Page 30 of The Weekend Getaway

“Mum’s into decorating.” They walked through to a lovely bright kitchen at the back of the house with cheerful pale-yellow walls and a view over the back garden which had a small terrace with table and chairs.

“I’ll bet your mum never has any problems attracting guests here,” Keira said, taking it all in.

“Mostly it’s the opposite problem. There’s limited accommodation on the islands and places get booked up a long time in advance. Mum has a lot of the same guests coming back year after year. Some of them have become friends.”

“It must keep her busy, renting them all out.”

“I get roped into helping with the cleaning and stuff if it’s a busy period. While I’ve been gone, Seren’s helped out.”

“Your mum and Seren must be close.”

“Yeah. Seren’s mum and my mum were best friends. She died when Seren was young, so Seren practically grew up at our place.”

“That’s sad.”

He shrugged and opened the fridge. “I’d offer you a drink but it looked as though Mum only stocked up on the essentials. Can I tempt you to a glass of water?”

“I’ve got a bottle of Coke from the airport.” She was hungry and could feel her energy levels dropping, so hopefully the sugar would perk her up. “I’ll even share it with you,” she said as she pulled it from her bag.

Noah turned away from her to get glasses, so he missed the moment that Keira unscrewed the lid and showered herself with Coke, but he still found it hilarious.

“Why did I ever think I could pull off white clothes?” she asked, looking down at herself.

“Maybe we should skip the drinks … I guess you might want to change before we go for dinner?”

“You guess right.” She brushed at the splatters on her top in a vain attempt to clean herself up.

Following Noah up the narrow staircase, Keira’s brain shifted from what a klutz she was to wondering about the sleeping arrangements. Sharing a room with Noah was appealing, but making the decision spontaneously at the end of the evening was preferable to having a conversation about it now.

“I tend to sleep in the front bedroom,” Noah said, when they reached the landing. He chewed his bottom lip, seeming to mull things over. “You can use the back bedroom to get changed if you want.” Smoothly, he skirted around the subject of sleeping arrangements. “Or there’s an attic room. It’s not as creepy as it sounds and it’s got the best view, but I’ve cracked my head on the ceiling beams so many times that I avoid going up there.” He nodded towards the stairs beside the bathroom. “I’ll show you.”

The stairs turned a corner before leading to a spacious room with sloped ceilings.

“I love the beams,” Keira said as Noah ducked around one.

A double bed dominated the far side of the room, adorned with a floral bedspread. Following Noah to the dormer window, her eyes widened dramatically.

“It’s like a painting.” A couple of kids ran along the beach while their parents sat watching them. Apart from them, the beach was deserted. “How does anyone get anything done around here with views like that?”

“You’d think I’d be used to it after growing up here. But I could still sit and look out of the window for hours. Being away has made me appreciate it more.”

“The view from your flat in Bristol must feel pretty depressing.”

“It’s not quite the same.”

The conversation reminded Keira that he’d be leaving Bristol soon. Keeping her gaze on the kids playing joyfully on the beach, she tried to ignore the tightness in her chest.

“Mum’s probably going to be back to pick us up in half an hour or so,” Noah said, breaking the silence. “Do you want to have a shower or anything?”

“Yes. I’ll shower and put on something which isn’t Coke-stained.” She frowned at the brown patches on her white jeans.

“I’ll bring your bag up here. This room’s the nicest. You just have to watch your head!” He ducked under a beam and headed for the stairs, then reappeared with her suitcase a moment later. “I’ll leave a towel for you in the bathroom. Give me a shout if there’s anything else you need.”

“Thanks. Where are we eating?”

“The Mermaid Inn. It’s a pub in Hugh Town. Seren works there.”

“Will she be working tonight?”