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‘Amelia,’ said Fergus gently. He touched her hand and she recoiled.
‘Goodnight, Fergus.’ Her voice was brisk and she couldn’t meet his eyes.
‘This is not what you think,’ he said urgently. ‘Look, I’ll come over later and explain.’
Kelly wandered to his side, snaking an arm around his waist. He appeared to flinch. He looked at Amelia pleadingly.
‘I’d rather you didn’t, actually,’ she said crisply. ‘I’ll catch you later.’
‘Who’s she?’ Amelia heard Kelly ask as she walked away. ‘Is there anything you need to tell me?’
Fergus didn’t answer.
Amelia was shivering by the time she finally got back to Coorie Cabin. She glanced up at the cottage and, seeing Edie’s bedroom light on, was glad to see her friend was home safely. She locked the cabin door behind her, wiped off her glittery make-up and pulled off her clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor.
Then she stepped into the shower, letting the warm water slide over her. She angrily lathered her hair with shampoo, trying to forget how amazing Fergus’s lips had felt on hers. How could she have been so stupid? She was an utter fool.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Fergus couldn’t quite believe what had happened and his heart ached when he remembered the look in Amelia’s eyes. He hoped she would give him a chance to explain.
In the meantime, he needed to sort out this mess with Kelly, who waited for him in the bar at the hotel where she was staying for the night with her friends. When he arrived, he spotted her in the corner, nursing a glass of wine.
‘Hi,’ he said, taking a seat.
‘I thought you would have been happier to see me.’
‘You surprised me, that’s all. I wished you’d called . . .’
‘I did. Several times.’
He winced. He deserved that. ‘I never meant to give you the wrong impression . . .’ How could he tell her kindly that he’dneverthought of her as his girlfriend? Never! ‘I thought our understanding was casual?’ Oh dear, he thought, wincing at his clumsy wording.
Kelly threw him a look. ‘I thought it was more than that. I missed you, and when my friends suggested a trip, I thought I would surprise you. Which clearly I did.’
He shook his head. ‘Sorry, Kelly. The last thing I would ever do is deliberately hurt you.’
‘Is there someone else?’
He couldn’t lie.
‘Who is she?’
‘Look, there hasn’t been anyone else until recently.’ He took a breath.
She shook her head in disgust. ‘Well, good luck to her. That’s all I can say.’
She glugged back the rest of her wine and stood up.
‘I’m sorry.’ What more could he say? He now felt completely awful as Kelly wiped away a tear.
‘Nothing. I’m sorry I came.’
Fergus stood and reached towards her to give her a hug. But she recoiled, turned away and stomped off.
Fergus slipped back into his seat and shook his head.Seriously?What a mess of a night this had turned out to be. How could he explain to Amelia? Should he go and try and talk to her now? Or leave it until the morning? He nodded to Rob behind the hotel bar and left to make his way down to the beach. The waning moon cast a soft glow across the shore and he watched its reflection in the water. Standing at the edge, he bent down to pick up a pebble, which he skimmed across the flat surface. He watched it dance across the water, leaving circles rippling behind it. Then he picked up another, effortlessly throwing it and making it hop and skip.
He thought about earlier in the night when he and Amelia had kissed for the first time. It had been just as amazing as he’d thought it would be. There’d been such an easy, relaxed atmosphere between them. He’d been wanting to kiss her for a long time. Probably from the first moment he’d set eyes on her that night at the ferry terminal when she’d arrived. He felt a tug of impatience at how events had unfolded tonight. Surely he could do something to make it right again?
