Patsy gave her a knowing look.
‘What?’
‘I have a feeling three would be a crowd if I did join the pair of you.’
Surprised, Melody shook her head. ‘I’ve no idea what you mean.’
Patsy put her hand up to her chin and tapped the side of her jaw. ‘No?’ She laughed. ‘I’m only teasing. Although it is obvious that there’s chemistry between you two.’
Melody pointed to the novel with the brightly coloured cover in her grandmother’s hand. ‘I think you’ve been reading too many romances lately.’ She laughed. ‘Although I can’t say I blame you. We all need cheering up these days.’
‘I am enjoying this, very much. Anyway, it’s been a long day and I’m happy lying here relaxing. You go and enjoy yourself and I’ll see you later.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘I am. I’ve been looking forward to putting my feet up and reading more of this book all day. It’s the perfect way for me to stop thinking about the one I’m working on.’
Melody walked over and kissed her grandmother’s cheek. ‘Fine. I’ll come and check up on you when I get back.’
‘I’ll look forward to hearing how it went.’
Melody shook her head at her grandmother’s wry grin and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Not wishing to keep Zac waiting too long, she ran downstairs and when she couldn’t find him in the kitchen went outside and saw him leaning against Lindy’s car.
‘Was I very long?’
‘Not at all.’ He looked past her. ‘Patsy not coming then?’
Melody shook her head and walked over to join him. ‘She’s happily reading in her room. She said for us to enjoy ourselves.’
They got into the car and strapped themselves in. Zac looked up at the attic windows. ‘I’m glad Patsy’s happy here. That you both are,’ he said, turning on the ignition.
He turned left out of the farm driveway, and she was excited to be shown a different part of the island to what she had already seen. Zac had driven her past a couple of the beaches on their way from the harbour to the farm. He had pointed out the beautiful areas where the pale sand met the turquoise sea. When Melody had remarked on the glorious colour, Zac had been quick to let her know that it changed according to the weather and she looked forward to seeing the sea on different days.
Zac had given snippets about the area and their names, which Melody couldn’t remember, probably because they sounded as if they were in French.
She was happy she hadn’t allowed herself to think too deeply before agreeing to come to the island, even though her mother had recently given her one of her kindly lectures about taking time to consider her choices more carefully. This was a visit to a place a few hundred miles away though, Melody reminded herself, not embarking on a marriage that might only last a few years. She pushed away the memories of her disastrous, short-lived life with Rhys and vowed never to allow herself to be swept up by a man again and to follow her instincts instead.
A few minutes later they pulled into a parking area and got out of the car. As she walked gingerly down the long, cobbled slipway, she tried to be careful not to slip on the seaweed that had probably been washed up on the last high tide, but the sole of her trainer must have caught a piece and skidded out in front of her. It was only Zac’s quick reaction, grabbing her arm, that stopped her from falling.
‘That was a close one.’ She laughed, embarrassed.
‘Here, take my hand.’
He reached his hand out to her. She stared at it for a second, feeling awkward about taking it. Holding his hand felt so intimate for some reason.
Not wishing to seem silly or wanting to slip again, she did as he suggested. Focusing on keeping her footing, she tried to recall the last time she had held hands with any man apart from Rhys. She was relieved when they reached the sand, but felt the coolness on her skin when his hand let go of hers. They began walking and she listened as Zac told her about the tower that rose from the islet in the sea. He really was good-looking in a tousle-haired, outdoorsy kind of way.
It had only been a couple of months since that last disastrous encounter with Rhys and although Melody knew for certain that any love she’d had for him was gone, his controlling behaviour still made her anxious. As much as she told herself he had noidea where she was, she still struggled to remember that he wouldn’t be watching and seeing something suspicious in an innocent gesture.
Zac turned to her, and she realised with embarrassment that she hadn’t been following what he was telling her.
‘You all right?’
She saw the concern on his face and tried to come up with something plausible without admitting that she hadn’t been listening. ‘Yes, sorry. I was, um, breathing in the delicious sea air.’
He smiled, seeming happy with her reply. ‘It is special here, isn’t it? I can’t get enough of the beach. Whenever I’m away working, however exciting the job is, it only takes a few days before I long to get back to this place.’
He frowned and listened for something. He then turned to look at a rocky area where the receding tide lay in rock pools. ‘Over there.’ He pointed at some birds congregating noisily on the rocks.
