Hannah caught her lip between her teeth. Conor. So much for avoiding him. There was a funny catch in her throat as she remembered that sizzling kiss last night.
She sneaked a glance towards him. He was with his brother, Fergus, and the two of them were in wetsuits with damp, tousled hair and carrying surf boards under their arms. No prizes for guessing where they’d spent the last few hours.
‘Hey!’ Fergus spotted them, waved and, without waiting for Conor, came over. ‘Hi, guys, do you mind if we join you?’ Without waiting for an answer, he plonked his board down and called over to his brother. ‘The usual. I’ll get it,’ and then he dashed off inside the cafe.
Conor nodded and Hannah saw his mouth tighten as he wandered over.
‘Afternoon. Been on the beach?’
‘Yes,’ Izzy gave him an enthusiastic smile, shunting up along the bench to allow him to sit down. ‘We went for a dip. Flipping freezing. I deduce from the boards that you’ve been surfing.’
‘Well done, Sherlock.’ Conor loosened up enough to give her one of his flashing grins. ‘Lovely morning for it. Don’t let me stop you eating.’ He nodded to the tins of chips in front of them.
‘Oops,’ said Izzy. ‘Caught.’
‘I’m not going to judge you.’
‘I feel guilty, but there’s just something about a big, fat greasy chip.’
‘Don’t let Adrienne hear you say that,’ teased Hannah.
‘No,’ said Conor, giving her a quick smile.
Izzy said. ‘Although you have to say, just look at her, she positively glows with health. She’s one hell of an advert for good living. Like, she could be a model or something even though she must be, what, in her fifties?’
‘I’m far too much of a gentleman to reveal my mother’s age.’
‘She’s like the original earth mother,’ continued Izzy. ‘Just gorgeous.’
‘I’d like to be like that when I grow up,’ said Hannah wistfully, thinking of Adrienne’s effortless elegance.
Conor raised one eyebrow as if to say, Really?
She would have asked him what was wrong with that if it hadn’t been for the arrival of his brother with two steaming cups.
‘Here you go.’ Fergus passed one over to him. ‘Ah, chips. The Devil’s food.’ He looked longingly at them.
‘Here, have one, help yourself. I can’t eat all of them. Not with this huge piece of fish as well,’ said Izzy.
Fergus dived straight in and moaned, pulling a comic blissed-out face. ‘Don’t tell the mammy, whatever you do.’
They all laughed, but Hannah wondered at Conor’s unspoken cynicism about his mother.
‘Do you want one, Conor?’ Hannah offered him her plate.
For a moment he considered it and then with a quick grin took one from the plate and popped it whole into his mouth.
‘Our secret,’ she said and then immediately regretted her choice of words as his eyes met hers.
‘So what is there to do in Inch of a weekend?’ she asked hurriedly.
Thankfully Fergus jumped in, while Conor continued to eye her thoughtfully, making her heart skip a little in her chest. She was never going to live that one-night stand down, was she?
‘Conor likes to escape to Dublin when he can. I reckon he’s got a fancy lady tucked away.’
Conor’s mouth twitched ever so slightly and Hannah dropped her eyes, focusing hard on munching through her fish.
‘I go into Dingle with the boys. There are a couple of good pubs there and quite a few the other way in Tralee. Both are great to go out on the lash.’
