Page 34 of Ask Another Day

Rose:

That’s cruel

Holly:

I know

Thanks for getting Natalie from nursery for me though

Holly silenced her phone and shoved it into her coat pocket as she got out of her car and made her way to the place they’d chosen in Whitby for their lunch date. Holly had instigated it, rattled after her conversation with Seb. She needed to know he was wrong; that Owen wasn’t leaving in a few days.

Owen looked up from the Whitby Brewery menu he was holding as she approached the rustic wooden outdoor seating. She was too old to be feeling this giddy about a lunch date, but no matter how many times she told herself that, she still had what felt like tiny butterflies darting around in her stomach.

‘Looking lovely, as ever, Hols,’ he said as he reached over and pulled her in for a kiss. She smiled against his pillowy lips and then kissed him back. Warm rays of the sun soothed her nerves as she let herself get lost in their embrace.

Owen broke the kiss first, but only so he could whisper in her ear, ‘Want to just skip lunch and book into a hotel for the afternoon? Joking…’ he added when Holly started to pull back. ‘Unless?’

‘Let’s get some lunch, Owen,’ Holly replied, giving herself a few seconds to collect herself.

They ordered a pizza to share, and Holly reveled in their closeness as Owen pulled her across the bench so their legs were touching. But despite the happiness she felt at finally being on a date with him, Seb’s words from earlier in the week played on her mind on repeat. He had a knack of dampening her time with Owen lately, and she’d had enough.

‘So I heard something…’ she ventured tentatively, finally unable to ignore the niggling voice in her head any longer.

‘Something?’ he repeated, between mouthfuls of pizza.

‘Someone mentioned you’re leaving a little earlier than planned?’

Instead of refuting the rumour, Owen set down his slice of pizza and shook his head. ‘I told Tony to keep that to himself,’ he tutted.

‘So it’s true?’ Holly blurted out - no longer caring what she sounded like.

‘Yeah. I got an offer for a job in Cornwall, and they want me to come down before the season gets busy, to set up,’ he explained as if that was all completely reasonable.

‘Oh, so it’s not Capri then?’ Holly wasn’t sure why it mattered, but she asked anyway. The distance became irrelevant if he was more than a couple of hours away so if he was in Cornwall, he might as well be in Capri.

‘No, not yet,’ he said as he took another bite of pizza.

‘When were you going to tell me?’

Owen finished his mouthful, taking his time with his reply.

‘Owen. You were going to tell me, right?’

Owen looked away as he said, ‘I’m rubbish at goodbyes.’

‘So, what? I’d turn up for my lesson on Sunday and you wouldn’t have been there?’

‘No, obviously not.’

Holly couldn’t quite believe it, but Owen had the audacity to sound annoyed when he added, ‘I was going to text you.’

Holly took a moment to process the information. She should have stormed off - no one would have blamed her for that reaction. And part of her really wanted to. But the part of her that had been expecting something like this to happen, made her stay. She swallowed the hurt and rejection and plastered on a small smile. He was going, he had always been going to leave - there didn’t seem any point in making a scene.

‘So, Cornwall, huh?’

‘It will be great. Hey, you could come and visit.’ His eyes lit up at his suggestion.

‘Bit of a long journey for Natalie.’