‘Your eyes are sparkling!’ cut in Clemmie.
‘I’ve put in an offer!’
Clemmie clasped her hands dramatically. ‘Oh, Pippa! That’s wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. The Clock House needs someone just like you. It’s perfect.’
‘I’m just waiting to hear if the offer is accepted. It does feel like a quick decision, but you know what? I’ve spent the last few years pleasing everyone else, always waiting around for what they wanted to do, and somehow what I wanted never seemed to happen. So this time I’m choosing for me. When I walked into that place, I was blown away. The history, the feel of it, everything… just felt right. To be able to finally set up my own workshop is a dream come true.’
‘This sounds like it was meant to be.’ Clemmie said confidently. ‘The villagers will be thrilled.’
Pippa glanced at Theo, who gave her an encouraging smile.
They chatted while finishing their coffee, and then Clemmie’s phone beeped. ‘It’s Granny… Oh! The causeway is apparently opening a little earlier than expected. I’d best get back as that will mean tourists will be flocking back in.’
‘Wait,’ Pippa said, ducking inside the cottage, ‘these are yours.’ She returned with the boots and the raincoat Clemmie had loaned her when she first arrived.
‘Oh, bless you!’ Clemmie said. ‘I’d forgotten all about them.’
After letting Clemmie out, Pippa returned to the courtyard and sat back down at the table. ‘If the causeway is about to reopen, we’re going to be kicked out of the cottage sooner rather than later.’
‘I know.’ Theo screwed up his face. ‘I’ve got quite used to being here.’
‘Me too, so until we receive the email kicking us out, let’s just stay,’ she suggested.
‘Let’s just not check our email.’
Pippa laughed. ‘That sounds like a plan.’
Theo reached for her hand and gently pulled her closer. She settled onto his knee as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her.
‘I’m going to miss this,’ he murmured.
‘Me too.’
Theo rested his forehead gently against hers.
Pippa gave a small laugh. ‘I don’t want to think about leaving here just yet,’ she said. ‘What are we going to do with the rest of the day?’
‘Oh, I know exactly what I want to do,’ he teased, giving her waist a playful squeeze.
She nudged him with her elbow. ‘Be serious.’
‘I was,’ he replied, before his expression shifted into something more thoughtful. ‘If the causeway is open, our time is limited to catch Horace before he leaves the island.’
Pippa straightened slightly on his knee. ‘You really think he’ll talk to you?’
‘I hope so,’ Theo said. ‘He seems to like me.’ He gave a small smile. ‘I need to ask him about Sebastian’s claims. Properly. And if I get nowhere, I think I’m going to mention Agatha’s letter to get him to open up.’
Pippa nodded slowly. ‘As much as Sebastian has been… well, difficult, and as much as I don’t excuse anything he’s put you through, I do think there’s a kernel of truth to what he’s saying.’
‘I agree, but I do wish he’d mentioned something all those years ago instead of repeatedly blowing my world apart. And even if my grandfather is involved, or knows anything, it’s still nothing to do with me. We’re entirely different people!’ He shook his head. ‘But yes, if there’s even a chance the truth has been twisted all these years, someone does need to unpick it. It might as well be us.’
She pressed her forehead to his again, their noses brushing lightly. ‘Well,’ she murmured, ‘first things first. Let’s finish our morning, and then we’ll tackle the rest.’
He grinned, a spark lighting in his eyes. ‘I like the idea of that.’
Before she could say another word, Theo kissed her, soft at first, then with a sudden, unmistakable urgency that made her smile against his mouth. His hand slid into hers as he rose, tugging her gently but insistently towards the stairs.
They half-walked, half-ran up the staircase, bumping shoulders and stifling laughter, unable to stop kissing long enough to navigate properly. When they reached the bedroom, Pippa clung to the front of his T-shirt, tugging him closer, feeling that unmistakable spark of lust that had been building since she’d first walked into Clockmaker’s Cottage, as they tumbled onto the bed.
