Chapter 7

Stella pushed her earbuds into her ears as the main door of her apartment building clicked shut behind her. Dressed in her running gear, with her hair tied back in a high ponytail, she jogged across the road. With a quick check of the time on her activity tracker, she began her run. She relished this time of morning, before the town properly came to life and started to buzz with activity. From up here on the top prom, she could see that the beach was practically deserted but for the odd dog walker and the die-hard pod of surfers bobbing about on the waves. A haze hovered over the horizon, while a pale-blue sky stretched out above, the sun shimmering on the sea; the promise of another gloriously sunny day ahead. But for now, the air held on to the crispness of dawn, making it the perfect temperature for an early morning run. It was something Stella did every Saturday and Sunday morning without fail, provided the weather wasn't prohibitively inclement. On such days she put her treadmill to good use. She could forget about work and fill her lungs with fresh sea air. For all she would be pushing her body to the limits, it was a time when her mind was calm. It was how she switched off best.

She pounded the pavement, her long legs making short work of it, soon passing the impressive feat of Victorian engineering that was the cliff lift – or funicular, to give it its proper title; a complex structure involving pulleys and water-filled weights. In no time, she reached the one-hundred and ninety-nine steps that led to the bottom prom. She tripped effortlessly down each one, music from her earbuds thrumming in her ears. Reaching the bottom, she crossed the wide path and hurried down the handful of steps where she made her way nimbly over the broad bank of pebbles, seaweed-infused air filling her lungs. In the distance, Thorncliffe loomed over the bay exuding its familiar air of brooding power. With her feet sinking into the soft sand, making progress slow, Stella followed her usual route, heading towards the retreating sea where the sand, dotted with wormcasts, was still damp, making it a firmer base on which to run.

With a broad arc of golden beach stretching out in front of her, Stella upped her pace, running parallel to the tide, arms pumping like pistons, breathing hard through her mouth. Soon, beads of perspiration peppered her brow and she felt a trickle of sweat make its way between her shoulder blades and travel down her back. A sense of euphoria pervaded her body as she ran through the burn, pushing herself ever harder, faster. Stella was in her element. She liked nothing better than to challenge herself whether it be in the courtroom or here on the beach. Running like this, driving herself on, her lungs and muscles burning until endorphins surged through her, gave her a huge buzz.

As she ran, Alex Bainbridge crept into her mind, the memory of his blue-eyes twinkling at her, causing her wayward heart to give an unexpected – and unwelcome – lilt. What had he been playing at? she wondered. From the first, albeit brief, moment their eyes had met the previous day, he'd sent out the kind of signals that said he was available, that he liked what he saw, that he was interested. They were the sort that tested the water, wanting to know if his interest was reciprocated. Stella had had enough experience of men to understand the rules of this dance and in her book, they definitely weren't the kind of signals a man who was in a relationship should be giving out. Her blood began to boil at the thought. The arrogance of the man! And what a foolish risk he'd taken, flirting so openly with her when he was expecting his girlfriend to arrive at any minute. Stella scrunched up her eyes and gave a shake of her head. ‘Loser!' She spat the word out in an angry gasp. And, no doubt, in typical fashion, though she'd been the innocent party, she would have been the one to look bad, not him. Unjust as it was, that's how it often went in such situations. She felt anger churn in her stomach. She'd had a lucky escape there. And one thing was for certain, if she had the misfortune to bump into Alex Bainbridge again she'd be sure to give him a very wide berth. Not for the first time, her brush with him had only served to confirm her decision not to get emotionally attached to a man.

Steaming on, she glanced at her activity tracker, a sense of achievement rushing through her as she realised she'd reached the long, angular limbs of the pier in her quickest time so far. Her anger with Alex Bainbridge had clearly spurred her on. At least he's been good for something! That thought raised a smile from her.

She pushed on, seagulls wheeling and screeching overhead, the sound of a dog barking in the distance. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand, puffing out her cheeks as she drove herself faster, harder. Come on, Stella, you can do this!

In the next moment she spotted a gangly black Labrador lolloping towards her, ears flapping, tongue lolling. Stella's eyes went to the figure running behind it, her heart sinking as she gave an inward groan. Ughh! No!Please tell me it isn't him.The Labrador leapt up at her, pressing sandy paws all over her running gear, amber eyes shining happily, and bringing her to a halt. ‘Hello, Fred,' she said, through gasps, ruffling his ears, unable to resist his friendly greeting.

‘Fred! Sit!' Alex Bainbridge finally reached them. He was panting heavily and sweat from his forehead had turned his dark hair wavy. Though she did all she could not to stare, Stella couldn't help but notice his impressive biceps and strong, muscular legs. Why did he have to be so attractive? Somewhat annoyingly, she found herself thinking it a shame he was taken.

‘I'm really sorry. Has he made a mess of your running gear?' Alex asked, his breathing coming in short bursts, concern creasing his brow.

‘No, it's just sand, it'll brush off.' Her tone was cool, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.

‘Ah, good.' He rested his hands on his hips, a half-smile on his lips. His eyes searched her face, clearly sensing something was wrong.

Fred looked up, glancing between them, his tail still wagging hard, oblivious to the air of awkwardness between his dad and his new friend.

‘Right, I need to get off.' Stella tightened her ponytail before bending to give Fred a pat. ‘Bye, Fred, nice to see you.'

‘Oh, okay.' Alex looked at her nonplussed, the usual sparkle in his eyes dimming as his smile faltered.

‘Bye,' Stella said curtly, before setting off at a trot, quickly upping her speed, eager to get out of earshot in case he had anything further to say. The urge to turn round was agonising but she was determined not to give him the satisfaction. She wasn't playing his games anymore.

Before long, she was back at her apartment building, her heart thudding, Alex Bainbridge still occupying way too much of her mind. Why have you let the loser get under your skin? She slipped her trainers off at the main door, banging the sand off them before she went inside; there was no way she was going to leave a trail behind her and risk the wrath of Andrea who cleaned the communal area. That done, she ran up the stairs, a feeling of happiness enveloping her as she stepped inside her apartment. She'd have a quick shower, do a spot of shopping and then head over to the village of Danskelfe on the moors where she was booked in for a hot-stones massage and a facial at her new favourite beauticians. After the week she'd had, she couldn't wait.

With the top down on her sporty Mercedes, Stella headed towards the moors, the wind rushing over her skin and ruffling her hair. It was an area she'd visited many times since childhood, enjoying trips out with her mum or her friends and their families. Today, the heather was out in all its glory, covering the moors in a dense blanket and filling the air with the sweet scent of honey. As she negotiated the twisting, narrow roads, Stella delighted in the stunning scenery, the broad dales peppered with farmsteads, the little chocolate-box-pretty villages. Lytell Stangdale was a favourite, with its quaint thatched cottages, their gardens brimming with blowsy summer flowers. Sheep roamed freely around the moors and its villages, and she found herself having to slow down on several occasions while a ewe and its lambs made their way idly across the road. Game birds were another thing she was sure to keep an eye out for, pheasants in particular had a happy knack of scuttling out in front of you, as if out of nowhere.

Soon, Stella found herself at the beautician's, stretched out on the beauty bed, a towel over her, inhaling the soothing scent of aromatherapy oil while tranquil music murmured softly in the background. She'd had her facial, which had been wonderful, the luxurious products had smelt sublime. Now Rachel was running hot stones over Stella's back, the penetrating warmth soothing her muscles. It was bliss, and just what she needed after her nightmare of a week.

Though her mind had wandered, she'd made a concerted effort to keep thoughts of Alex Bainbridge at bay, as well as her mum's new boyfriend. Instead she'd focused on her new apartment, picturing the amazing view of the cliffs and sea.

The soothing rhythm of the massage had worked wonders at clearing her head. Before she knew what was happening, Stella was aware of Rachel speaking softly. She blinked slowly. Had she drifted off?

‘All, done, Stella, I'll leave you to get dressed. Don't feel you have to rush, just when you're ready.'

‘Thanks, Rachel, that was wonderful.' Stella inhaled slowly, she felt so chilled she could quite happily stay there all day.