Kat walked them out, sending them both off with a hug and multiple thanks for their help that morning. She closed the door and leaned back against it with a contented sigh. It had been a frantic but very happy morning and a large part of that had been down to Harry. He’d really gone out of his way to make her feel welcome and the impromptu breakfast party had been the perfect way to break the ice. There’d been a couple of awkward moments between them, especially after she’d told him she hadn’t slept well, but he seemed as determined as she was to put last night behind them. Give it a few more days and she was sure the awkwardness would pass. What she really needed to get her head around was the small matter of Harry wanting to buy the shop.
She wandered back towards her room, mulling over the idea. He hadn’t said much about it but if he could make it work then it might be the answer to her prayers. Even with her refusing to manage a second franchise there was no guarantee her father would simply give up on the idea. Once he got the bit between his teeth it was hard to get him to budge on something, especially when it came to the coffee shop.
The only way to stop him might be to ensure Harry succeeded instead.
She opened the door to her bedroom and sighed at the jumble of boxes and bags. Though she’d made an effort to thin out her belongings when she’d moved in with Issy, asshe surveyed the pile at her feet she wondered if perhaps she should’ve tried a bit harder on that front. At least her new room had plenty of storage. A chest of drawers stood against the wall behind the door and the cabinets on either side of the double bed had a couple more drawers in each. The best thing about the room was the large built-in cupboard with deep shelves filling the right-hand third, the rest of the space given over to a double set of hanging rails. The room was built into the eaves of the roof and the ceiling above the bed slanted steeply. Light was provided by a large louvre window with a pull-down blind. Kat could imagine lying in bed with that blind up, watching the stars overhead. Maybe the built-in wardrobe was only the second-best thing about her room.
The only thing that was missing was a desk for her to write at. Even with the built-in storage she wasn’t sure where she’d be able to squeeze one in. Maybe if she could get all her things in there she could do without the chest of drawers, but it wasn’t something she needed to worry about for now. With Harry out most evenings she’d be able to sit at the kitchen table without disturbing him. Thinking about him, she checked the time on her phone. Liam had given her the impression there wasn’t that much cleaning up to do so she was a little surprised that Harry wasn’t back yet.
Hopefully he’d be home by the time she’d finished unpacking and she could see if he wanted to have dinner with her. Her cooking couldn’t come close to his, but she could throw something decent together by way of a thank you. He’d been at pains to make her feel at home and told her she could do what she wanted, but Kat was always more comfortable when she understood the rules and expectations in any situation.
A couple of hours later and Kat was a sweaty mess but her room was sorted. She eyed the navy striped cover on the bed and wondered whether to change it for one of her own sets.She’d always been a girly girl who liked surrounding herself with pretty things and florals and the stripes were a bit dark and plain for her taste. She lifted the bottom of the quilt to unbutton the cover and a familiar fruit-spice scent hit her nose. Kat closed her eyes for a second and she was back in Harry’s arms on the dancefloor. No. No. No. Kat couldn’t keep letting this happen. Opening her eyes, she began to unbutton the cover then paused. She’d assumed the sheets had been made up for a while – an emergency crash pad for a friend – but they smelled as fresh as if they’d been pulled out of the tumble dryer that morning and she wondered if Harry had gone to the effort of making it up especially for her. If he had then she didn’t want him to think she didn’t appreciate his efforts, nor did she want to risk any awkward questions about why she’d felt the need to change them. With a sigh, she dropped the quilt and stroked a hand across the crisply ironed fabric.
She headed to the kitchen for a cold drink. There was still no sign of Harry and she didn’t like the idea of him still working away on his own downstairs. She really wanted a shower, but if there was cleaning to be done she might as well get that done first. She shoved her feet into her shoes and clattered down the stairs. The restaurant door was closed and she couldn’t see any light shining through the frosted glass panel. When her knock went unanswered, she tried the handle and found it locked up tight.
Frowning, she clambered back upstairs and let herself back into the flat. She was surprised that he hadn’t let her know if he was going out. Kat shook the thought away as quickly as it had come. Harry wasn’t beholden to her and was free to come and go as he pleased. He had no idea she’d been making plans in her head about dinner. While she and Issy had done most things together, that might not suit Harry at all. Crowding him would be a terrible way to pay him back for the kindness he’d done her.
She headed to her room to undress for her shower. Wrapped in a thick dressing gown and with her toiletries under her arm, she went to explore the bathroom. To her disappointment there was no tub, only a large shower cubicle. A large mirrored cabinet hung over the sink and when she peeked inside she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of an empty shelf. Harry must’ve cleared it in a hurry as his things were stuffed in any which way on the one above. She closed the cabinet again and opened the cupboard in the corner to find it contained the hot water boiler in the bottom half with slatted shelves above with a handful of neatly folded towels. The same clean scent as the bedding filled her nostrils and she pulled one of the bath sheets down and placed it on the closed lid of the toilet, where she’d be able to reach it from the shower cubicle. She made a point of double-checking the lock then turned on the water and let her bathrobe slip to the floor.
The water pressure in the flat was so good a small moan escaped Kat as the jet from the showerhead pounded the tension from her shoulders and neck. Okay, she didn’t care any more about there not being a bathtub if it meant having access to this every day. By the time she persuaded herself it was time to get out, her muscles were jelly-like and it was almost too much effort to wrap herself in the enormous bath sheet. She gathered her bits and pieces and wobbled back to her bedroom.
It had started raining at some point while she was in the shower, the patch of sky visible through the louvre window now a dark and ominous grey. The rain pattered against the glass in a pleasing rhythm, like a built-in white noise machine. The bed looked so inviting that she couldn’t resist the urge to pull on the clean pyjamas she’d left folded on her pillow and slip between the sheets. Five minutes and then she’d go and sort something out for dinner. Maybe ten.
The scent she already associated with Harry wrapped around her like a hug and she drifted off with a smile on her lips and the song they’d danced to playing through her mind.
16
The second Harry had finished in the kitchen, he’d locked up and headed out to find Ed. Maybe Liam was right and it would do Ed some good to stew for a couple of days but it didn’t sit right with Harry. He adored all his brothers but what he and Ed shared was something different, something the other two would never understand. His twin was hurting and Harry would do whatever it took to fix that.
His first port of call was the cottage Ed and Matt shared down near the beach but there was no answer at the front door. Maybe he had headed over to their parents’. Ed had always been particularly close to their mum and if he was feeling sore over what Liam had said he might have gone there for a bit of tea and sympathy. Harry didn’t want to turn up unannounced and find out they’d not seen Ed, as that would just worry their folks.
He dug out his phone and dialled Ed’s number as he turned away from the door. The faint strains of the obnoxious tune his brother used as his ringtone stopped Harry in his tracks. Facing back towards the door, he bent forward and pushed the letterbox up with his free hand. The jangling tune grew louder. Ed’s phonewas inside, that much was clear, but there was no sign of life beyond that. If the phone was there, Ed couldn’t be far away…
Harry released the letterbox and walked around the side of the cottage. Though the front of the building had been dark, there was a light on in the kitchen. He tried the back door, found it unlocked and let himself in. The first thing he noticed was his brother’s phone on the table, the second was the thick beach towel hanging over the back of the chair nearest the door. He cast a sceptical glance over his shoulder down the length of the garden towards the gate that opened out on to the beach and then up at the sky. The wind had got up noticeably in the past hour and clouds scudded across the pale blue overhead. Frowning, Harry closed the kitchen door and strode down the path.
The sight that greeted him was enough to steal his breath. On days like this it was impossible not to understand the power of the ocean, the danger inherent in such an uncontrollable force. It was a living, breathing thing, a roaring monster that would devour the unskilled and unwary without hesitation. Enormous waves rolled towards the shore, each topped with wild white horses that crashed on to the sand, leaving bubbles fizzing and popping in their wake. He paused just before the high-water mark and cupped his hands to his brow to scan the horizon. A couple of bright scraps of colour caught his eye – kite surfers whipping across the bay. Harry had tried it a couple of times, but it had been too much for him.
He’d never developed a taste for speed and didn’t even drive. He’d had a few lessons, but kept getting his left and right mixed up and trying to learn the theory had been a nightmare. Too embarrassed to ask for help, Harry had cancelled the lessons. His feet took him everywhere he needed in the village, and there was a bus to Port Petroc often enough and train connectionsfrom there. They had a buyer who bid on their behalf at the fish auction and everything else was delivered to the door.
As his eyes adjusted to the ebb and flow of the waves, dark shapes nearer the shore came to his attention: surfers taking advantage of the conditions. Even in a wetsuit they had to be freezing. Harry shivered. Give him a hot day and smooth seas and a paddleboard and he was in his happy place. One of the shapes glided closer and Harry admired their form as they skimmed towards him on the white, foaming crest of a wave. About twenty feet from the beach, the figure lost balance and vanished beneath the water, the board carrying on to be washed back and forth on the water’s edge. Harry ran down, managing to grab the end of the board without getting his feet soaked through as Ed surged up through the pounding surf, whooping and laughing like he hadn’t a care in the world.
So much for him feeling bad about what Liam said earlier.
Ed waded through the shallows and flopped down on the sand at Harry’s feet. ‘It’s glorious out there, bro. You should grab Matt’s board and come out and join me.’
Frowning, Harry turned his head to look back over the water. ‘He’s not with you?’ It was madness to surf alone at any time, but especially in conditions like this when the weather could turn at any minute.
Ed propped himself up on his elbows. ‘He went to Aunty Helen and Uncle Ryan’s for lunch.’ Harry opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything Ed had hopped up to his feet and had a finger all but jammed under Harry’s nose. ‘Don’t start, okay?’
‘I didn’t say anything,’ Harry protested.
‘You didn’t need to, it was written all over your face. I know you and the others think otherwise, but I’m not a complete idiot. I stayed close to the shore.’ Ed bent down, snatched up his board and marched up the beach towards the cottage.
The softness of the sand underfoot exaggerated Ed’s limp and an old, familiar pain stabbed at Harry as he hurried to catch him up. ‘I just wanted to see if you were okay. I’m sorry about this morning.’
Ed stopped short and glared at him. ‘Sorry for what you two were saying, or sorry that I overheard it?’
Well, damn, he had him there. As much as Harry didn’t like that they’d hurt Ed’s feelings, there was no denying the truth of what Liam had said about him either.
