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She bit her lip. “I think it’s best if I just go home.”

“I’ll drop you,” Daniel said, getting up from the cushions.

“I can walk.”

“No chance. We can’t have you crushing any more hearts in the moonlight.”

Kitty thought back to their walk through the village on trivia night. He’d been there for her from the moment she’d arrived, even if his motives had been murky.

“Can we still be friends?” Kitty said. “I know I don’t have the right to ask, but you make me smile.”

Daniel sneered. “If the role of tragic clown is all I’m being offered, I’ll take a rain check. Come on.”

Daniel stood and turned to leave, and Kitty got to her feet to follow him. By the time they reached the street, she’d sobered up. By the time they made it to Rose Cottage, Kitty was full of panic about her job interview. The last thing she needed was what happened this evening distracting her. What had she been thinking? Kitty undid her seatbelt as they sat in the car outside Julia’s.

“Crap. What if I stuff up the interview? I should never have come back to yours. Again, I’m so sorry.”

Daniel sighed, his chiselled cheekbones shadowed in the streetlight. You’re still not making me feel any better. You’ll be fine. In fact, you’ll kill it. Now, go, get some beauty sleep,” he said, not meeting her eyes.

Kitty climbed out of the car and closed the door. Just as she turned to head up the path to Julia’s, the window of the car wound down. Kitty turned back to see Daniel leaning over the centre console.

“I just thought of something,” he said. “A bit of a tip for your interview.”

“Yes?” said Kitty.

“Just try to get everyone’s names right, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

With that, he gave her a rueful wink and drove away.

41

DANIEL

The next morning,Daniel sat at the bar, nursing a very strong coffee while Amber crashed around him, moving boxes of glasses out of the storeroom. The Five Bob was running the bar at the cricket ball, and Amber had the bit between her teeth. Was she trying to make as much noise as possible?

He’d spent most of his night ruminating about Kitty’s slip of the tongue and her outright rejection of him. She’d bruised his ego more in the last week than anyone had in the last ten years.

“Amber!” he shouted. “Please. I’m trying to languish in self-pity over here.”

Amber strolled into the bar and stood with one hand on her hip. Daniel took in her ample curves and how her unruly curls attempted to escape from her ponytail. She stood in a pool of light that made it through the window. It lit up the scattering of freckles on her nose, and his irritation melted under her steady gaze.

“Like that, is it? I didn’t like to ask, but you rarely make it in before midday, and that coffee looks strong enough to stand up a spoon in.”

Daniel sighed. “You have no idea.”

The corners of Amber’s mouth twitched, and her eyes danced with amusement.

“Oh, dear. Don’t tell me you crashed and burned with Rapunzel of Rose Cottage again?”

“That’s one way to describe it. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

Daniel looked down at his cold coffee and then checked his watch. It was eleven in the morning. Well, the bars were open somewhere in the world.

“Fancy a drink?” he said.

Amber tipped her head to one side.

“Not for me, but I’ll keep you company.”