“It wasn’t you either,” said Annie. “Maybe some people just don’t have the sex-spark.” Annie laughed. “I guess this makes us just good friends?”

Paul nodded and shook her outstretched hand. “Just good friends.”

—

Annie noticed that her arms ached as she tramped down the hill; she’d probably used muscles in their pool contest that hadn’t seen a workout in quite some time. Pity the table had seen more ball action than she had, she mused.

Although now that the initial disappointment had worn off, she felt a certain peace about her lackluster encounter with Paul. She’d had no expectations, after all. She wasn’t looking to start a relationship. She wasn’t even looking for a fling. She had simply wanted a bit of fun, a bit of attention, to feel a warm body against hers and feel the flutter of flirtation: by that measure, well, mission accomplished.

Annie reasoned that calamitous kissing with Paul was actually the best thing that could have happened. What if the kissing had been amazing and they’d gone on to have mind-blowing sex? Then they would have felt bound to have more and more sex and eventually they would find themselves pursuing a relationship, which was exactly what Annie did not want. Yes, thought Annie, thank heavens for passionless pashing!

Chapter 30

High in the sky the seagulls were circling and even after this short time, Annie knew there must be a fishing boat out on the sea. Sure enough, a glimpse through the trees showed Ely’s trawler bobbing gently just out past the buoys. It was funny, she thought, how quickly she was getting used to life on the coast; how familiar it all felt, almost as though she had lived a past life in Willow Bay and returned to pick up where she had left off, like one of Willow Bay’s ghosts.

The sea today was deep green and lapis blue mixed, like the body of a bluebottle fly.

Strolling slowly, Annie let her gaze land on Saltwater Nook. She stopped dead in her tracks. Max’s car was pulled up next to hers. Her cheerful mood deflated. She was too far along the promenade to turn back, and if she did, where would she go? She supposed she could walk back up to Paul’s house; she was sure he wouldn’t mind. But she didn’t really want to revisit the scene of crimes against coitus just yet.

Max got out of the car and gave her a cheery wave. Annie groaned. Goddammit, she thought as she waved a heavy arm in response, the man’s a bloody psychic vampire, coming round here and siphoning off my perfectly good Sunday mood.

“Hi,” said Max. He was smiling nervously.