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“There’s a quicker way to walk into town along a path through the woods. That’s why there’s the gate over there,” he pointed to a wooden gate at the end of the garden. “I’d like a garage for my car, ideally, but not many country cottages come with them, it seems,” he joked.

“So, you’re thinking of putting in an offer?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah . . . I am. It’s got everything I need.”

“It’s pretty big,” Lucy commented.

“That’s what she said.”

Lucy gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled her eyes at his terrible joke.

“It is big,” Dylan said, “but I’m hoping it’s not going to be just me forever. I like the feel of it, and the location is perfect. I love the garden because I want to get a dog. A kid should have a dog, in my opinion. And it’s all been renovated ready to sell so I don’t need to do anything to it straightaway.”

Lucy nodded. She wondered how much a house like this cost. He was already invested in her business. How much did he earn, protecting computers from viruses and attacks?

Adam came to find them.

“Have you got any questions?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Dylan said. “The place is obviously empty, and you know my situation. I’m anxious to buy as soon as possible and have had an offer accepted on the house I currently own.”

Feeling like she shouldn’t be listening in, Lucy wandered off, around the garden and to the front of the house. Situated as it was on top of the hill and in a large clearing, the calm sea was laid out before her under the grey twilight sky. It really was a fantastic location. It felt like you were in the middle of the countryside, but the town was just a few minutes’ walk away, though the only part of it that could be seen was the beach and part of the harbour, thanks to the trees. She turned and looked at the house, imagining what it would be like to live there, with chickens in the chicken coop, walking down the hill to her coffee shop every morning, and her child playing in the garden with their dog, their best friend, close by them. It would be idyllic.

Dylan came round to find her. “Hey,” he said, “you OK?”

“Yep. Are you all finished here?”

“Yeah, I’ve put in an offer which Adam’s going to put to the vendors and get back to me about on Monday.”

“Wow, you move fast.”

“There’s no point in wasting time,” Dylan said. “I really like it, and it seemed to get the Lucy seal of approval.”

“Fair enough,” Lucy smiled.

“Let’s get back,” he said. “We’ve still got a walk to do, and I’ve noticed you complain more the darker it is.”

As Dylan started the car, Lucy took a last look at the house. Imagine having that as your family home that you got to come home to every day. She couldn’t believe that Dylan had put an offer on it, just like that. It was possible that their baby was going to get to spend a large portion of their childhood in that house. That was going to be one lucky kid.

* * *

Lucy saw Dylan take his phone outside while she was serving a couple their lunch on Monday. He returned a moment later with a smile on his face. He gave her a thumbs up as he went back to his table, given she was busy with customers again. She came over as soon as she was free.

“The vendor accepted your offer?” she said.

“He did. It belonged to his father who passed away a while ago. He’s had it all renovated and wants a quick sale. There’s no chain, which is great.”

“Fantastic,” said Lucy. “It’s a gorgeous house. Congratulations.”

“We’ll celebrate later, yeah? We’ll get some non-alcoholic ginger beer or something.”

“That sounds great,” Lucy said. The bell rang over the door of the shop signalling more customers. “I’d better go,” she said, suddenly reluctant to leave him, even though she was only going a few metres away. Stupid, stupid hormones.

It would be good to have him close by in terms of sorting out childcare, she told herself, no other reason. Of course, it would be very strange not to have him in her flat. She’d already got used to having him around . . . Well, there was no point in worrying about that. He wouldn’t be moving out for a while yet, and he would, no doubt, do something to annoy her long before that. She’d most likely be thrilled to see him go and have her home back to herself.

But he was fun to watch Downton Abbey with. And his cooking was really good . . .

It would be hard to look after the baby without him, she had to acknowledge, her mind wandering as she prepared an order. He was naturally good at looking after people; he’d shown that when he cared for her. And he was usually in a positive mood, which would either drive her crazy when she was sleep deprived or be the only thing that kept her going. At the very least, they could tag team doing nights. She knew that he’d be eager to do his part, but it wouldn’t be as easy with him living somewhere else, even if it was close by. Maybe he’d consider moving back in for a while when the baby was first born. No, that was ridiculous. She would be fine. She had a great support system, including Dylan. She’d be fine.