Page 13 of A Little Love Song in Seabury (Seabury #16)

WILLIAM

W ill leaned on the railing and stared out over North Beach. The image of Leah appearing in nothing more than a flimsy tee-shirt and pair of pants was seared into his brain. Not that he was complaining… it wasn’t an image he wanted to get rid of in a hurry!

Even so, he needed to focus for a second. He had a message to send before she reappeared.

He’d barely sent the message when a reply pinged back from Rosie.

You’d better be on your best behaviour or your nuts will have my knees to contend with. Rx

His phone pinged again.

Connie says hers too… though she said she might have to defer the physical exercise for a few months!

Will rolled his eyes and smiled. He knew his two proto sisters-in-law were all talk. They were the sweetest people he’d ever met, and the fact that they were willing to help him try to fix the chaos he’d caused was proof of that.

Even so, Will had no intention of messing this up.

If there was any chance Leah might give him a second chance to prove he could be a decent human being, he was going to grab it with both hands.

Will couldn’t imagine life without her, and that went for the professional side of things… and the personal.

‘Alright, I’m ready!’

Will whirled around only to find a very different version of Leah standing a few feet away from him. In the time it had taken him to send two messages and moon around a bit, Leah had clearly managed to shower, dry her hair, put it up in its customary sleek up-do and get changed.

Will frowned slightly. He couldn’t help it.

Gone were the relaxed waves and washed-out denim of the day before.

Leah had raided her holiday wardrobe and somehow managed to come up with a look that was all business.

She was wearing black, ankle-length trousers, a tucked-in, white shirt, and a pair of neat ballet pumps.

All she needed was a suit jacket, and she could be negotiating contracts for his next tour.

In short, Leah had put her armour back on… and it was all his fault.

‘You look nice,’ he said.

He meant it. Armour or not, Leah was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. He’d always been aware of that, deep down… he’d just done his best to ignore it.

Urgh, this was all so confusing!

‘Erm… thanks?’ said Leah, fidgeting from foot to foot.

Damn, he was making her feel uncomfortable already. Not that he should be surprised—that was probably the first compliment he’d ever paid her that didn’t have something to do with the job.

‘So, where are we going for breakfast?’ said Leah, clearing her throat and visibly pulling herself together. ‘Do you want to go back to New York Froth, or shall we see if The Sardine’s open? I’ve not been in there yet.’

‘I’ll take you there tomorrow, if you’d like,’ said Will, ‘but today, I’ve got something else in mind. Do you have the car keys with you?’

‘Oh… erm… sure!’ said Leah, looking surprised. She rummaged around in her handbag, shifting her heavy diary aside before eventually drawing out a key on a pink fluffy pompom.

Will held his hand out for it, and Leah raised an eyebrow. ‘You want to drive?’

‘I do know how to, you know!’ he chuckled. ‘In fact, I know you know that, because you renewed my licence for me just last year.’

‘Sure. I mean, I know you can drive in theory—I’ve just never seen you actually do it before.’

Will grinned. She wasn’t wrong. They mainly used public transport or hired a driver while he was on tour, and any time he needed to go somewhere when they were back home, Leah usually drove him.

‘You’ll be completely safe, don’t worry,’ he said, catching her nervous glance towards the car. ‘Besides, I know where we’re going, and you don’t. Plus, it’ll mean you get to enjoy the view for a change.’

‘Okay, I can’t argue with that,’ said Leah. She had a tight smile on her face now, but Will noticed that she’d pulled her bag more firmly onto her shoulder, as if she was adjusting her armour for better coverage.

Setting things right between them was clearly going to take some doing, and it was as much as Will could do not to start grovelling right there on the seafront.

But no – this wasn’t the time or the place.

Will had promised the girls that he wouldn’t put Leah in a difficult spot. Yes, he had things he needed to say, but he wasn’t about to do that in the middle of town, where their private business would be broadcast on the grapevine in a matter of seconds.

‘Okay,’ said Leah. ‘I have to ask… are you sure you’re not just driving around in circles?’

They’d been driving for about ten minutes, and this was the first time either of them had said anything. Will let out a soft sigh of relief as he slowly navigated the narrow, hairpin bend of the country lane.

The wildflowers and grasses that fringed the hedgerows might be breathtakingly beautiful right now, but they also made the lanes even more dicey than usual because it was impossible to see very far ahead.

‘Trust me,’ he said, not taking his eyes off the road.

Two simple words, but he knew after his recent behaviour, it was asking a lot.

That said, Will wasn’t lost. He knew these lanes like the back of his hand, having explored them all on his bike as a kid. Little did Leah know that just over the next rise, she was going to have her mind blown by the most beautiful view in the entire county.

Three…

Two…

One!

‘Oh, wow!’ gasped Leah.

Bingo!

‘Just look at that view!’ she said, gazing at the vast expanse of blue that had just unfurled on her side of the car.

‘It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?’ said Will, still not taking his eyes off the lane, though he was sorely tempted. Not that he needed to see the view—he’d seen it plenty of times before. But he did want to see the look on Leah’s face.

‘I hope the café’s got this view,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry but, if it does, I might be a bit distracted.’

‘The view from where we’re having breakfast is just as good,’ said Will, pausing at a high crossroads before indicating down the hill towards the sea. ‘Just a couple of minutes, and I promise breakfast is served!’

Will was tempted to cross his fingers about that, but he needed to hold his nerve—otherwise he risked ruining the surprise.

‘Thank you for driving,’ said Leah quietly, as they headed straight towards the sea. Glimpses of blue flashed between the fringes of flowers and high hedges. ‘I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this.’

‘My pleasure,’ said Will.

And it really was. He could feel Leah’s enjoyment radiating from her… and it was a feeling like no other. If a simple drive around the country lanes could make her this happy, what else was in his power when it came to making her smile?

‘Here we are,’ he said a couple of minutes later as he pulled through a gap in the hedge and parked the car on a slightly sandy, scruffy patch of grass.

‘Here?’ said Leah in surprise. ‘I don’t see a café… unless that’s it over there?’ She wrinkled her nose, nodding across the carpark at a stone-walled hut with a wriggly tin roof.

Will grinned. ‘That’s just a shed.’

‘Oh. Good! You had me worried there for a moment.’

‘No worries today,’ said Will. ‘And that really is a "boss man" order.’

‘Well… okay then, boss man ,’ said Leah. ‘But are you sure this is the right place?’

‘Yep,’ said Will. ‘It’s just a short walk from here.’

‘Well… okay, then.’

Leah hopped out of the car, and Will followed more slowly. As he straightened up, he glanced across at the little shed again.

Sure enough, the minute Leah turned her back to have a look around, two heads appeared around the corner of the old stone wall. Will could just about make out Ewan’s grinning face, then he spotted a brief thumbs-up from Matt before they ducked back out of sight again.

Excellent. It looked like the plan was working. Stage one was ready for their arrival… and that in itself was a bit of a miracle!

‘Coming?’ said Leah, turning back to him.

Will’s heart did a funny little flip at the sight of the excited smile that had nudged its way onto her face.

‘Coming!’ he said, more than aware that his brothers were probably watching his every move as he joined Leah and led the way back out onto the lane.

No doubt they’d be reporting back to the girls the minute they were out of sight.

Will couldn’t really complain, though—not after everything the four of them had done for him since his bombshell realisation the previous evening.

It really was the shortest walk down to the entrance of the sandy cove, and Will was almost disappointed that it didn’t take them longer. The feeling of Leah walking along at his side was just so… right.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me?!’ she gasped as they drew to a halt at the top of the beach.

‘Breakfast is served,’ said Will with a grin.

Honestly, he was trying not to feel too proud of himself right now… but it was turning out to be quite difficult. As grand gestures went, this was a pretty good one.

Of course, he couldn’t take all the credit…

or much of it at all, really. The huge gingham tablecloth set out on the sand a little further down the beach had been Rosie’s idea.

The two squashy cushions for them to sit on had been Connie’s suggestion, and the picnic basket waiting for them had been carefully put together by food-loving Ewan.

Matt had taken charge of logistics. This magical moment had been planned by his big brother with near-military precision. Will’s only job had been to not stuff things up with Leah and make sure he got her there without any disasters.

So far, so good!

Perhaps he shouldn’t crow too much about his success just yet, though! This was just the beginning… he still had plenty of opportunities to mess things up.

A little wave of panic went through him, but then Rosie’s calm voice echoed in his head. Just stay present. All she wants is you there with her. And I mean THERE with her, not away with the fairies!

Will gave his head a little shake and glanced at Leah.

‘Is that really for us?’ she said, taking a tentative step onto the sand.

‘All for you,’ said Will. ‘Breakfast on the beach. Isn’t that one of the things on your holiday bucket list for this week?’

‘I… how… well yeah!’ she said, struggling to keep a beaming smile off her face. ‘But how did you know?’

‘Ah, well I may have phoned a friend on that one, I’m afraid,’ said Will, running his fingers through his hair. ‘Sorry,’ he added quickly.

‘Of all the things to apologise for, this isn’t one of them,’ said Leah, giving his arm a little squeeze.

‘Ready for breakfast, then?’ said Will.

Leah nodded. ‘May I?’ she said, nodding to the basket.

‘Go wild!’ said Will with a smile.

The difficult bit was still to come, but right now he wanted to bask in that beautiful smile on Leah’s face. Because, for once, he’d been responsible for putting it there… instead of making it disappear.