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“And I’m assuming he did,” Gemma said, “or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“He did. It took him two days to track her down, and it turns out she had been looking for him too. A week later, when they were back on mainland Malaysia, he proposed to her. But they both knew how their families were going to react, after all, he was only 20, she was 19, and they knew they would think it was ridiculous that they had made such a commitment without even knowing each other properly.”

“So what did they do?” Gemma asked.

“They got married. In Gretna Green, before they even went home.”

“Wow, how did their parents respond to that?”

“Surprisingly, it was actually my father’s parents who were most angry with them. He’s always been a bit of a mummy’s boy, and I think his parents were annoyed that he’d do something like that without telling them. But my mother’s family, they got it. As soon as they saw them together, they knew it was the real deal. They’ve been together for over 40 years now, and I feel like there are fewer and fewer couples that you can say that about.”

Kent was struck with a sudden urge to ring his mother and tell her the news she had been waiting years to hear, but of course, that was just the drink talking. There was no way he could actually do that.

“So that’s them, but that doesn’t explain why you’re single,” Gemma said.

“Oh, it completely does,” Kent replied. “I mean, that’s what I’ve been waiting for. The fireworks, the heart racing, the feeling like you could say ‘I do’ that instant and know that your whole life together would be incredible.”

“And you haven’t found that yet?” Gemma said, her voice a whisper.

“I hadn’t,” Kent said. “But then, a couple of weeks ago, that changed.”

CHAPTER 57

Gemma knew exactly what Kent was saying, and she couldn’t breathe because of it. It was ridiculous, of course, it was. He couldn’t possibly be saying what she thought. He had hated her when they first met, just like she had hated him. Hadn’t he? But then she didn’t hate him now, did she? The way he had lied to her about being the owner of the cafe was absolutely ludicrous, but it didn’t make her hate him. If anything, how he tried to protect her from the truth was endearing. Her mind drifted back to dinner. To the way their hands felt so natural on one another. How being close to him just felt natural.

“This would be messy,” she said, wishing that her voice didn’t sound quite so breathless when she spoke.

“Why?” Kent replied. Somehow, his arm had broached the boundary of the cushion and was resting on her lap. Its weight felt like a piece of armour, there solely to keep her safe. “It doesn’t have to be. It won’t be. We both want to do a good job. This won’t change that.”

“But what if you end up regretting it?” she said.

His hand moved from her lap to her cheek, and the pressure of his touch caused her eyes to close.

“I assure you I won’t,” he said. “But if you’re worried you will, then I will roll over and go straight to sleep now. I don’t want to push you, Gemma. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready for this.”

Gemma’s body and mind grappled incessantly, and she struggled to pull any sense from her thoughts. Of course, she was worried about regretting it. She was worried that because of one silly night, after far too much wine, she was going to mess up the job that she loved so much. But then, whatever happened tonight, she knew that her relationship with Kent had changed forever. And what was that old saying? It was better to regret the things you did than the things you didn’t do. Yes, that was it. She’d never known it to make as much sense as it did in that moment. Still aware that she might be making a terrible decision, Gemma leaned forward, so close that she could feel his breath on her skin.

“I still think this is a bad idea,” she said before pressing her lips against Kent’s and kissing him.

CHAPTER 58

Gemma stretched out in the bed, yawning widely as she twisted her neck from side to side, trying to ease the cricks in her neck. Kent was still asleep in bed, soft snores rising from his lips. It had been one kiss, that was all, and yet it had left its mark on her. Even as she woke, she could feel the echoes of it buzzing through her skin, like a static shock that had struck every part of her body. One kiss was all they had shared, and then she broke away and lay back on the bed while their fingertips remained intertwined.

After rolling onto her side, Gemma grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She still had enough time to get home, get showered, and get to work as if nothing had happened. That way, she could leave all the cards in his hand. It was up to Kent to decide what would happen next. As she stood in the doorway, ready to leave, a flicker of guilt struck her. She would have felt devastated if she’d woken up and found he was gone, but he knew she was working. He’d understand, wouldn’t he?

On the drive back, she contemplated sending a message, only to change her mind. She had drunk a fair bit, and while she didn’t blame alcohol for her action, Kent might. It was a far wiserdecision to pretend nothing had happened until she knew where she stood.

“That’s your second coffee this morning,” Dawn said, as Gemma stood by the machine, trying to breathe in as many coffee fumes as she could. “I take it you had a good night?”

Gemma was grateful it was Dawn and not Sophie working with her. Both Sophie and Nina had sent several messages, to which Gemma had only replied that the yacht club was lovely. She knew they’d want more at some point, but that was all they were getting for now.

“It was nice,” Gemma replied to Dawn.

“And from how you’re constantly looking at your phone, can I assume a man was involved?”

Gemma shook her head.

“Just book club gossip,” she lied, though it was hard not to keep checking for messages. It was all very well, leaving the ball in Kent’s court, but she wanted him to do something with it.