Confetti at the Cornish Café: The perfect summer romance for 2018 . Phillipa Ashley

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СКАЧАТЬ properly downstairs until the plaster’s dried out a bit more, but upstairs is fine and we’re mostly living up there. It’s our own home again and that’s what matters. Not that I wasn’t grateful to come here and for my cousin’s flat, but you know what it’s like … nowhere’s as good as your own place. I wouldn’t like to be homeless for long.’ She giggles and slaps her forehead with her palm. ‘Now I’ve put my foot in it.’

      It’s almost funny, the way we’re dancing round each other, trying not to say the wrong thing. Now that I’ve got to know Rachel better, seeing her with Dad is becoming more normal and easier to handle. Looking back to when she first came on the scene in Dad’s life, she was never particularly horrible to me, but we both used to rub each other up the wrong way. It can’t have been easy for her to have a teenager in the house who hated her guts and thought she’d tried to take her mum’s place.

      ‘It’s way better for us all that I have my own home now.’ Heat rises up my neck at the memory of things I said about Rachel to my dad. ‘And I love working here and having my own business. I’ve earned a small sum from the publishers for my cookbook and I’m investing that in the cafe.’

      ‘Your dad told me about your book. That’s a great achievement.’

      ‘I haven’t finished writing it yet. Although I come up with a lot of the recipes, Eva Spero and her team develop them further and refine them. I don’t have time to write every word. The publisher is going to arrange the photography.’

      ‘You should still be proud of what you’ve done, as your dad says. To be honest, I’ll have to go back to work sooner or later. We need the money, especially now we have Freya and the insurance didn’t cover all the damage. There have been other costs that we’ve just had to cover, but I’m not complaining.’

      ‘Will you go back to your old job at Trevarrian Estate?’

      Rachel pulls a face. ‘I don’t think so. I enjoyed working there but I’ve discussed things with your dad and decided that having Freya could be a new start for us all. I don’t mind working hard but I’d like more flexibility so that Gary and I can share the childcare, with my parents’ help. Besides, I already felt I was ready to do more than work in the admin office. I’d been doing it a long time.’

      I have to admit, the idea of my dad sharing the childcare for a newborn is more than I can process.

      ‘What will you do?’

      She looks slightly embarrassed. ‘I was thinking of offering my services as a virtual PA to companies. Lots of small businesses can’t afford to hire a full-time staff and I have so much experience running the office at the estate. Trevarrian may look like a grand stately home and the owners are charming but they’re also totally scatty and eccentric. I ended up doing everything from making sure the roof didn’t fall down to organising clay-pigeon shooting and corporate dinners.’

      ‘Sounds like you were very busy.’

      ‘I worked very long hours and the pay wasn’t great, though Lord Trevarrian was fun to work for. With a few decent clients, I think I can earn almost as much and spend more time with Freya.’ She holds up crossed fingers. ‘Trevarrian might let me do some freelance work too but I need other customers. Who knows, it might be a disaster but after seeing how you and Cal have turned Kilhallon around, I feel inspired.’

      ‘Me? An inspiration?’

      ‘Yeah. You made me think I should go for what I want.’

      Rachel hugs me briefly but warmly and my throat goes scratchy.

      There’s a wail from Freya’s Moses basket. Freya is very red in the face and clenching her fists. She’s also doing what Nana Demelza would have called ‘chuntering’. Her face has gone very red and I think she’s about to wake up – and make a lot of noise.

      Rachel winces. ‘Oh dear. I think she’s filling her nappy.’

      I glance down at my savoury scone topped with local ham and piccalilli and find my appetite has gone.

      ‘I’ll have to change her. Can I use your customer loo?’

      ‘Course you can. In fact, I’ll help you.’

      Rachel wrinkles her nose. ‘Are you sure you want to do that? Freya’s dirty nappy in a confined space isn’t the most pleasant prospect.’

      ‘I’ll put a peg on my nose and, after all, she is my sister so I’d better get used to helping out when I can.’

      ‘On your head be it,’ Rachel replies with a laugh. ‘Although I hope it won’t come to that.’

      ‘It’s fine,’ I say, already closing my nostrils. With an idea forming in my mind, I follow Rachel into the toilets, carrying Freya’s changing bag.

      While I help Rachel, I chat a bit more about the idea for her business.

      ‘Did you say you were in charge of the events at Trevarrian?’

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