‘What?’
‘A peaceful sleeping baby. Unlike that noisy bird.’ He smiled at a bright red bird chattering away in the tulip poplar tree next to them. ‘That’s a Northern Cardinal. They say its call is like two coins hitting each other.’
Lyndsey’s eyes twinkled. ‘So you’re a twitcher . . . like my dad.’ Her eyes turned shiny with tears. ‘At least he used to be, when he was well enough to get out and about.’ Griff saw her straighten her shoulders like a sergeant major, and there was a firmer edge to her voice when she spoke again. ‘I’m sure he’ll be out on the cliffs with his binoculars again soon. He’s recovering incredibly well from the kidney transplant. I check in every day and Mum says he’s able to walk further all the time. He made it the half mile or so to our local pub for the first time yesterday.’
‘That’s awesome. It sounds like it must’ve been a difficult time for y’all.’
‘Yes.’ A faraway look spread over her face. ‘He’d been sick for so long, but knowing his improved health is down to someone else’s misfortune . . .’ Her voice trailed away.
‘It’s hard to be completely happy. I can see that.’ Although he shouldn’t compare their situations, he’d been similarly torn by the time he resigned from his old job. If he’d received the promotion he fought tooth and nail for, it would’ve come at the expense of the woman he was then dating. By the time he came to his senses, it was already too late for him and Olivia. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, he saw they wouldn’t have lasted the course anyway, but that didn’t make his behavior at the time any less dishonorable.
‘You’re right.’ She opened her mouth to say something, but then tilted him a wary smile, as though she wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it.
‘Go on,’ Griff encouraged.
‘You looked miles away there for a few moments, that’s all. Do you want to tell me why?’
He knew she wasn’t referring to physical distance and everything to do with the thoughts racing through his head. If he shared the full story with Lyndsey, would it put a stop to the friendship — or perhaps more — that they kept inching towards? But pretending he had no idea what she was referring to would be a lie, and he was through with those. ‘Not yet.’
‘I can wait.’
Griff heard a definite hint of promise in her response.
‘When I was a little girl, Dad tried to teach me about our Cornish birds, but I’m afraid I wasn’t a very good student.’
He could’ve kissed her for changing the topic of conversation. That would have to wait for another time and place, when he was more certain of them both. ‘That’s because you weren’t interested. If you had been, I’m sure you’d have aced every test he gave. I only really got into bird-watching when I moved here and was curious about the different varieties I spotted every day.’ Griff gave a soft chuckle. ‘My last girlfriend complained that my interest in decrepit barns was an old-man hobby and saw bird-watching the same way.’
‘Rubbish. I’m guessing we’re a similar age, so if you’re an old man, I must be an old woman and I’m definitely not admitting to that any time soon.’
‘If we’d met last year, I could’ve claimed to be in my late thirties, but the big 4-0 hit back before Christmas.’
She broke into a wide, infectious grin. ‘That means I can still gloat about being a spry young thing. I’ve got another three years before I’m on that particular downward path.’
‘Don’t fret. It’ll look good on you.’
‘Flatterer.’
‘Yeah. You have a problem with that?’ A certain question nagged at his brain, but if her answer wasn’t what he hoped for, Griff was afraid he wouldn’t be able to do the ‘just friends’ thing with Lyndsey.Coward. ‘Or perhaps you’ve got a husband/partner/boyfriend whowouldmind?’
‘No. No one.’
Was it wishful thinking to believe he heard a note of sadness in her voice? Was she like him, and wondering if what they had in their outwardly fulfilled lives was enough? Griff nodded, satisfied with the hint of pink flushing her cheeks.
‘So, what do you do for a living anyway?’ she asked. ‘Becca was cagey when I asked the other day. She said I should ask you myself and promised I’d be surprised. I dreamed up all kinds of bizarre possibilities afterwards.’
‘Like what?’
‘Oh, maybe you’re an undercover FBI agent or an illegal arms dealer.’
He spluttered with laughter and Nora let out a shriek at having her peaceful nap disturbed. Unconsciously he’d stopped rocking the chair, so he set it going again and waited for Nora to settle before daring to continue their whispered conversation. ‘If you pop over to my cottage tomorrow, I’ll happily show you my secret. I promise it’s nothing illegal, and not that mysterious either. Becca’s pulling your chain.’ Griff held his breath, waiting for her response, then mentally cursed as a jaunty bright red sports car swept up the drive and braked in front of them.Would she have said yes or no, he wondered.
‘I see Becca’s driving skills haven’t improved. I’m amazed she’s still got her license. My dear sister used to collect speeding tickets like other people collect stamps.’
‘Don’t you two look cosy?’ Becca leapt out of the car and smirked. ‘If anyone didn’t know better, they’d think—’
‘Shush.’ Their simultaneous plea for silence came too late. Nora’s eyes flew open and she let out a shrill wail.
Theo clambered out and threw his stepmother a scathing look. ‘I’m goin’ to my room.’ He slouched off, his thin shoulders hunched under the weight of his bulging backpack.
