Page 6 of A Little Love Song in Seabury (Seabury #16)

LEAH

‘ I nteresting!’ said Connie.

‘What’s interesting?’ demanded Leah, spotting the look passing between her two new friends as she picked her way across the pebbles, wrapping her towel around her waist.

‘ Very interesting!’ agreed Rosie, wiggling her eyebrows.

‘ What is?!’

‘Oh, you know,’ said Connie, absentmindedly stroking her baby bump and looking adorable with her linen trousers still rolled up around her knees from her paddle.

‘I really don’t know,’ said Leah.

‘Just the fact that your boss is looking at you as if you’re a particularly delicious ice cream on a very hot day,’ said Rosie.

Her boss?!

‘Will’s here?’ Leah gasped, automatically yanking her towel up higher to cover her chest. It didn’t help much, because it just left more of her legs on show.

‘He certainly is!’ said Rosie with a grin as she nodded to a couple of figures sitting on the ridge of pebbles at the high tide line. ‘This is just a guess… but I’m assuming he’s never seen you in a swimming costume before?’

Connie snorted, but Leah wanted the pebbles of North Beach to part and swallow her whole. No, Will had definitely never seen her in a swimming costume before. Hell… he’d never even seen her with her hair down before!

Biting down a wave of panic, Leah glanced up the beach. Sure enough, there he was… William Pepper in the flesh. And, just as the girls had said, he did seem to be staring in her direction.

Leah was pretty sure they were wrong about the reason for that penetrating gaze, though. That was probably more to do with the fact that she’d let her hair down—both literally and figuratively—and he’d caught her in the act.

Damnit!

Maybe spending her holiday in the same town as Will wasn’t such a great idea after all.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t pleased to see him…

because she was always pleased to see him.

But for some reason, she’d assumed he’d still be safely tucked up in his big house on the cliff, firmly in brooding-hermit mode.

If Leah had had even the slightest inkling that he might appear on the beach and catch her fresh from the waves, she wouldn’t have ventured in in the first place. She blew out a long breath. At least she was cold enough from the water that it should help mask her furious blush!

Maybe the fact that he was here on the beach was a sign that he was already starting to break out of whatever funk had been plaguing him for the last several months… but did he really have to have a breakthrough the first time she ventured out in public in a swimming costume?!

Of course, now that Leah was looking in that direction, Will’s long, lean body was instantly recognisable. She’d memorised every strong line and angle of the man over the years she’d worked for him.

‘Where on earth did he get a dog?!’ she said, eyeballing the massive black, white and tan furball sitting between Will and another man.

‘That’s Stanley,’ said Rosie, as if that explained everything.

‘And next to him is Matt,’ said Connie.

‘Yep, my very own Dr Pepper,’ said Rosie with a dreamy smile.

That figured. Will’s big brother had a slightly different build, and his hair was darker and shorter, but the family resemblance was obvious – even from this distance.

‘Yeah, yeah,’ said Connie, impatiently. ‘We all know the pair of you are cuckoo about each other, that’s not news. But that look on Will’s face definitely is!’

‘I’m sure he’s just surprised to see me with you guys, that’s all,’ said Leah, still doing her best to cover as much skin as humanly possible with the tiny towel she’d swiped from the flat.

‘Why shouldn’t you be with us?’ said Rosie in surprise.

‘Yeah, surely he knows we’re friends?’ said Connie.

Something warm bloomed in Leah’s chest. The fact that the pair of them clearly didn’t see her as an annoying tag-along on Will’s precious week off meant more to her than she could say.

‘I guess he probably wouldn’t expect me to be hanging out with his family on his first day in town, that’s all,’ she said quietly.

‘Well, then he’s dafter than I thought,’ said Rosie stoutly. ‘I mean… I’ve known Will forever, but I talk to you way more often. It’s like you’re our honorary sister-in-law, or something!’

‘Totally,’ said Connie, nodding enthusiastically.

Leah beamed at the compliment while simultaneously wishing they’d keep their voices down. It was difficult enough keeping her feelings for Will buried under a neat, professional veneer, without having to explain why the words “sister-in-law” were drifting up the beach.

‘Well… thanks,’ she said in a near whisper, hoping they’d follow her lead. ‘That actually means a lot.’

‘Softie!’ chuckled Rosie.

‘Yeah,’ said Connie, her voice suddenly thick with emotion. ‘And can I just remind the pair of you that I’m very pregnant right now, and if you don’t want a mushy, emotional outburst, you’d better change the subject.’

‘Okay!’ laughed Leah, unable to stop herself from casting a glance at Connie’s bump. ‘What would you like to talk about?’

‘I’d like to go back to the reason Will looks a bit like he’s just been hit with a haddock,’ said Connie.

The emotion was suddenly, miraculously gone from her voice, and Leah had the distinct impression she’d just been played.

‘He’s probably hungry,’ said Leah with a little shrug that had her grabbing at her towel before it slipped. ‘That’s usually the answer.’

‘That’s a very boring answer, though,’ said Rosie, nudging her in the ribs.

‘Too right,’ said Connie. ‘I’m going to ask Will. He might say something more interesting!’

Leah opened her mouth to protest… then shut it again.

She couldn’t think of a single reason why Connie shouldn’t head up the beach to talk to the uncle of her unborn child.

Besides, it was too late anyway—Connie had already dashed off, hotfooting it over the pebbles at a surprising speed for someone in her condition.

‘Don’t worry,’ chuckled Rosie, clearly catching the look of anxious horror on Leah’s face. ‘I’m sure she’ll be tactful.’

‘Really?’ said Leah, unable to hide her scepticism.

‘Erm… not really, no,’ laughed Rosie. ‘But don’t worry too much. I mean, you and Will spend so much time together, I’m sure he knows exactly where the pair of you stand, right?’

Leah stared hard at the pebbles for a moment, pretending to focus on wringing more water out of her hair.

‘Or… maybe not?’ said Rosie, peering at her intently, looking excited.

‘It’s nothing!’ said Leah quickly. ‘Really – it’s just weird being here together but not working, you know… and I don’t mean together together. Just in the same town. I mean, obviously we’re not together. Duh. Hahaha!’

Leah shut her mouth, aware that she’d just entered auto-babble mode and probably sounded like a complete lunatic.

‘Mm…’ said Rosie.

Leah puffed out a breath. This really wasn’t going how she wanted it to!

‘I’m serious, there’s nothing going on between me and Will,’ she said, concentrating on keeping her voice nice and neutral… maybe even a tad cold.

‘Oh, I believe you,’ said Rosie, nodding. ‘That’s not to say that you aren’t sitting there wishing something was going on, though. Or at the very least, I bet that’s what he’s wishing!’

‘I… he… I…’ spluttered Leah.

Urgh, this was going from bad to worse!

‘That’s what I thought!’ chuckled Rosie. ‘Ooh, this is so exciting.’

‘It’s really not,’ said Leah, through gritted teeth.

In fact, it was the opposite of exciting…

because Rosie and Connie’s reactions had just confirmed her fear that had been growing over the past couple of months.

Things between her and Will were becoming complicated.

Until this morning, Leah had assumed that the complications were all on her side… but perhaps she was wrong about that.

Either way, if her feelings for Will were obvious enough that Connie and Rosie noticed them within an hour of meeting her for the first time, Leah was going to have to do something about them. Before the end of this little holiday arrived, she was going to have to hand over her resignation letter.

‘Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you,’ said Rosie, looking concerned.

‘I’m fine!’ said Leah.

‘Yeah, right,’ said Rosie. ‘That’s why you look like you’re about to burst into tears on me, is it?!’

‘I’m… not? I…’

Leah paused and let out a long breath, trying to get control of herself. There would be plenty of time later to mourn the loss of the job that was basically her entire life. Preferably in private in the little flat where she could wail out her grief to her heart’s content.

‘I think I just need that coffee,’ she said, shooting Rosie a little smile.

‘You’ve got it!’ said Rosie, giving her a look that was full of concern and understanding. ‘Come on - my treat. Let’s grab the boys. I think they’ll probably want to come too.’

The boys? Damnit!

The last thing Leah needed right now was to sit across from Will while she was wearing nothing more than a swimsuit and a towel!

There wasn’t any time for her to protest, though.

Rosie grabbed hold of her hand and started towing her up the beach to where Matt and Will were standing, talking to Connie.

Leah couldn’t help but smile as she saw Connie wrap her arms around Will and pull him in for an awkward hug.

‘Your boss looks like he’s cuddling a time-bomb!’ chuckled Rosie.

‘Well… he sort of is !’ said Leah, glad to have the focus away from her and her knotty feelings. ‘When’s Connie due?’

‘About a month now,’ said Rosie. ‘She’s been nesting for all she’s worth.

It’s probably a good thing that Will didn’t change his mind and decide to stay at Seabury House, to be honest. I mean, we’d have made it work, but his old room’s the most treasured, well-set-up nursery you’ve ever seen.

Everything else has been cleaned and organised to within an inch of its life, too. ’

‘Even the rooms you and Matt are still working on?’ said Leah in amusement. She knew from her regular chats with Rosie that she and Matt were still hard at work renovating various parts of the old house.

‘Put it like this, I caught her polishing the power tools we’d left out the other day.’

Leah sniggered. ‘That must make things… interesting?’

‘You could say that,’ said Rosie with a grin. ‘I can only imagine it’s going to get even more interesting when the little one arrives.’

‘Did they decide to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?’ said Leah. ‘I know Connie’s been wavering.’

Rosie shook her head. ‘Nah. That’s why the nursery’s rainbow themed.’

‘That sounds lovely,’ said Leah. ‘I’d love to see some photos!’

‘Hey, why don’t you come up to the house and join us for dinner tonight?’ said Rosie. ‘We’ll give you the grand tour!’

Leah smiled, then shook her head. ‘I couldn’t. I don’t want to tread on Will’s toes while I’m here.’

‘Get away with you!’ said Rosie, nudging her. ‘It’s my home too, and you’re a friend. Connie would agree with me if she wasn’t so busy hugging the life out of Will right now.’

‘But…’

Leah really wanted to say yes. Not just because she’d love nothing more than to spend the evening with her two friends, but because she’d heard enough about Seabury House to make her desperate to see it in person.

‘Will won’t be there, if that’s what you’re worried about,’ said Rosie, lowering her voice as they approached the little group. ‘Matt and Ewan are taking him down to the hotel for a meal and a proper catch-up.’

‘Really?’ said Leah, her heart lifting. ‘Actually, what time are they booked in for? I’ll add it to the diary and send Will a reminder.’

Leah’s hands twitched as she automatically reached for her ever-present diary… only to realise it was in her bag a bit further up the beach.

‘Give over!’ laughed Rosie. ‘You’re on holiday, and Will’s a big boy. I’m sure he can manage to get himself to the hotel on time. I mean… their booking’s less than twelve hours away!’

‘Want a bet?’ said Leah, her voice low. ‘I’m not usually a gambling kinda girl, but I’d go a full five hundred pounds that he’ll be more than an hour late if I don’t give him a nudge. That’s if he turns up at all.’

‘How about a fiver that he turns up roughly on time without prodding?’ said Rosie.

‘Done,’ said Leah. ‘And you’re not allowed to cheat and remind him between now and then.’

‘Scout’s honour,’ laughed Rosie.

‘I’ll be kind and give you some leeway,’ said Leah. ‘Fifteen minutes either side will still count as him being on time.’

‘Easiest fiver I’ve ever made.’ Rosie winked at her. ‘So, you’ll come up to the house for dinner with me and Connie?’

Leah bit her lip, thinking hard. What was the harm? It would definitely beat sitting around in the flat, mourning the fact that life as she knew it was quickly coming to an end.

‘Okay,’ she said, nodding. ‘I’d love that.’

‘Good,’ said Leah. ‘Hey, where are you going? I thought you were joining us all for breakfast?’

‘Promise I’ll be back in five minutes,’ she said, veering away at speed before they could reach the little group. ‘Will you bring my bag?’

‘Sure, but…?’

‘I’m just going to run up to the flat and get changed,’ she said, putting on a burst of speed before Rosie could protest.

While she was at it, she’d wash her hair, put on some mascara, take a breath… and do her best not to obsess about the fact that Will was still looking at her in a way that was making her toes curl with longing!