Harry hugged her tightly then stepped back. ‘You don’t need to thank me, Kitty, we’re in this together. What time do you need to be in work tomorrow?’
‘I normally try to get there for about eight to give me plenty of time to sort things out before we open at nine, why?’
‘I thought I might bring you breakfast in bed,’ he replied with a grin that told her exactly what would be on the menu.
She laughed. ‘I’ll make sure I set my alarm.’
He leaned in and gave her a final kiss. ‘I’ll leave you to finish up in peace. Give me a knock when you’re done. Sleep well, Kitty.’
‘Night, Harry.’
He paused in the doorway and looked back over his shoulder. ‘If you wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself in need of more inspiration, you know where to find me.’
25
Harry sat at the kitchen table, lingering over his coffee while he waited for Kat to get ready. Though he’d finished work late the night before, he’d come home to find her waiting for him in his bed. As it was Saturday, he would’ve been all for a lie-in but the forecast was promising a beautiful day after another week of heavy showers and he’d stupidly promised Kat an early-morning walk on the beach. He’d been banished from the bathroom for being too distracting. He grinned to himself as he sipped from his mug, wondering if his latest efforts might show up in one of Kat’s stories. He might never be much of a reader, but he’d fully embraced his new role as an author’s muse over the previous couple of weeks.
He knew they were in something of a honeymoon period, that they’d made their own private world behind the front door of their flat and at some point reality was bound to intrude, but he didn’t care. She was an unexpected blessing in his life and he intended to make the most of it. Everything had got better since she’d moved in and his days – and nights – revolved entirely around pleasing her. He knew he couldn’t keep her to himself forever, though, and they’d decided it was time to go public withtheir relationship. They both knew there was no point in trying to hide things from his brothers and her friends, and Harry didn’t want to either. He was delighted that Kat was his and he wanted the whole bloody world to know it.
They had a brunch meeting planned at The Cosy Coffee Pot with everyone to go over the business plan and they’d agreed to reveal their partnership – both professional and private – at the same time. They’d chosen the café because there simply wasn’t enough room in their little kitchen to squeeze everyone in and because Issy wanted to be a part of things, even if it was just being a cheerleader from the sidelines. Harry appreciated how enthusiastic their entire friendship group was being about the project and the way they’d all rallied to the call to help him out.
Everything was taking shape thanks mainly to Kat’s hard work. She’d suggested he send her his thoughts for the introduction and the vision statement in voice note form and she’d shaped his ramblings into something far more professional-sounding than he’d ever have managed on his own. He’d also sent her a few suggestions for scenes in her book until she’d threatened to block his number after accidentally listening to one in a public place.
He heard the bathroom door open and stood, taking his mug over to the sink to rinse it, then headed into the hall to fetch his coat. He’d just zipped it up when Kat appeared. ‘You sure you want to do this?’ he asked as he held out her coat for her to slip into. ‘It’s going to be fresh.’ When you’d grown up by the sea, fresh meant bloody freezing.
‘I don’t care,’ she replied with a laugh as she dug a hand into her coat pocket and pulled out a bright orange bobble hat. ‘I feel like I’ve been cooped up in this flat for too long and I’m desperate for some fresh air.’
‘It would be good to blow the cobwebs away,’ he admitted as he shouldered the small rucksack he’d already packed with everything they’d need for their meeting later.
Even bundled up as they were, the first few steps outside were cold enough to steal their breath away. Harry took Kat’s gloved hand in his as they hurried down the alley and across the road to the steps that led down to the beach. The last of the sunrise lingered in an orange-red smudge along the horizon and the few clouds in sight were wisps of cotton wool that almost vanished against the pale ice-blue of the sky.
He paused at the bottom of the steps. ‘Left or right?’ Left would take them past the café and along the beach at the base of the dunes. Right was what everyone referred to as the family area because it was overseen by the lifeguard station in the summer and the council enclosed a safer, shallow swimming area for children in the shelter of the harbour wall.
‘Right.’
Harry tucked Kat’s hand into the crook of his elbow and she leaned into him as they began to stroll across the crisp sand. The tide was out and a dog walker had left footprints in the wake of a zig-zagging row of smaller paw prints in the darker wet sand near the water’s edge, but they must’ve passed through earlier as they had the beach to themselves. Kat snuggled closer to his side. ‘I wouldn’t give this up for the world,’ she said.
Harry glanced down to find her smiling up at him. The end of her nose was already turning red from the cold and clashed adorably with her orange hat. He leaned down and stole a kiss. ‘Me neither.’
They walked to the far end of the beach. Harry led Kat up to the sheltered corner of the sea wall. He shrugged off his coat and placed it on the sand then sat on it. He spread his knees and patted the space between them. Kat settled in front of him, her back to his chest and he put his arms around her. The bobbleon her hat tickled his nose and he tugged it off then pulled her closer. She leaned against him with a contented sigh. ‘It’s so peaceful and quiet here.’
They sat in silence for a while, and the tiredness from his late night in the restaurant drained away. His cheeks tingled from the cold and the wind teased at his hair, tumbling the already messy waves this way and that. He was past needing a haircut, but Kat seemed to like it this length from the way her fingers unerringly found their way into the curls at his nape whenever she put her arms around his neck. He should probably ask her, but decided it could wait until later. Now he was simply content to sit and hold her and listen to the soft shush of the tide.
‘We should probably make a move,’ Kat murmured a little later.
The stone wall was hard against his back and his arse was numb from sitting still for too long, but he had no inclination to move. Harry pulled her little closer. ‘Five more minutes.’
Her low chuckle vibrated against his chest. ‘I know, it’s perfect, isn’t it?’ She shifted against him, tilting her body to one side so she could fish her phone out of her coat pocket. ‘I just realised we don’t have any photos of us together.’ She held the handset up in front of them, flipping the camera to selfie mode. Harry’s hair was even worse of a mess than he’d realised and Kat’s wasn’t much better but she didn’t seem to care as she snapped several shots.
She was glowing, Harry thought as he stared at their reflected images on the screen. And not just from the cold. She looked happy: relaxed and contented and at peace with everything. Warmth spread through his body, radiating out from his heart. He’d been the one to put that smile on her face. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. ‘You look so beautiful.’
Kat showed him the photo she’d just taken. ‘This one is my favourite, I think.’
Harry nodded. ‘Send it to me. I want to use it as my phone background.’
‘Oh, that’s a lovely idea.’ A few clicks and he felt his phone vibrate against his hip as she said, ‘Done.’ He thought she’d put away her phone but she carried on tapping buttons and the familiar layout of Instagram opened on her screen.
‘What are you doing?’ Harry frowned as she started a new post and loaded the photo of him kissing her cheek.
