Page 75 of A Change of Heart

Seren opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t think how to respond. Her instinct was to apologise and brush it off as nothing, but there was a part of her that wanted to tell him the truth.

Kit squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “I’m sure it was nothing – you were worried about me and I guess you were just relieved to see me …” The statement rose at the end to sound like a question.

“Yes,” she said weakly.

“I thought so, but I wanted to check.” His slow smile brought out the dimple in his cheek. “This is why I should never have told you how I feel. Every time you kiss me now I’m going to read too much into it.”

She put a hand over her face as she laughed at his stupid sense of humour. Clearly her kissing him was an unusual occurrence, and she owed him more of an explanation. She only wished she was brave enough to tell him the truth.

“I was very relieved to see you,” she said, moving her hand from her face. “That was definitely part of it. The other part is that I miss you. I hate not seeing you. I miss your face.”

“It’s a very nice face,” he said cockily, causing her to give him a playful shove.

“Are you planning on avoiding the pub forever so you don’t have to see me?”

His eyes sparkled with amusement. “I’m in there all the time when you’re not working. Sometimes I even wait around the corner until you leave and then I go in.”

“Kit!” She shoved him harder this time. “You better be joking!”

“Of course I’m joking, you idiot.”

“I miss you teasing me,” she said quietly.

“Part of my problem is that whenever I see you, it feels as though someone is stamping on my heart. I thought it would be nice to have a break from that for a while.” He rubbed at his jaw. “I’m also quite embarrassed around you now.”

“Don’t be.” She fought off tears. The last thing she wanted was for him to be embarrassed about his feelings for her.

“Easier said than done.” He gave her a friendly punch on the arm. “I’ll start coming into the pub again sometimes.”

“When I’m working?”

He laughed. “Yes. I’ll come and sit at the bar and annoy you like I used to.”

“I’d like that.”

“I suppose one day things will get back to normal between us.”

Seren nodded, ignoring the twinge of disappointment at his words. She was fairly sure that the two of them being friends would never feel quite right again. “I heard you’re seeing Holly Burton?”

“That’s bad information I’m afraid. We’re just friends. But since we’re on the subject of dating, there are rumours flying around about you and Felix.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you love island gossip?”

“So, it’s not true.”

“Definitely not true.”

“I feel as though this is stating the obvious, since you know how I feel about you, but you can do way better than him.”

“I happen to agree with you,” she said with a smile. “We should go and cheer your mum up. She’s fretting that she didn’t bake a cake.”

They’d just stood up when Kit took her arm. She looked up at him, surprised by his height.

“I know things are a bit weird between us at the moment,” he said, looking adorably bashful. “But I’m glad you’re here today.”

“Me too.” She melted into his chest when he hugged her, and it was an effort to pull herself away.

In the kitchen, Keira was walking in the back door with a cake in her hands and a look on her face as though something terrible had happened.