Page 37 of The Summer Escape

“What’s better for you?”

“Either. I just remembered I was planning to go over to Bryher on Wednesday, but I can do that another time.”

“We could also go to Tresco on Thursday. Then you don’t have to change your plans.”

“Yeah, okay. That would probably be better.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to it already.”

“Me too.” When he leaned in to kiss her, it felt surprisingly natural, and also wonderfully thrilling. Their lips had only just touched when a clatter from the kitchen made them jump apart.

“Any chance I can tempt you to a walk or something?” Trystan asked, craning his neck to peer in the kitchen window.

“Or something?” she asked with a grin.

He licked his bottom lip. “I really enjoyed theor somethingyesterday. It was a good choice.”

“I can’t leave Ellie,” she said in reply to his questioning look.

“Ask Mum to keep an ear out for her. She won’t mind.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just feel uncomfortable asking your mum to look after Ellie while I … you know … With you.”

“Would it make you feel better if we actually went for a walk?”

“Not really.” She bit her lip, feeling terrible because she wanted nothing more than to sneak off with him for the evening. “Sorry.”

“I understand.” He stood up and Beth’s stomach plummeted at the thought of him leaving. “Do you mind if I hang out here for a bit?”

“No,” she said, confused.

He rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m going to raid the sweet cupboard.”

“Nice to know you’ve at least got one vice.”

His fingers trailed over her shoulder, moving her hair from her neck. “I’ve got a few,” he murmured in her ear, then laid a soft kiss just below her earlobe.

Beth only remembered to breathe again when he’d gone inside. It crossed her mind to abandon her child and take him up on his offer to go back to his place.

Instead, she settled for spending an hour on the patio with him, the conversation as easy as it had been the previous evening, but with fewer tears and more laughter.

When he wished her goodnight, he gave her a lingering kiss that made her insides fizz with desire. Spending a whole day with him on Thursday would be bliss. It couldn’t come soon enough.

* * *

Fresh from the shower on Monday morning, Beth found her mobile ringing in the bedroom and answered the call from an unknown number with a quizzical hello.

Through the window, she watched Trystan arriving back from his jog, too focused on him to pay much attention to the woman from the leisure centre in Plymouth, who she presumed was about to try and sell her something.

“We were expecting Ellie for the swimming course this morning,” the woman said, the use of Ellie’s name getting Beth’s full attention. “I wanted to check if she’ll be here for the rest of the week?”

Beth’s mouth hung open. How had she forgotten about the one thing on the calendar for the whole summer holiday?

“Is she ill?” the woman asked in a clipped tone. “If it’s that stomach bug that’s going around, she might have to skip the week altogether.”

“No, she’s not ill. We’re away.”

“Excuse me?” The woman’s tone was impatient and Beth inwardly cursed. Why hadn’t she said it was the stomach bug?