Peering up at the azure sky, Rosie took a deep breath and smiled.
‘I made the right decision, didn’t I, Cupcake?’
Her beloved tortie cat, an affectionate stray she’d adopted, gazed up adoringly from his perfect viewing spot on the windowsill, purring loudly.
It was three months since Rosie had relocated to the coast and bought the derelict lighthouse, using her savings to renovate it and create a new annexe that would eventually become a bijou Airbnb. Until then, she’d created two quirky self-contained guest rooms on the ground floor to provide bed and breakfast options.
Beacon Bay Heights was now officially open for customers. It was a new beginning, after surviving Denzil’s betrayal and their messy divorce.
Stroking Cupcake, she continued, ‘Ewan will be here in a minute. I’ve noticed he usually arranges for us to be last on his delivery schedule so we can chat over coffee. Actually, I’ve been wondering about asking him out. What do you think?’
Cupcake chirruped, before attending to an urgent grooming issue, his pink tongue deftly parting long silky fur.
Setting out a couple of mugs on the large oak table, Rosie inhaled the distinctive aroma of coffee percolating. The fresh brew was ready and waiting for Ewan as his van tyres scrunched along the gravel track to Beacon Bay Heights. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair, making a mental note to touch up the dark roots again.
‘Morning, Rosie. How are you today?’ Ewan said, cheerily, his blue eyes twinkling, that boyish smile melting her insides.
