‘I felt you deserved to be told in person.’
‘And telling me in person involved sending me threatening messages and stalking me?’
James pursed his mouth and frowned. ‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’
There was no point accusing him of lying. Instead she said, ‘Right, well, I appreciate you coming and telling me. But now you have, I’d… I’d like it if you left.’
‘I’ve booked in here for the night.’ James dropped the damp tissue into the ice bucket and pointed to the pub. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d talk to me straight away, so I… I thought it best to stay.’
‘There was no need for that,’ Kitty said. ‘I’ll cover the cost of your hotel, and you can leave now.’
‘IthinkI’ll stay,’ said James, a hint of the familiar steel returning to his voice. ‘In case you have questions.’ His voice softened once more.
‘If I have questions, I can call you,’ said Kitty.
‘Fair enough,’ said James. ‘I’ll be here until ten o’clock tomorrow morning when I check out. If you want to talk again, I’ll be here.’
Kitty regarded him with surprise. ‘You’re letting me go?’ she asked. ‘You’re not going to try to stop me? You’re not finding an excuse to keep me here with you? You’re not trying to worm your way into staying at my house?’
‘I told you,’ said James. ‘I’ve been in therapy. I’m a different man from the one you left all those months ago.’
All those months? It wasn’t all those months. In fact, it could be measured in weeks. Kitty didn’t believe James could have changed so much in such a short time. ‘I’m going now,’ shesaid, standing, her glass of champagne untouched. ‘It’s best we communicate via email. This is my new email address.’ She scribbled the address on a napkin and passed it to him. ‘I am so sorry to hear about Rae. And I’d appreciate you keeping me informed. Goodbye, James.’
‘Goodbye, Catherine. Thank you for meeting me. It was good to see you again. Don’t be a stranger.’
Kitty didn’t respond. She didn’t look back as she turned and left the terrace.
Chapter 53
As soon as Kitty left, Nick slipped out the back entrance of the pub and waited. When she walked down the narrow path that led to the beach, he followed, glancing behind him to make sure James hadn’t had the same idea. He kept enough distance on the curving path that when Kitty looked over her shoulder to check no one was following her, she didn’t spot him.
Nick waited a few minutes before running after her. Kitty must have been walking quickly because by the time his feet met sand, she was a distant figure on the empty beach. She’d taken off her sandals, and they dangled from her fingers as she splashed her way along the shoreline. From the amount of spray pluming around her, he assumed whatever James had said had left her pretty riled up.
He jogged towards her, and when she turned at the sound of thudding feet on the wet sand, her mouth fell open in an ‘oh’.
‘Nick, what are you doing here?’ she asked.
He stopped a few metres away. Kitty’s eyes were red and puffy, distorting the smattering of freckles on her cheeks. Her hair wasin a messy halo around her head. Her forehead creased in a frown as her lips turned down.
‘I wanted to make sure you were all right,’ he said.
‘And why wouldn’t I be?’ sighed Kitty.
‘Because you just met up with your ex. The ex you told me you’re frightened of. The ex you thought followed us home from the hospital. The ex who left a note on your windscreen.’
‘I also told you,’ said Kitty, her voice rising, ‘I had to deal with this alone. Have you been following me?’
‘No, no.’ Nick took a step back, ignoring the cold seawater which was soaking through his trainers. ‘OK, fine.’ He threw out his palms. ‘I confess. I was sitting inside the pub, keeping an eye… to make sure nothing awful happened.’
‘What?’ Kitty let out a harsh laugh. ‘You’re my knight in shining armour, are you? You thought I might need rescuing?’
‘Hang on,’ said Nick. He felt miffed. He might love the woman standing in front of him, but there was no denying she was being unreasonable. ‘After everything you told me about James, what did you expect me to do? You were walking into the lion’s den. You needed someone to watch your back.’
‘I needed to be left alone,’ said Kitty. ‘God, why can’t you all leave me alone?’
‘All?’ said Nick, stepping toward her. ‘Are you seriously lumping me in with that idiot ex of yours?’
‘Of course not,’ she said. ‘That’s not what I meant. I told you I needed space, and from where I’m standing, you’re not giving me any.’
