‘Don’t be cheeky,’ she ordered, pulling herself into the attic room then reaching down she took the food from Nolan who followed and immediately walked over to the chair positioned by the window. ‘Wow, you can see for miles!’
‘There’s everything you could want – the river, the town, the bridge, the castle. I think this is the best view I’ve ever seen, and it’s going to be mine for the next month.’
‘You’re one lucky girl,’ he replied, still taking it all in.
Bea grabbed the wooden chair and its cushion from the little dressing table and placed it next to the armchair in front of the window. They both sat down and tucked into their sandwiches. She took a sideward glance and caught Nolan looking at her.
‘What are you looking at?’ she queried, trying to control the hundreds of fireflies that were flying around in her stomach.
‘You. So how has your morning gone so far?’
She waggled her finger in his direction. ‘You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve made you a few quid today. Your paintings garner a lot of attention.’
‘That’s good to know. I’ve got another one to finish today. It’s of the river running under the bridge and the castle towering in front of the mountain. It’s such beautiful scenery to paint, but maybe not as good as yesterday’s scenery.’
Bea bit her lip. She felt a twinge of blush to her cheeks, remembering how confident and sexy she felt, posing whilst he painted her. She knew the feelings that were flooding her body were desire but today she felt shy for some reason. Her feelings towards Nolan were moving way too quickly. How could they not? He was drop dead gorgeous! But she knew that she had to keep hold of her emotions. He’d made it crystal clear they were just living for the moment; this wasn’t something that was going to grow into a love story. She might have bought herself some more time with him but she already knew it was going to be difficult not to get carried away and let her feelings escalate into the first flush of love.
‘And what have you done with your morning?’ she asked, thinking about how she’d seen Nolan rowing up the river earlier.
‘Just messing about on the river and a quick walk around the village.’
‘You haven’t been to the graveyard without me?’
‘Of course not. I said you were my right-hand woman. I was hoping you might be free after work?’
‘I’m moving out of the B&B and into here, but that shouldn’t take too long. We could go after?’
‘Great stuff,’ he replied, finishing his sandwich.
Suddenly, Bea remembered what Julia had said about the original logbook being on the shelf and she got up to take a look. There it was, a book with a red spine and Bea pulled it from the shelf.
‘What do you have there?’ he asked, looking over his shoulder.
‘The original signing-in book for The Little Blue Boathouse. If you think Patsy worked here then this might give us some more information.’
‘I’m impressed. You’re clearly taking your detective duties seriously.’
Bea laid the book on the small table and opened the cover. They both hunched over and cast their eyes on the first page.
‘There she is. Signing in for her first shift in mid-July.’ Bea stared at Nolan.
‘And it was that August she met my grandfather... There’s no surname. There’s just what looks like a swirly G,’ Nolan said, checking out the entry from different angles.
‘That matches the letter inside the bottle. Maybe her surname is just G, like G-e-e!’ Bea couldn’t contain her excitement, her pulse beginning to race as she gently tapped the book. ‘But never mind that, can you see what I can see? There’s an address. That’s where she must have lived – in Glensheil. You have a starting point!’ Bea’s eyes widened.
‘Wehave a starting point,’ corrected Nolan. ‘I thought we were in this together. Hemingway and Fernsby, one summer only.’
‘Damn right we are.’ Already she was not liking the idea that in four weeks their time together would be over. She gave herself a reality check; why was she allowing this man to consume her thoughts so quickly after such a short time spent together?
‘I think our best bet is to check the cemetery first and if there’s nothing there, we can investigate further at this address.’
‘It’s exciting, isn’t it? Can you imagine if we find her and deliver the letter? We might make her a very happy woman! I wonder if your grandfather was the one who got away. Or the one who loved her first. I think it’s so romantic. I know your grandfather has passed away but I’m hoping his letter brings Patsy some joy.’ Bea stared into Nolan’s eyes. She had to give herself a little shake because all she could think about was the moment she would have to say goodbye to him. Trying to push that thought from her mind, and realising she didn’t have a clue about his personal life, she blurted, ‘Have you ever been in love?’
There it was again; Bea was sure she’d seen a flash of sadness in his eyes, but he composed himself quickly. Whatever his story was, it was still painful. He stared at the floor and raked his hand through his hair. Maybe he’d been in a similar situation to her? ‘Sorry, it’s none of my business. I shouldn’t be so nosey.’ Even though she was curious, she saved him from having to answer her question because there was a part of her that didn’t want to know. She didn’t like the thought of him being close to anyone else.
Standing up, Nolan checked his watch. ‘I best let you get on.’
Hesitantly, Bea stood up too and wished she’d never asked the question, because it felt like Nolan was running. They walked back towards the ladder and he lingered at the top of the hatch.
