‘Good afternoon, Ned. I hope everything was okay with your meal,’ asked Pippa with a furry on her brow.
‘It was grand, thank you lass.’ He walked into the kitchen and placed the tray down, then turned his attention to Morgan. ‘I was just wondering. Would you like a stroll on the beach with Laurel and Hardy in the morning?’
Morgan glanced at Pippa and Declan, and they quickly looked away and pretended to be busy. ‘Erm, yes. That would be lovely.’
Ned grinned. ‘Shall I meet you about nine by the steps?’
Morgan nodded. ‘Yes. That’s fine.’
Ned nodded, swiftly turned around and left, calling goodbye to Pippa and Declan on his way out of the door.
Morgan looked at Pippa and Declan, and they glanced at each other with grins before making zipping gestures across their mouths.
Morgan laughed and shook her head. ‘Like I said, stirring little imps.’
Chapter fourteen
Imaginary butterflies were actually fluttering around in Morgan’s chest as she made her way across the beachfront towards the steps. She couldn’t see Ned at the top of them and it was already one minute past the hour. Her stomach pinched. Had he changed his mind thinking it would be more hassle than it was worth walking on an uneven surface with a woman with a walking stick—a disabled woman?
Barking coming from down on the beach as she got closer to the steps put her mind at ease, and she almost stuttered out a relieved laugh when she saw Ned standing at the bottom of them, watching an unleashed pair of pugs chase each other across the sand.
Laurel and Hardy were the cutest pugs Morgan had ever seen. Their squished-up faces and bulging eyes only adding to their cuteness.
‘They’ll be worn out before we even start.’
Ned turned and looked up at Morgan with a beaming smile. ‘I thought you’d changed your mind. It’s three minutes past the hour.’
‘Sorry. Sometimes it takes me a little longer to get to places than I account for.’
Ned’s face dropped and he shook his head. ‘No. I’m sorry. I should have realised.’
Morgan could see by the look of horror on his face he was mortified by his own comment. She pushed it aside with a sweepof her hand. ‘Don’t be daft. Just as long as you take it into account for next time.’
Ned’s eyes lit up. ‘Next time, eh?’
Morgan laughed as she carefully made her way down the concrete steps strewn with sand. Ned walked up them two steps at a time, quickly coming to her side. He held his hand out. ‘Here. Take my hand in case you slip on the sand covering the steps...I almost did.’
Morgan smiled and gripped ned’s hand tightly. It clamped firmly around hers. She was under no illusion he’d just told her a white lie to make her feel better, but it had worked, and a warm tingling feeling spread throughout her.
They reached the bottom step and Morgan stepped tentatively onto the beach. As soon as she was settled, she expected Ned to let go of her hand immediately, but he held on tightly for a good while longer before needing to let go to wrestle an empty crisp packet out of Hardy’s mouth after he refused to let it go. Morgan chortled as she watched the defiant small dog battle its six-foot one owner.
‘He must be hungry,’ shrugged Ned when he noticed Morgan laughing at him. He gestured down the beach. ‘Shall we?’
Morgan nodded and they settled into a pace side-by-side.
Laural and Hardy ran in front, sniffing at stones and daring to run in the cold frothy surf rolling across the sand, coming as close as the edge of Ned’s outer boot at times.
It was Morgan who broke the silence. ‘I don’t come for many walks on the sand. I’m always frightened in case my cane sinks.’
‘You need something to slip onto the end of it. Something that splays out like camel's toes do.’
Morgan laughed. ‘Camel's toes? It would be an odd looking something indeed.’
Ned joined in with her laughter. ‘I suppose it would.’
‘I’ll have to make you something for the next time we go walking on the beach together.’
Morgan turned to look at him and was surprised to see him studying her profile. She smiled shyly at him. ‘So you’re already presuming there’s going to be a next time?’
