It was possible for a kind and gentle man to be sexy. And how … ‘You’re a lovely man, Drew, and I can forgive you for fibbing about Caitlin and for ending things at your place when you did. It’s true, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind and I’m not sure it would have ended well.’ She paused for breath. ‘But – what about the age gap between us? That’s a fact that we can’t ignore.’

He shrugged. ‘So what?’

‘Because – because …’

The clock tower struck twelve. The chimes tolled out her answer.

She abandoned her glass to clamp her hands over her ears. ‘Oh my God, I’ve hit my half-century.’

Drew pecked her on the cheek and Chloe stared at him. He grinned and her stomach did the kind of flip that she hadn’t felt since she was about twenty, let alone fifty.

The last chimes rang out from the tower. ‘That’s it. I’m officially old,’ she said.

‘Well,’ said Drew. ‘Consider this. It’s not so bad so far, is it? And I did wonder all along if you’d been holding something back. You seemed on edge around me lately and I thought you might still have feelings for your ex. Now I know it was nothing but a number and if that doesn’t bother you, it certainly doesn’t bother me.’ He brushed her lips with his, before moving away so the rest of the guests could hug her and offer their congratulations. As she was engulfed by her friends, and more corks popped, Drew stood on the sidelines, watching. He’d made his feelings clear, now all she had to do was decide if she had the courage to respond.

Chapter Twenty-Three

‘Whoa.’

Gabe steadied Sam as she walked down the stairs from the Crow’s Nest.

They emerged into the street that led up to Stippy Stappy Lane. The sky was clear with a few ragged clouds drifting past, playing hide and seek with the moon. It was a perfect summer evening, with the kind of velvet twilight that sometimes lasted all night at this time of year. It brought back memories of kissing Gabe on the beach as the waves gently lapped the shingle.

She stumbled on the cobbles and Gabe steadied her with a hand at her elbow. His fingers were warm on her bare skin. He let go and slowed his pace to match hers as she tottered up the lane. Fresh air hitting her lungs made her a little light-headed but it had been a wonderful evening.

‘Good party,’ said Gabe, echoing her thoughts.

‘Oh, it was. Much more fun than I’d expected, to be honest, but I wish I’d known about Chloe’s family sooner – and her age. My card has forty splashed all over it.’ Sam groaned then giggled. ‘Too late now.’