“Katy? The family have been coming here since before she was born. They spent their honeymoon at Forest Nest. They rang to say they might not be able to use their week because poor Katy was in hospital and they thought they should cancel so that we could rebook it.”

“But you wouldn’t let them. You held the week for them anyway and said you’d absorb the cost if necessary.” He nodded. “They told me. And they also told me that looking forward to being here kept Katy going when she was sick. What would have happened if they hadn’t been able to come?”

“I either would have tried to rent it at the last minute or I would have lost money.” She shrugged. “Probably not the best business decision, but I can’t think of anything more stressful than having a child in hospital. I didn’t want them to worry about the holiday on top of everything else.”

They paused the conversation as their appetizers were placed on the table.

He picked up his fork. “I don’t think it was a bad business decision. You have guaranteed that they’ll be returning here every year for the foreseeable future, I should imagine. But I know you didn’t do it for that reason. You’re the warmest, kindest person I’ve ever met.” His voice was gruff. “Also your cooking skills are off the scale. I’m convinced you’re the reason I finished the book. It’s the first time I’ve reached this stage and felt fresh and clearheaded. Normally I’m existing on a diet of junk food and sugar, and it takes me a while to recover. The other night I dreamed about your lemon chicken. I’d ask for the recipe, but I know I wouldn’t be able to reproduce it.”

She made a mental note to make him her lemon chicken again soon.

“Did you always want to be a writer?”

“I always loved telling stories and reading, but I assumed everyone was like that,” he said. “I didn’t know that most people don’t walk around with stories and characters in their heads. And it didn’t cross my mind that it could be a career until I began working as a lawyer. I realized how complex people are. Everyone around me was interested in the what. The facts of the case. I was more interested in the why. What makes good people do bad things?”

She was interested in the why too. Why Richard had behaved the way he had. Why he was always so moody with her now.

“Thinking about the why sounds more like psychology than law.”

“An interest in psychology helps when you’re a writer. I’ve always been curious about people.”

“But you write about bad people.”