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Oh! My phone.
I pulled it out and checked the signal.Zero bars.Naturally. The phone companies didn’t think anyone in rural areas needed a strong signal, evidently.
“Hm,” I mused out loud.
Now what did I do? Keep walking until I saw the duck pond? But what would I do if I’d already passed it? At what point did I decide that I’d gone too far? Not far enough?
“Oh no,” I murmured, spinning around in a circle.
My gaze fell upon a very tall, black-haired man with an amused curl to his lips.
Great.
Max.
“How long have you been standing there?”
He leant back against the face, his smirk never dropping. “Long enough.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did you follow me out here?”
“Nope. I came out here to feed the geese and saw you walking towards the woods. Which are perfectly safe, by the way, and you’re allowed in there.” He nodded towards them. “Judging by the fact you turned around, though, I’d say you’re lost.”
Great. Now I had to admit it to him.
“I’m trying to find your grandma’s cottage,” I admitted. “But I think I got my directions wrong.”
“You missed a left.”
“Oh, balls.” Right, left, right, left, left, right.Of course.“I knew I’d gone wrong somewhere.”
Max dipped his chin and chuckled. “Come on. I’ll walk you over there.”
“Thank you,” I muttered, walking over to where he was waiting.
“What are you going to see her for?” Max asked, opening the gate. “Shortcut,” he added.
“Oh, okay.” I stepped through as he held it for me. “Thank you. Her book club meeting is tomorrow. I’m supposed to be there.”
“Ahh.” He secured the gate behind us and fell into step beside me. “I see. Well, good luck withthat.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Have you met my grandmother’s friends? They’re… an eclectic bunch.”
“Actually, I have. They were having lunch at the same café I was the other day in the village.”
He grimaced. “Dawn and Susie are fine, but May is…”
“A bitch?” I offered.
He glanced at me, lips twitching. “I was trying not to use that word, but yes.”
“I figured. I get the impression she’s not a fan of my books.”
“You would be right,” he said slowly, putting his hands in pockets. “Don’t take it personally. She bitches about almost every romance novel they read.”
“It’s fine. You learn pretty quickly that not everyone is going to like your books. It’s just one of those things you deal with. It doesn’t bother me so much anymore.” I wrapped my arms around my waist, hugging myself. “Why does she stay a part of the book club if she doesn’t like romance?”
