy. There were so many reasons to turn it down – and just the one for accepting – whatever the problems it brought her, Harriet, there was no denying it was Ellie’s birth right. How could she possibly deny her?