‘I’m not sure of the full details,’ Skye said. ‘Something to do with his new puppy and some feather pillows I think.’
I heaved a sigh of relief that I hoped wasn’t obvious to Skye. ‘Nick says you paint?’
‘Yes. I’m an artist first and foremost but I also love making jewellery and have probably spent more time doing that than painting recently. I enjoy anything creative.’
I pointed at her necklace. ‘Did you make that?’
‘I did. And these.’ She pushed her hair behind her ears to show me some stunning silver and turquoise earrings.
‘They’re gorgeous. I might need a pair myself.’
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘With compliments like that plus a glowing reference from Nick, I already adore you.’
Glowing reference? Look just as lovely? What had he been saying about me? My heart raced.
Skye was the perfect hostess, introducing me to various members of the group and asking me lots of questions about my background, the shop and how I was finding life back in Whitsborough Bay after so many years in big cities. She couldn’t have done more to make me feel at ease. She made me laugh with anecdotes of nights out with Nick. Each time she told a story involving him, I found myself hanging onto her every word. It was obvious that Skye – and everyone else in the group – thought the world of him, which made me like him even more.
About twenty minutes later, I saw Nick out of the corner of my eye and my legs went momentarily wobbly. He made a beeline for me, grinning. ‘You came!’ He gave me a big hug and a peck on the cheek then looked embarrassed as he pulled away. ‘Sorry. It seems like I haven’t seen you in ages. Was that a bit full-on?’
‘No, it’s fine,’ I reassured him.‘I liked it.’Uh-oh! Where did that come from?
He looked momentarily surprised then winked and said, ‘In that case, I’ll have to do it again.’
‘Feel free,’ I responded before I could stop myself. It must have been that large glass of wine on an empty stomach. ‘So, tell me about this puppy,’ I said, keen to change the subject.
Nick rolled his eyes at me. ‘He’s a six-months-old golden Retriever called Hobnob and he went on a rampage while I was out today. He shredded my pillows and there were feathers everywhere. I half expected to find some dead geese. Then he managed to grab a toilet roll and trail it around the house.’
I laughed at the image. ‘Did you get it cleared up okay?’
‘Yes. It took ages. But that wasn’t the worst. When I was ready to come out, I discovered he’d taken a dump in my best pair of shoes.’
‘No!’
‘And do you know how I discovered that?’
‘You didn’t?—’
‘Thank God for socks is all I can say. Even so, it was pretty grim.The shoes and the socks are now in the bin, my best jeans are in the wash and I had to jump in the shower again. That’s why I’m so late, the little sod.’
‘Nightmare. What’s he doing now?’
‘When I left, he was in his bed feeling very sorry for himself. I hope he’s still there reflecting on his behaviour when I return tonight. I can’t be too hard on him, though. I’ve been away for two weeks on the trot and when I finally brought him home from my sister’s, I had the audacity to nip to the supermarket.I think it was a dirty protest for being such a rubbish owner. Do you have any pets?’
‘Two cats. Kit and Kat are brother and sister but thankfully they’ve been pretty well behaved despite all the disruption they’ve had with three homes in less than two months.’
‘What do you think it says about both of us that we’ve named our pets after chocolate biscuits?’
‘I dread to think,’ I said. ‘I used to have a goldfish called Smirnoff so that probably isn’t a good sign either.’
Nick laughed. ‘You’re not going to believe this but I had a hamster called Guinness. Speaking of which, I must do a trip to the bar. You’ve got an empty glass so that needs rectifying.’
Nick reached for my glass and his hand gently grazed mine. We both looked up and directly into each other’s eyes. Had he felt that jolt of electricity too? It felt even stronger than on the beach. This wasn’t meant to be happening but I didn’t think I could stop it. I didn’t want to.
‘Bar,’ muttered Nick, disappearing quickly into the crowd.
The group moved from the pub to The Bombay Palace. The hours whizzed by, getting to know the different Bay Traders and chatting to Nick. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly but I found myself longing to be alone with Nick. Something had definitely started on his sister’s wedding day, continued at the pub, deepened on the beach and, now… Well, there was no denying it. I wasn’t just falling for him; I’d fallen. No matter how much I believed in the predication, there was no room in my mind for thoughts of any Stevens; my mind was filled with Nick.
Bob wanted to settle the bill for the whole group as a goodbye gift before emigrating. While some of the group were busy pinninghim down so he couldn’t hand over his credit card, I leaned on the table and allowed my thoughts to drift into a fantasy of a romantic walk home with Nick. I’d shiver in the cold night air, he’d put his arm round me to keep me warm and I’d rest my head on his shoulder. He’d gently kiss the top of my head and tell me he’d had an amazing evening and it was all thanks to me. I’d tell him I was sorry it was at an end. He’d stop, take my face gently in his hands, tell me it was just the beginning and not the end, and kiss me. And it would feel nothing like the asexual kiss I’d shared with Stevie. And it wouldn’t matter that he wasn’t a Steven. It would be perfect.
