Page 3 of A Little Love Song in Seabury (Seabury #16)

WILLIAM

T he first thing Will noticed when he woke from fitful dreams of scales gone wrong and empty auditoriums was the most epic crick in his neck. The second thing was the weird, creeping sensation that he was being watched.

‘Holy mother of…’ he groaned, heaving himself upright on the vast sofa and kneading the knot in his neck as he peered around.

The room was filled with intense, bright light and the rushing sound of waves… and for a long moment, he was completely nonplussed.

Where on earth was he?

Wherever he was, he clearly hadn’t bothered to close the curtains! Will hastily tugged his dressing gown into place and eyeballed the sofa he’d crashed out on.

Nope. Not a sofa he recognised!

It wasn’t just the fact that he didn’t recognise the house that was making him feel quite so discombobulated. He was having a hard time putting his finger on which town he was in… or which country, come to that.

‘Maybe I should start with which continent!’ he yawned, rolling his neck from side to side in an attempt to work out the kink and wake himself up while he was at it.

This was one of the hazards of travelling so much for work. Will spent about ninety percent of his life not really knowing where he was. By the time his mind caught up with his body, he’d already moved to a new location. It was decidedly disorientating!

‘Okay. Let’s start with some facts,’ he muttered.

Number one, he’d never made it to bed last night. Number two, sleeping on a sofa when you were over six foot tall resulted in knots the size of Seabury.

‘Of course… Seabury!’ he said with triumph.

He was home. He was on holiday. He could… relax?

Will wasn’t so sure about that last bit. He couldn’t really remember the last time he’d been properly relaxed. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he remembered how!

A little shiver ran down his spine as the feeling of being watched intensified. Maybe it was just a hangover from thousands of pairs of eyes watching his every move while he was on stage.

‘Or maybe…’

Will struggled to his feet and took a couple of steps towards the wall of windows, blinking in the bright morning sunlight that was streaming in from the cliffside garden.

‘Well, that explains a lot!’ he laughed.

Two huge, lovable brown eyes were staring right back at him.

‘Stanley! What in heaven’s name are you doing here?’

Stanley swished his fluffy tail back and forth as he got to his feet and pressed his nose against the glass doors. Will hurried to open them and joined the Bernese Mountain Dog out on the deck.

‘How long have you been watching me sleep, you weirdo!’ he chuckled, bending to ruffle the big dog’s ears.

Will reached for Stanley’s chunky leather collar, earning himself a lick on the back of his hand in the process.

‘Let me check, just in case. I can’t imagine there’s anyone else around here who’s as fluffy and handsome as you, but better safe than sorry!’

The collar quickly confirmed that he was right.

This was definitely Stanley—the same fluffball Will had met at Seabury House when he’d dashed back to play at Lionel and Mary’s wedding the previous year.

The dog was hard to forget, especially considering he’d spent most of the reception on the dance floor, swaying like a big hairy gooseberry between Kate—his owner—and her other half, Mike.

Kate owned The Sardine café in town and lived with Mike at the old lighthouse… both of which were quite a long walk from this clifftop garden. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a number on Stanley’s collar, just his name on one side and Kate Hardy c/o The Sardine on the other.

‘What am I going to do with you, eh?’ said Will, giving the dog a hug, which went on far longer than he’d anticipated.

Will felt some of the confusion, tiredness and worry drain out of him, and he had to blink hard as grateful tears prickled the corners of his eyes.

Well, at least now he knew what he’d be doing first this morning!

There was no way he was willing to leave Stanley outside to find his own way home—not when he’d wandered so far.

Obviously, he could call Leah. She had the car, after all, and the idea of asking her to come and pick up the big, hairy hiccup was tempting.

Palming off his problems onto her capable shoulders was something he knew how to do very well, but it wasn’t the answer this time, was it?

This was Leah’s first holiday in forever, and just because she was staying in the same town as him, it didn’t mean he could summon her whenever he fancied. Besides… it was early. She was probably still in bed.

Will swallowed. For some reason, the idea of Leah lounging around in bed was doing something funny to his insides. He quickly shook his head.

What was wrong with him?!

‘Right,’ he said, clearing his throat. ‘Looks like it’s you and me, boy!’

Stanley wafted his tail and shot a longing glance towards the glass doors.

‘Fine, you can come in while I get dressed,’ said Will.

Not that he had much choice in the matter, as Stanley was already making his way inside.

Will followed him, idly wondering what the house’s pet policy was.

Then again, Stanley wasn’t his pet, was he, so it didn’t really count.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he could leave him outside. He might just wander off again.

As soon as they were safely inside, Will watched Stanley flop down onto the plush designer rug in front of the sofa, wondering what he should do next.

Maybe he should call Leah. She’d know what to do.

She’d probably turn up and fix everything for him in less than five minutes… just like she always did.

No! He was going to deal with this himself. He just needed to decide what to do first…

Will blinked, his mind drawing a complete blank.

‘Seriously, man, pull it together,’ he groaned, rubbing his face hard.

He was sure he never used to be this useless. It was like he’d become nothing more than a musical automaton. He did what he was told to do, when he was told to do it… and he seemed to have forgotten how to make even the most basic of decisions.

‘Okay… you can do this,’ he muttered. ‘Just break it down into easy chunks.’

Right. Decision one – get dressed!

‘That’s simple enough,’ he said with a little nod. ‘Stay!’ he added, pointing at Stanley, who already had his chin resting on his massive paws.

Stanley didn’t even bother to raise his head. Instead, he lifted one eyebrow and gave Will a look that clearly said “pull it together, man.”

Will chuckled and headed for the bedroom. Grabbing his bag from where he’d dumped it the previous evening, Will unzipped it and rummaged through the clothes Leah had packed for him.

He pulled out a soft pair of battered jeans and yanked them on, followed by a simple navy tee-shirt and lightweight cashmere jumper that Ewan had knitted for him for his birthday.

Will stroked the soft sleeves, suddenly feeling like he was wrapped in a hug from his talented brother.

Swallowing hard, he stripped the jumper straight back off and swapped it for a logoed hoodie.

He loved the cashmere, but he hadn’t managed to wear it for more than a few seconds yet.

The wave of brotherly love that hit him every time he pulled it over his head was overwhelming.

Grabbing a pair of comfy trainers, Will pulled them on and then ran his fingers through his hair. Right. A walk. It would be good for him! He’d deliver the ridiculous fluff ball to Kate at The Sardine and then… well… he’d figure out the next bit.

How did people do holidays? He had hours and hours stretching ahead of him, days of blank space to fill… and he had no idea what to do with it all.

Will glanced at the discarded jumper again. Well, he’d definitely have to catch up with his brothers while he was in town. He seemed to remember something about them wanting to take him out for food at some point. Maybe Leah had made a note about it somewhere.

Not that he was going to ask her about it!

The problem was, until Will had figured out what was bothering him, he didn’t really fancy Ewan’s particular brand of huggy, brotherly comfort, or Matt’s thoughtful probing either, come to that. He loved his brothers, but they could be… a lot!

Will’s attention was caught by the appearance of a large, furry face in the doorway.

‘Sorry, boy,’ he laughed. ‘I’m coming!’

Stanley wagged his tail a couple of times but didn’t budge an inch. Clearly, the dog didn’t believe a word of it.

‘Walk? Walkies?’

The dog let out a low woof of delight.

‘Alright, let’s go then.’ He paused, earning himself a withering look from the big brown eyes. ‘I’m coming, I promise! But I don’t have a lead…’

Will glanced around the bedroom, then grabbed the fluffy belt from the dressing gown. He was pretty sure Stanley didn’t need a lead, but there was no way he was going to risk the town’s most cherished fur-baby getting hurt on his watch!

The minute Will closed the door of the fancy holiday home and took a deep lungful of fresh sea air, something in his chest seemed to loosen slightly. The mental cobwebs he’d managed to spin during the restless night on an unfamiliar sofa blew away in the salty breeze.

Will’s stomach rumbled loudly.

Oops – he’d forgotten to eat breakfast. Again. He really was going to have to remember to look after himself a bit better while Leah was officially off duty and not around to nag him into being a grown-up.

A cold, wet nose against the back of his hand made Will look down, and he smiled.

‘Come on then, boy,’ he said, looping the fluffy dressing gown belt through his collar. ‘Let’s go return you to your mum. Maybe I can scrounge some breakfast while we’re there.’

Stanley set off, towing him eagerly across the neat gravel driveway and out onto the countryside lane.

Will needn’t have worried about Stanley behaving himself. The daft dog seemed to be content to trot along beside him. The only time he attempted a brief detour was when he lolloped after a butterfly and then paused under an oak tree to have a good sniff around in the undergrowth.

The butterfly looped back and landed right on top of Stanley’s head. The sight made Will let out a booming laugh, which promptly made the pair of them jump. Stanley turned and cocked his head, and the butterfly fluttered away.

‘I’m okay,’ said Will, rolling his eyes at himself.

Had he really just scared himself with his own laughter?!

Stanley continued to stare at him, looking concerned.

‘All good, boy, don’t worry. Come on… let’s get down into town.’