Page 10

‘Oh, you’re not being a pain,’ he said. ‘Not too much, anyway.’

She rolled her eyes and smiled at his feeble joke. ‘Then I’ll see you down in the kitchen?’

‘Sitting room. I’ll bring the drinks in there.’

When Arlo carried the mugs through to the sitting room, Katie was in fresh pyjamas and a hoodie, sitting on the sofa and scrolling through her phone. She set it aside as soon as Arlo appeared. Pongo had also come downstairs, possibly to be on guard for intruders who would never appear.

He’d made a decaf coffee he didn’t really want and brought a mug of tea for Katie, which she took from him with a smile of such gratitude that his heart melted. Not that it needed to melt. He’d already warmed to her from the moment she’d given his grumpy welcome at the launch the treatment it deserved. She was smart and funny, and he was doing his best to not add gorgeous to the growing list of reasons he liked her.

Putting the drinks on the coffee table, he noticed the bottle on the drinks trolley in the corner of the room and an impulsive thought seized him. ‘Um. Are you sure you wouldn’t like a dram in the tea? It might help you – us – sleep.’

Katie’s mouth opened in an ‘O’ and he regretted the offer. ‘I mean, it is very late so …’

‘Or very early,’ she said and thought for a moment. ‘OK, I’m sure a little drop wouldn’t do any harm and you’re right, it might help me nod off later.’

Relieved, Arlo fetched the bottle. ‘It’s actually a Lakeland blend from the local distillery,’ he said, adding a splash to Katie’s tea. He bit back a curse as the splash turned into more of a gush. ‘I can vouch for the fact it’s not bad at all.’

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Do you leave complimentary whisky for all your guests?’

‘If they rent the house for Christmas, it’s the least I can do.’

As he’d added almost a full measure to Katie’s mug, he thought it only fair he add the same to his.

He sat down in the armchair, cradling his mug, and Katie pulled a blanket over her. Arlo felt warm enough in the glow of her presence.

She blew steam off the mug, watching him for longer than most people would dare. What on earth was she thinking about him? What story was she writing about him in her head?

‘Tea OK?’ he muttered, breaking the silence. ‘Not too strong?’

‘Oh.’ Katie sipped and her eyes widened. She coughed. ‘Oh, wow. It’s lush. Thanks.’

Arlo sipped his and let out a ‘phew’. It was strong stuff. ‘Sorry, I was a bit heavy-handed. I can make another?’

Katie blinked. ‘No. No. This is fine. Please don’t get up again. Look, I’m sorry for all the drama. You must be thinking, What have I got myself into here? A guest who turns up, wants you to stay, then wakes you up by making a racket in the middle of the night.’

‘There’s not a lot of drama round here to be honest, so it made a change. Seriously, I’m glad I stayed. People come up here to get away from it all because they’ve usually had a stressful time, plus it’s Christmas, which is laden with emotional associations and expectations. The sudden plunge into isolation can affect people in ways they didn’t expect.’

She nodded and this time focused her attention on the tea, giving him a moment to take her in. The fingers cradling her mug were ringless, her nails and her toes painted a delicate shell pink. She had lovely feet, which were tanned a honey gold even in the winter, as if she’d recently been on holiday. Did admiring her feet make him a weirdo?

He coughed and Katie’s gaze impaled him – as though she could see right into his mind.

‘Are you OK?’ she said.

‘Yes … I was just wondering, if it’s not too intrusive a question, have you had this nightmare before?’ he ventured.

She sighed. ‘Occasionally. As you said, it was probably brought on by the change of scene. It’s been a busy year.’

‘This is a unique place. Being marooned on an island isn’t for everyone.’ He said it lightly. The whisky was already making him relax.

‘Well, actually …’ A smile spread over her lips. ‘For a writer, this situation is like being handed a treasure chest. My mind’s already working overtime.’

Arlo was enjoying the conversation more than he had with anyone for at least the past year. Thanks to Katie’s easy way of drawing him out, combined with the whisky, he felt the tension ebb from his limbs.

‘I’d better be careful what I say,’ he said. ‘I’m relieved you don’t write crime.’

She laughed out loud. ‘God, no. I’d be hopeless at killing people off. Not deliberately anyway.’ She shuddered before a wicked smile appeared. ‘Although, it would be quite fun for a change to come up with all those devious ways of doing someone in and getting away with it.’

‘I’ve a confession to make. I was worried how you’d feel about being stuck for the night with a stranger on an island but now I can see I’m the one who should have been worried.’