‘I’m not stressed,’ she lied.
He lightly brushed back a piece of her hair that was stuck to her lip. ‘Tell me what to do. I should have listened to you years ago. I should have stayed with you.’
Alice glanced at his mouth, her heart pounding in her ears. ‘Put the fairy lights up out front.’
His smile was small, but as beautiful as ever. ‘I can do that.’
‘I’d better get back to Demi.’
Neither of them moved for a moment, only the scrunched towel between them.
Alice swallowed hard, lowering her gaze. ‘See you in a bit.’ She quickly headed to the kitchen, his touch still very much with her.
Chapter 4
Jamie
It was nice going for a walk with Alice, getting reacquainted with his old neighbourhood, visiting all the places they used to hang out as kids.
‘Let me show you the Hub now.’ Alice led the way along Harbour End Road.
He smiled on the inside at just how hard she was trying to make him feel comfortable.
There was a smiley face sticker stuck to the Hub’s front door, and as soon as he stepped inside, the scent of the lavender potpourri by the window hit his nostrils.
No one was inside the small cosy space, so Alice went to a room out back, leaving Jamie to gaze around at the framed affirmations on the wall. A small Christmas tree twinkling in the corner by the window caught his eye, before he promptly refocused on the muscular man following Alice out of the back room.
‘Jamie, this is Will Pendleton. He was friends with Mabel.’
Jamie stepped forward to shake Will’s hand.
‘Sorry about your gran,’ said Will. ‘Bit of a character, that one.’
Jamie smiled softly. ‘Yes, she was.’
Will gestured at a green high back chair. ‘I lived at the B&B when I first arrived here, and Mabel took me under her wing, bless her.’
‘Will is Ginny’s partner,’ said Alice, sitting to his side.
Jamie nodded. ‘I remember Ginny. How is she?’
Will almost glowed as he replied. ‘She’s good. At home at the moment with our son, Robert. He’s almost three months now.’
Alice splayed a hand at the Hub. ‘Thought I’d show Jamie what we’ve done here.’
Will smiled at him. ‘You can volunteer if you like.’
Jamie glanced at the street door. ‘Not sure that would be a good idea. It would be nice to do some sort of voluntary work to repay my community for all the damage I caused though.’
‘From what I hear, you’ve served your time,’ Will said. ‘Your gran told me about you. Simply not being that person anymore is good enough, and if you help out here, people will see the new you.’
Jamie was intrigued. ‘I’m surprised my nan spoke of me at all. I wasn’t exactly her favourite topic.’
Will held a sympathetic look. ‘She told me you had a big heart, and she was going to write to you. Make amends. So I guess maybe you were one of her favourite topics.’
No one had written to him but Alice, who was currently gazing his way, looking hopeful. Should he mention that his grandmother hadn’t sent any letters? He had no idea what to make of Will’s information.
‘I told your gran I’d look out for you,’ added Will. ‘I’m no mentor, but what with me being around ten years older than you and ex-navy, I think Mabel thought I’d be a good role model.’ Will smiled warmly. ‘So, you let me know if you need any help. I can always give you some shifts at Harbour Light Café, or there’s our tea shop, Ginny’s Tearoom. The baby keeps us busy, so another set of hands at either of our businesses is always welcome.’
