Star Fish (24 page)

– Forty Five –

I walked back up the steep hill to Sea Gull Cottage. I felt emotionally drained and just wanted to sit in front of the fire and think about what Mrs Treharne had said. I knew that fate
would
prevail but what if I misinterpreted it and headed in the wrong direction?

As I put the key in the lock and pushed open the front door, I heard something clatter to the doorstep. I looked down and saw an arrow; through the arrow was a piece of paper.

Foolish Archer, deeply in love with Beautiful Fish, would like to meet her on the beach as soon as she gets this note. I will wait for you forever. I love you.

I saw him before he saw me. He was huddled on a rock rubbing his hands together to keep warm. The wind was strong and the waves were crashing on the shoreline. As I walked towards him I saw his face light up. He ran towards me and opened his arms. I could see that his beautiful eyes were full of tears. I hugged him so tightly I thought I would crush him. I then looked up at him, biting my lip. Tears were falling slowly down my face. He wiped them gently one by one as they fell.

I broke the silence. ‘How did you find me?’ I knew that Brad would never have told him where I was.

‘Christopher phoned me this morning.’

Dear, sweet Christopher. He was prepared to sacrifice his love to make me happy.

‘I have been so lost without you, Amy. You are my world. I promise that I will never ever hurt you again. There is nobody else in the whole universe that I want to be with more than you. I have never been more certain of anything in my whole life.’

I looked directly at him and felt such intensity of joy, realising there and then that I hadn’t really needed time to think at all. Deep down I had known all along that I couldn’t live without this crazy creature.

Despite the winter sunshine, the wind was bitingly cold. My teeth chattered as plops of rain began to fall. Will suddenly jumped up onto a rock and beat his chest like an ape.

‘I love you lots like jelly tots and for my next trick I shall make you smile.’

He then jumped down, skidded onto his knees in the sand and then balanced himself on one knee. He clasped my hands in his and looked right into my eyes again.

‘Amy Jane Anderson, what would you say if I asked you to marry me?’

I took a deep breath and looked out at the stormy sea. In the sky there was a beautiful rainbow.

‘I’d say yes!’ I shouted above the elements. ‘Will Wallingford, I’d say yes!’

That evening, we walked arm in arm past Mrs Treharne’s cottage and I smiled. A row of coloured fairy lights glowed along the harbour wall.

‘A drink to celebrate before bed for the future Mrs Wallingford?’ Will suggested.

The Sloop Inn was heaving and noisy but not too noisy for me to hear the familiar shout of ‘Minger!’ from across the other side of the bar. And there they all were. Sam and Katie, Brad and Jon, Liv and Jack, H and Horace. Even Anna and Boyd.

‘Well?’ everyone said in unison looking anxiously at Will.

‘She said YES!’ he shouted raising his arms in the air.

‘And this time,’ he added. ‘I’m grabbing her by both gills and I’m never
ever
letting her go.’

Table of Contents

About the author

– One –

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– Thirteen –

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– Seventeen –

– Eighteen –

– Nineteen –

– Twenty –

– Twenty One –

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– Twenty Five –

– Twenty Six –

– Twenty Seven –

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– Twenty Nine –

– Thirty –

– Thirty One –

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– Thirty Four –

– Thirty Five –

– Thirty Six –

– Thirty Seven –

– Thirty Eight –

– Thirty Nine –

– Forty –

– Forty One –

– Forty Two –

– Forty Three –

– Forty Four –

– Forty Five –