Finding Home by Kate Field (read book .txt) 📗

this man was but if he had a blog perhaps he could give Susie a push? Although, he didn’t look like a blogger. He was casually dressed in jeans and a shirt but he had that indefinable whiff of money about him that she’d come to recognise since meeting the Howards. Perhaps he was one of Lia’s friends; he was more Mim’s age, but he was handsome enough to be part of Lia’s set.

‘Anyway,’ she said, as the other members of the group wandered away. ‘I don’t think premium products should be reserved for rich people. Everyone deserves some luxury in life.’

‘And what’s your luxury?’ he asked.

‘That.’ Mim smiled and pointed at her caravan. ‘I live there. So you see, I know what I’m talking about when I say it would be a treat to stay here. I love it, and I know that everyone we can offer a holiday to will love it too.’

‘Do you think your guests might be bored?’ the man asked. ‘You can’t compete with the larger parks along the coast that can offer swimming pools and leisure facilities.’

‘True. But our caravans aren’t crammed in cheek by jowl, and we offer personal services such as collection from the railway station and transport to activities and tourist attractions. We’re not trying to compete. Our holidays are free, and they’ll allow families to have quality time together and create memories that no amount of money can buy.’

The man smiled. It was a good smile but not dazzling.

‘I should make a confession,’ he said. ‘We haven’t been introduced yet. I’m Henry Burrows. I own several of the holiday parks along the coast. The ones where the caravans are cheek by jowl.’

Mim recognised the name; Corin had mentioned him before. She grinned.

‘Sorry. If I’d known who you were…’

‘You wouldn’t have been so honest?’

‘Oh, I would. But I might have thought of a fancier way of putting it.’

Henry laughed.

‘I like what you said before. We provide holidays. You want to create memories. I think you’re doing a great thing here and I’d like to help. Our nearest park is only three miles away. There’s a swimming pool and mini golf, and a fantastic adventure play area. What if we offered all your guests free use of the park facilities?’

‘Do you mean it? That would be brilliant.’ More than brilliant – Mim couldn’t believe her luck. She’d discussed with Lia in the past whether they could provide membership to the nearby leisure club for guests who came to stay, but it had proved too complicated. This would be even better.

‘Why don’t you come and have a look at what we offer?’ Henry’s arm brushed her back as he guided her towards the other caravans. ‘Let’s make it a date and we can work through all the details.’

Mim was taking a five-minute break in the shade behind her caravan when Corin joined her. She’d only seen him from a distance during the afternoon, and every time he’d had a group of women around him, hanging off his every word and lapping up his charm. He’d made an effort today, abandoning the scruffy clothes for a pair of linen trousers and an open-necked shirt that clung over those swimmer’s shoulders. He looked like rich Corin again, not the one she’d come to think of as a friend. She still couldn’t work out which one he really was.

‘I thought you might welcome one of these,’ he said. He held out two bottles of beer, and Mim grinned and took one. There was a true sign of friendship. She closed her eyes in pleasure as the cool liquid slipped down her throat. When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her.

‘That’s exactly what I needed,’ she said. ‘Thanks. It’s going well out there, isn’t it?’ She gestured back towards the centre of the field, where the guests continued to enjoy the food, drink, and sunshine. Corin nodded, still watching her.

‘You look different,’ he said.

‘Thanks.’ Mim laughed. ‘The compliment every woman wants to hear. Thank your sister. Ros has great taste in dresses.’ She spun round in a circle so the silk skirt flared around her legs. ‘I’m enjoying a taste of the high life before crashing back to reality tomorrow.’

‘Like Cinderella,’ he murmured, and smiled the full, dazzling Corin smile. Mim was transported back to that first time she’d met him, remembered the spark of connection she’d felt with the stranger under the trees on New Year’s Eve. Here they were again, hiding away together, sharing a sneaky drink, and she marvelled at how things had changed over the last few months; the connection had grown and blossomed into a friendship she valued more than she could ever have imagined on that winter’s night. Then she noticed his gaze stray to her left arm and reality crashed back in sooner than she’d expected. The short sleeves of the dress exposed a stretch of puckered, shiny skin that ran down her inner arm towards her wrist.

‘What happened?’ he asked.

‘My family happened. I never had a problem with mine loving me too much.’ She drank more beer. She’d lived with the burn scar since she was eight, but something about Corin’s scrutiny made her more conscious of it than she had been for years. Was he judging her for her flaw and for the squalid history that it represented? The idea gave her an unexpected twist of pain and made her defensive. ‘Ugly, isn’t it? You can say it. I doubt you can come up with anything worse than the insults I used to hear at school. Can you imagine? Ginger and a freak…’ She smiled but couldn’t look at him, wary of what truth she would see on his face. ‘But I don’t see why I should cover it up. I’m not ashamed. It wasn’t my fault.’

‘Mim…’ The word was husky, like a caress, and Corin took a step towards her. She looked up. The expression on his face puzzled her – it was