He left Sam seething with conflicting emotions. The shock of finding the mobile unit vandalised, the effect of her row with Bryony, and Gabe’s support … he was there again in her time of crisis, even if only in a small way. Could she have been wrong about what happened with Ryan? Was he right to turn her brother in? She thought about that middle ground again: her seesawing between love and anger. This evening, feeling vulnerable and upset, she didn’t know what she would have done if he’d pulled her into his arms to comfort her. The seesaw was tipping lower on the side of love again, and that was the most frightening thing of all.

Chapter Twenty

Reluctantly, Gabe left Sam at the door of Wavecrest Cottage and headed the short distance towards Clifftop House. He’d tried to leave her on a happier note by saying he was looking forward to Chloe’s party. She’d nodded and said ‘me too’, but obviously, her mind was still on her van.

Maybe her mind was on other things too. For a while back in the pub he’d thought they were making progress. He’d made her laugh and he could almost kid himself that nothing bad had ever happened between them.

What exactly had he expected her to be like? She might have been in a relationship for all he knew. She might still be, and he simply didn’t know about it.

Gabe was too restless to go home yet so he headed for the coastal path and made his way towards the sea. The coconut scent of the gorse filled the air as he traced the little ‘rabbit run’ through the prickly plant, the yellow flowers catching the final rays of light. When he was a youngster, on a summer night like this, he’d sometimes come up to the cliff after the chip shop had closed to catch the final tinge of sunlight on the horizon as it changed to the blue of night. He’d imagine what lay beyond the horizon, the people waking up in other parts of the world, and dream of travelling there.

He’d been lucky and seen quite a bit of that world now, from New Zealand to Sri Lanka, the States. Whereas Sam … she’d stayed here and devoted herself to her family.

A melancholy settled on his shoulders and suddenly the evening night felt cold. Earlier in the pub, he’d felt the old spark between them was back, but even more intense. He thought that peace had broken out for a while when they were talking about the festival, right up until she’d received that call. He had immediately regretted offering to pay for the van damage.