Maybe he was missing playing… perhaps that was the problem?
With the tour over and no confirmed concerts in the diary for the foreseeable future, perhaps it was simply taking his mind and body a bit of time to switch off.
That’s what this little trip to Seabury was all about, after all. A week-long time-out in his childhood hometown had been Leah’s idea, and Will had simply gone along with it. He didn’t have the energy to argue, other than to insist that he didn’t want to stay at Seabury House.
Uncapping the bottle, Will took a sip of the ice-cold water. His stomach grumbled in response. When was the last time he’d eaten anything? Probably that wrap Leah had pressed into his hands when she’d stopped to fuel up the hire car.
He glanced at the fridge again. It was late, but he could put a plate of food together for himself, couldn’t he?! With a shrug, he turned his back, slurped down more water, and wandered back to the sitting room.
Maybe this place wasn’t so perfect after all. He should have asked Leah to find him a nice suite in a hotel somewhere instead. Sure, it probably wouldn’t have had a piano, but at least he could have ordered room service!
Heading over to the windows, Will stared out at the black expanse of sea and sky, his eyes hunting for the horizon. He had to be looking out towards the bay, right? Somewhere out there was the King’s Nose, separating North Beach from West Beach. Beyond that, tucked between the rolling hills, was Seabury House and his sleeping family.
A little pang of guilt hit him squarely in the chest. Should he have agreed to stay with his brothers instead?
He shook his head.Nope. Definitely not.
As much as Will loved his family, he had no desire to stay in the old house with echoes of the past around every corner – both happy and sad. He needed peace.
That said, the peace of the night sky beyond the window wasn’t exactly doing anything to help calm his nerves right now, was it? Maybe a raging storm sweeping the bay would be more effective!
Will’s hand flexed around the bottle of water, his fingers twitching in a rhythm, still playing the closing lines of the last concerto he’d learned. He glanced over at the piano.
‘No. You need a rest!’
It didn’t stop him from heading over to the alcove and lifting the lid, though. With a gentle finger, he stroked the keys—not hard enough for a note, just a gentle caress. It really was a beautiful instrument. So, why didn’t the sight of it bring him any joy?
‘Because you’re tired, idiot,’ he sighed, lowering the lid again. ‘That’s all.’
He needed sleep. He needed to see his family. He needed a rest… then maybe he’d figure out what was really wrong.
Maybe.
Will’s stomach growled again, but instead of heading back to the kitchen to do something about it, he downed the rest of his water and flopped down onto the vast sofa, staring moodily at the dark sky.
Perhaps hewouldcall Leah and get her to find him a hotel with room service.
‘Or maybe you’d better wait until morning!’ he muttered.
Right now, though, morning felt like weeks away.
CHAPTER 2
LEAH
One benefit of turning up in town so late was that Leah had no trouble finding a parking spot for the little hire car. With a huge yawn and a grateful pat on its yellow bonnet, she left it sitting in one of the spaces right outside a seriously funky-looking café called New York Froth.
Perfect—it looked like she’d already found her holiday breakfast haunt!
Resting her wheeled suitcase on the pavement, Leah yanked her cavernous handbag higher onto her shoulder and turned on the spot, taking her time to complete a slow circle.
So… this was Seabury!
Will hadn’t told her much about the little town—mainly because Will never told her much about anything, really. But she’d pieced together enough bits and bobs about it over the last three years to make her seriously curious. She was looking forward to exploring. After all, this had been Will’s hometown when he was a kid, back before he’d lost his dad and moved to boarding school.
Coming to a standstill, Leah stared out at the sea for several long moments. There was something incredibly calming aboutthe gentle waves, and for a mad minute, she was almost tempted to head straight down to the beach for a paddle.
Maybe not. It was late, and she was absolutely wiped after the long drive. Still… she could always go tomorrow, couldn’t she?!
