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“We’re going on a road trip!” Dylan declared.

“It seems so . . . I’ll let them know you’re coming.”

“Who will you tell them I am?”

“A friend,” said Lucy firmly.

“Excellent. That’s definitely an improvement on what I was expecting. What time are we setting off? They’re in Dorset, right?”

“They are, how did you know that?”

“I have ears, you know,” Dylan replied.

“They live in Upton, it’s about three hours from here. We can set off at nine, if that’s all right?” Doubts began to creep into Lucy’s mind. What if her parents tried to convince her that she should be with Dylan and were upset that she wasn’t. Or what if they hated him? Not that anyone appeared to dislike Dylan, he was universally adored by everyone it seemed, except her.

“That’s fine. I’ll drive.”

“Why would you be driving?”

“Because you’ve said yourself that you’re perpetually exhausted. Do you really want to be driving for hours?”

“No,” Lucy admitted. It would actually be a lot easier if he drove. Damn this man . . .

“That’s decided then. And I’ll bring some snacks.”

“This isn’t a picnic!” Lucy said.

“I’m not eating junk from the services, and neither are you. What I’ve read is that pregnancy exhaustion can often be alleviated by eating little and often to keep your energy levels up.”

The look on Lucy’s face made it clear that she wasn’t at all convinced by this.

“It might be worth a try, anyway,” said Dylan quickly.

Lucy found herself unexpectedly chuckling. “You’re worried I’m going to tell you off for bossing me around about this pregnancy, aren’t you?” she said.

“Absolutely.”

“Well, in fairness, I kind of feel that anything’s worth a try at this point, but you’re not to complain if I end up sleeping for the whole journey.”

“Fine by me,” he said. “It’ll make it the longest you’ve ever gone in my company without you wanting to throttle me.”

“Here’s hoping,” Lucy quipped back.

Chapter 10

The next morning, Dylan took Lucy’s bag for her and opened the passenger door of his black Audi. The inside of his car, with its leather seats and gadgetry everywhere, was even fancier than the outside. Part of her longed to press some of the shiny buttons to see what they’d do, but that would definitely not go down well. She knew how Dylan felt about his beloved car. Everyone in Castle Cove did.

Dylan got in the driver’s side.

“Let me know if you’re feeling bad and need to take a break,” he said. “We have plenty of time to get there. Have you eaten?”

“No,” Lucy admitted. “I wasn’t hungry. Nerves.”

“It’ll be fine,” said Dylan. “Your parents will be so happy they’re going to be grandparents.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“OK then,” said Dylan, “Operation Win Round Lucy’s Parents is on. Let’s get started.”