‘Come in and have a cup of tea.’ Ellie squeezed Jamey’s hand. Jamey nodded, and let herself be led to the beach house. ‘It’s all right now.’ Ellie soothed Jamey as best she could, letting the younger woman lean on her as they walked.
As Jamey made her way up the steps of the beach house, Ellie glanced back at the beach. Mark Gardner was normally so quiet, and yet he’d acted like some kind of avenging angel just then. She took in his back, the wet T-shirt clinging to his prominent muscles, his strong legs in the wet shorts, and his unruly blond hair, a shade darker than usual because of the sea water. The two children holding his hands seemed even smaller because of his strength. She was glad he had been there.
As if he could feel her sudden glance, Mark looked back at the beach house. Ellie blushed and looked away instantly, as if she had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. Yes, she was glad he’d been there, but it was more than that. He’d been so… heroic, just now. Strong.
She berated herself for looking away. It was to be expected that she might glance up to check the children were all right. There might be a million reasons why she would have gazed up the beach in Mark’s direction, especially given what had just happened. She should have waved, or something. To be friendly.
As she followed Jamey into the beach house, Ellie looked back over her shoulder, and Mark was still looking at her. His gaze seemed to do something electric to her.
This time, she waved, and he gave her a brief wave back.
‘Let’s get the kettle on.’ Ellie closed the door behind her, striding into the kitchen as Jamey sank onto the sofa. She was prattling away to put Jamey at her ease, but all she was thinking was how weird it was that she had spent a whole evening chatting easily to Rowland – and even kissed him – and couldn’t even wave at Mark without it becoming awkward.
Perhaps there’s a reason for that, Ellie’s mind whispered, but she ignored it. She had got good at ignoring her instincts over the years, and it was going to take some practice to start listening to them. For now, it was time to focus on Jamey, and for that she was grateful in an odd way. There were only so many emotions she could deal with in one go.
