‘Nice to meet you.’ Tom stepped forward and held out a hand to shake. ‘I’m Steve’s nephew, passing through. I’ll be gone by the end of the week.’
‘It must be nice having relatives in Saffron Bay,’ said Kitty with a smile. ‘It’s not a bad place to visit.’
‘Yeah, it’s perfect when I need to get away for a bit. Beats London, that’s for sure.’
Kitty agreed more than he’d ever know. ‘And what is it you do in London?’ she asked, steering the conversation away from herself before it could go there.
Tom grinned. ‘Investment banking. Not the most exciting job in the world, but it pays the bills. How about you?’
From the looks of his clothes, it seemed as though his job paid the bills and then some. The mention of London had thrown Kitty off her stride. Now she tried to focus on the conversation, hoping Tom didn’t mistake her distraction for attraction. ‘I’m a primary school teacher. I start at Saffron Bay Primary next week.’
‘Wow.’ Tom’s eyes lit up. ‘I always wanted to be a teacher while I was growing up. How do you find it?’
Tom, Alice and Kitty worked together to prepare the food, the three of them chatting amiably about the joys and downsides of teaching, Alice sharing her dream of one day teaching piano to disadvantaged children.
When they carried plates and bowls through to the sitting room, Kitty noticed Nick had retreated to the chair in the cornerof the room, still evading his Emily responsibilities. She laughed at a joke Tom had told, and Nick’s eyes narrowed. Kitty’s hackles rose. What did her laughing at another man’s jokes have to do with him? Deliberately, she made an even greater show of enjoying Tom’s company. If Nick disapproved, that was his problem. He wasn’t exactly covering himself in glory this evening. What had happened to the gregarious, good-looking man she’d met only a few days previously?
Once everyone had filled a plate with food, they settled into natural groups, Kitty sitting beside Tom, Alice and Luke, who had joined them. They began discussing childhood hobbies, and Kitty admitted her love of amateur dramatics.
‘You’ve got that in common with Nick,’ said Luke. ‘He’s a brilliant actor and has an amazing voice. It’s a shame he’s done nothing with it.’
Kitty glanced over to Nick, who was studying his phone, ignoring everyone around him, including his daughter. Emily was thankfully still occupied by Sylvie, who had produced a pack of cards from somewhere and was now playing Snap.
‘Is that right?’ she said, although, thinking about the first version of Nick she’d met, she could easily imagine him up on a stage.
Tom rolled his eyes. ‘I can’t imagine anything worse than getting up on a stage in front of a room full of people.’
‘Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,’ said Kitty, trying to remember the buzz she’d once got from performing. Her memories now felt like they belonged to someone else’s life, and she couldn’t believe how far she’d let herself drift from the version of herself she’d left behind in Ireland all those years earlier.
‘Tom’s such a tease,’ said Sam, coming to join them. ‘Don’t let his pretence of modesty fool you. He may be a boring money man these days, but he’s done a fair bit of modelling in his time.’
‘I can well believe it.’ Kitty clapped her hand over her mouth as her cheeks flamed. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean…’
‘Oh, Kitty, I love you.’ Tom laughed. ‘You’re great.’
Kitty couldn’t say why she chose that moment to glance across the room. Her eyes met Nick’s, who was watching the exchange with a scowl. Kitty turned to Tom and placed a hand on his arm, wincing inwardly, pleased Nick noticed her gesture. ‘I’m in the presence of a celeb, am I? I’ll have to do a bit of internet stalking when I get home.’
Tom proceeded to engage in some good-natured flirting, which proved good cover for Kitty’s true feelings. She was embarrassed by her earlier blunder. She’d probably given Tom the wrong impression, and wished she had more recent experience of how to socialise. It had been so long since she had any male friends, and James didn’t count. The past five years had crushed the wings of the social butterfly she’d once been, turning her from being one of the lads into an awkward, blushing idiot.
‘It’s a shame we won’t have a chance to get to know each other better,’ said Tom at the end of the evening.
Kitty smiled. ‘I’m sure we’ll see each other again. It’s been good to make a newfriend.’ She emphasised the last word, hoping she hadn’t hurt Tom’s feelings. Given he was a former model, and probably not used to being rebuffed, he took it in his stride.
‘Good to be clear where I stand.’ He grinned. ‘You’re a good laugh, Kitty Brown. Whoever snaps you up will be a lucky man.’
‘Best of luck with the business of making your millions,’ said Kitty, pulling him into a hug. ‘And if you ever need bringing back down to earth, I’ll be right here.’
As she walked home along the dark street, with only the sound of distant waves for company, Kitty reflected on what had proved to be a successful evening. Despite her slip-up with Tom,she’d given no one reason to doubt the version of herself she’d presented. There’d been no probing questions into her personal life, everyone too distracted either by Tom’s big personality, or by Emily who, thanks to the efforts of Sylvie and May, had come out of her shell and charmed the entire room.
In the end, Nick had rushed Emily off home without a word of thanks or goodbye, muttering excuses about the lateness of the hour. Kitty resolved to see Emily again before the little girl left Saffron Bay, even if it meant encountering the grumpy man-child. She’d happily have no further interactions with him if she could help it.
Chapter 20
‘You need to brush your teeth.’ Nick caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror, black circles beneath his eyes, hair standing up on end.
‘No.’ Emily’s chin jutted out, her lips trembling. If Nick weren’t standing between the sink and the bathroom door, he wouldn’t have put it past her to run away.
‘I know it’s late, but you can’t go to bed without brushing your teeth. Your mum was very clear that…’
