Page 98 of The Sunrise Sisterhood

She shook her head, frowning. ‘I had lemon posset.’

‘You did,’ he confirmed, ‘but the cherry clafoutis was your first choice and they’d run out of that.’

‘I’m … I’m …’ She gave a laugh of disbelief. ‘Flabbergasted.’

Adam smirked. ‘So what’s mine?’

She cast her mind back to their dinner. He’d opted for the cheeseboard rather than a sweet dessert and when they’d got up to his room, there’d been chocolates on the pillows, and he’d swept them into a pile saying she could have them both because he didn’t like chocolate much.

‘You don’t really have much of a sweet tooth,’ she began, pleased to see him look impressed. ‘So ice cream is something you enjoy to cool you down rather than for the flavour, so I’m going for the classic. Vanilla?’

‘Yes!’ He lifted a hand and she high-fived him and they both laughed. ‘Although bang goes my theory that I’m a man of mystery.’

‘Mystery is overrated,’ she said kindly.

He grinned. ‘True. I mean meeting Saskia was great, but getting to know Clare Marriott is miles better.’

Clare was brimming with happiness. They walked towards the ice-cream kiosk together, Adam in charge of the buggy, her keeping close to him, protecting her arm as small groups of people passed them by. She stole a look at him as he pulled a wallet out of the back pocket of his shorts. He was good company, good-looking and, so far, good with Ivy. This was going well, too well. There had to be a catch.

‘Do we get one for Ivy?’ he asked, nodding to the list of flavours on the board inside the kiosk.

Clare shook her head. ‘She’s never had ice cream.’

He pretended to look appalled. ‘That’s practically child abuse. A beach trip with no ice cream? And I thought you were so nice.’

‘Did you really?’ She gave him a sideways look, her voice feeling thick in her throat.

His eyes fixed on hers. ‘Sorry, was that too personal?’

‘Not at all. Because I am nice. She gets lots of treats, like raisins and yoghurt and rice cakes …’ She broke off to laugh at Adam, who was looking at her in horror.

‘Poor child,’ he murmured and squatted down to Ivy’s level. ‘Hey, kiddo. If Mummy says yes, I’m going to treat you to your first ever ice cream.’ He gave Clare puppy eyes. ‘Can I?’

Kiddo. God, he was gorgeous. Her chest tightened and she hid it by pretending to sigh. ‘It’s like having two kids. Tell you what, we’ll get her a spoon, she can try both of ours, let’s see whose she prefers, mine or yours.’ Mummy’s or Daddy’s.

He brightened. ‘Deal. She’ll like mine though, because she’s got good taste.’

They bought their ice creams and sat on the wall to eat them, with Ivy in her buggy in front of them: a tub of vanilla for Adam and a cone of cherry ice cream for Clare because she couldn’t manage a tub and a spoon.

Adam cheered when Ivy shuddered at the taste of the cherry and then instantly felt bad about celebrating her puckered little face. Luckily for Clare, Ivy didn’t care for the vanilla either, so they pronounced it a draw. Not only that, but she pounced on the box of raisins Clare had packed, which meant she was the winner overall.

‘I admit defeat,’ said Adam, dropping his tub and the supply of napkins they’d got through in the bin. ‘But I’m not giving up yet. Ivy clearly needs my bad influence in her life.’

‘How so?’ said Clare, sipping from her newly replenished water bottle.

‘Look at her,’ he protested. ‘Ploughing through those raisins. It’s not natural for a child to prefer wizened fruit over ice cream.’

Clare shrugged playfully. ‘What can I say, she’s a sensible child. She must take after her mother.’

‘Not her father?’ Adam probed. ‘You haven’t told me much about him – in fact almost nothing.’

Her pulse started to race. He’d given her the perfect opening, she could just come straight out with it. But the moment wasn’t right, this felt too off-the-cuff, not special enough. She wasn’t going to tell him. Not yet.

‘Can we leave it,’ Clare said quietly. ‘Please?’

He held her gaze as if deciding whether to push her and then gave her a small smile. ‘Sure.’

For the next couple of minutes, they focused on getting onto the sand and finding a spot. Clare wanted to be by the rocks as usual, but Adam wanted to be closer to the water.