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Thea straightened on the bench. “So let me get this right. You and she have talked about love and relationships?”

“A little,” Josh said. “Enough to know that anything between us wouldn’t go anywhere.”

Her face sprung to life. “Kitty likes you?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But what if she did?” asked Thea.

Josh rolled his eyes.

“Josh, look in the mirror, will you? There’s not a single woman within thirty miles who wouldn’t be happy to be with you if you would just talk to them!” Josh pouted his lips and put down his coffee cup.“So, let’s examine this. You like Kitty. Kittymaylike you. And now you’re worried because Daniel Cunningham is, what, at her house?”

“What point are you trying to make, Thea?” Josh said, irritation creeping into his voice.

“My point is you don’t know why he was there. They may just be friends, like you and she are friends. Kitty doesn’t seem the type to throw herself at anyone or to be taken in by false charm. I think you’d know if she was into him.”

Josh shook his head and stared into the dawn mist as it sat low in the fields.

“I can’t take the chance.”

His eyes narrowed. The thought of Kitty becoming another notch on Daniel Cunningham’s bedpost bothered him. She was worth so much more.

“Why don’t you just ask her what’s going on between them? Slip it into the conversation. Then you can tell her howyoufeel about her,” said Thea.

Josh looked down at his mug, rubbing at an imaginary mark in silence.

“Oh, Joshie! You’re over thirty years old, and you still can’t talk about your feelings with someone you actually have feelings for?”

Josh put his face in his hands, elbows resting on the table. Here he was again. It was the same old story. The thought of getting hurt crippled him. Paralysed him.

“It’s not that easy. What if she looks at me like I’m bonkers? She might not be interested.”

“Then at least you’d know, and you could stop this self-torture.”

Josh screwed up his face.

“What’s the point Thea? Kitty will leave my life in a few short weeks and get on with her own. What’s the point of even telling her how I feel?”

Thea pursed her lips together. “Because heaven forbid, she might like you too. You could have a great time while she’s still here. It's called ‘fun’ Josh. Take it from me. It’s important to take advantage of all the fun available while you can. You’ll have to put your heart on the line one day or end up a lonely old man.”

Thea gently prodded her brother in the ribs.

“Just talk to Kitty.”

38

KITTY

The week passedin a blur for Kitty. She’d been to London twice, overnight, and gone through a rigorous set of interviews, meeting her potential new bosses and some teams she’d work with. She was happy to return to the city but couldn’t help comparing it to the country.

Surrounded by the perpetual hum of traffic, Kitty missed the bird song. She even listened out for the rooster’s screeching dawn alarm each morning. Not sure what the rules were for keeping roosters in London, Kitty recorded his crow as an alarm tone on her phone. That way, she could have the best of both worlds.

Staring out of taxi windows, to and from meetings, Kitty admired the order and symmetry of the city’s buildings. They were laid out like dominoes, and their uniformity was pleasing. But still, her mind drifted to the rolling hills and fresh air of the little village she’d started to think of as home.

Now back and lying in her small bed at Julia’s, Kitty’s mind worked overtime. The role she was interviewing for was incredible. Everything she’d always wanted. And the thought excited her during the long days in the city. Still, she had trouble summoning the same enthusiasm when she was back in Tottenbridge.

To make matters worse, Kitty hadn’t heard from Josh in six long days. Not that she was counting, of course. She’d sent him an airy text the morning after their day together. He’d sent a disappointingly brief reply, but she assumed he was busy and hadn’t paid it too much attention.