Big mistake, Sam seemed to have taken his offer the wrong way and assumed he was trying to undermine her independence. She guarded that fiercely, and he didn’t blame her, having succeeded on her own for so long. She didn’t need some guy charging in and playing Lord Bountiful – especially when that guy was him. The man who’d let her down and hurt her.

She’d had a shit night, though. Stargazey was her livelihood and the vandalism was petty and vicious. Then bonkers Bryony had added to her woes by admitting to ripping the posters down and bringing up Ryan again. Ryan had upset and hurt a lot of people in Porthmellow and from what Gabe could see since he’d been back, the wounds were still raw.

Sam had said she was a different person now and she was right.

‘Fuck!’ Lost in his throughs, Gabe hadn’t been looking where he was going. He stopped just in time, then took a step backwards, his heart was beating like mad.

The turf a few inches ahead fell away sharply in a broad V shape to a narrow ledge a few feet below him. Below that was fresh air, then the stony beach fifty feet down, the pebbles silver in the twilight and a frothy line of foam breaking. The crevice might cut yards back into the cliff for all he knew.

He hadn’t seen the cliff fall because it had been hidden by the brambles and gorse. He’d ignored the warning sign at the top, thinking he was on safe ground, ground he’d trodden a thousand times before, but he didn’t know this territory as well as he thought he did. It had changed, was continually changing, and he needed to recognise that.

Like Sam. He wasn’t sure Sam was the woman he fell in love with. She hadn’t been since the moment she’d discovered he’d reported Ryan to the police. He’d never forget the look in her eyes as she’d crumpled onto the sofa. She’d been crushed by his news, but then, she’d been angry. He’d known in that instant that there was no coming back.

The worst part of it was he could change her perspective if he wanted to.

Was she worth his ruining another one of her relationships? She still loved Ryan but if she knew the truth, would she even thank Gabe?

He’d kept quiet too long – she’d hate him for delivering the news too late, or delivering it at all.

What good would it do?