‘It couldn’t be Pat or Seb taking photos, could it?’ asked Zoe.
‘No, definitely not,’ said Harry. ‘They wouldn’t do something like that.’
‘Besides,' I said, ‘they’re both still up at the farmhouse.’
‘Come on,’ said Harry, ‘let’s have a race to the pontoon.’
We began splashing our way through the lake. I tried to enjoy the experience but couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. What if one of Beryl’s much discussedpeevshad followed us down to the lake?
At the pontoon, the others climbed up, lying on their backs panting after all their exertions.
‘If you don’t mind, I’m going to head back now,’ I said, treading water.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’m working in the shop in the morning so need to get some sleep, and I want to get back for Bertie.’
‘All right, see you in the morning.’
‘Night.’
I turned and swam back to the jetty. Before I’d even put on my clothes, I crouched down and pulled my phone from my pocket and called Seb.
‘Liv? Is everything all right? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you tonight.’
‘Everything’s fine. I was wondering if you’re at home?’
‘No, I’m on my way back, though. I’ll be there in about five minutes.’
‘OK. Look, I know this is a pain in the arse, but would you mind taking me back to the farmhouse?’
‘Of course not. But has something happened?’
‘No, I don’t think so. I’ve just got a weird feeling, like someone’s watching me. I’ve probably just had too much to drink.’
‘I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you want me to stay on the line till I get there?’
‘No, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you soon.’
I heard Seb rev the engine and smiled at the thought of my knight in shining armour racing to my rescue. While I waited for Seb, I pulled clothes onto my damp body and walked up the path to wait outside his cabin.
Three minutes after I’d spoken to him, Seb arrived at the cabin, the quad bike spewing up dirt as he skidded to a stop. He jumped off and rushed over to me.
‘Are you all right? I was so worried.’
I laughed and put my arms around his neck. ‘Honestly, I’m fine. I was just being silly.’
‘As long as you’re OK.’
I answered him with a deep kiss, revelling in his warmth as he held me tight, his hands running up and down my back. Suddenly a bright flash filled the air, accompanied by a click that sounded like the shutter of a camera.
‘What the hell?’ Seb spun round, trying to work out the direction the light had come from. ‘Wait here.’
He jumped down from the deck and began searching the nearby woodland by the light of his torch. Five minutes later, he came back to where I stood, shivering from both cold and fear.
‘I couldn’t see anyone, but there was definitely someone there.’
‘Well, I suppose at least I now know I wasn’t going mad. I feel awful leaving the girls down here, but could you take me back to the farmhouse? I hate thinking of Bertie being there without me if there’s some dodgy guy prowling around. Then maybe you could come back and give the others a lift home?’
