Bear With Me was busy. Saturdays generally were but this one was extra busy thanks to the start of the Christmas season.

The Christmas lights had been put up around town ready for the official switch-on next weekend. During the week, Annie and Liv had decked out the shop with a tree and strings of fairy lights. We’d taken delivery of a range of Christmas-themed bears and they had pride of place in the window displays and on a tiered display in the centre of the shop. People were definitely starting to shop for Christmas. Fortunately, the steady stream of customers kept my mind off the conversation I needed to have with Sam.

Mum squeezed my hand and wished me luck when I left Bear With Me shortly before 2 p.m. I stepped out onto the cobbles of Castle Street and took a deep gulp of sea air. Sarah opened the door to Seaside Blooms at the same time, her arms full of small bouquets of flowers. She smiled and nodded at me across the throng of shoppers. It was so tempting to cross the cobbles and strike up a conversation with her instead but I couldn’t keep Sam waiting. Things needed to be said.

With a flutter of butterflies in my stomach, I turned right to head to the small park at the end of the street. What a gorgeous day. If it wasn’t for the slight nip in the air, I could have believed it was the middle of summer thanks to the cornflower blue sky with wispy clouds that floated lazily towards the sea.

Sam was there already, sitting on one of the benches, staring out towards the sea below. My stomach fizzed and my heart sang at the sight of him, his blond hair being tousled by the light breeze. He turned round and smiled warmly. ‘Jemma! Hi.’

‘Hi, Sam. How are you?’

He indicated for me to sit beside him. ‘Better for some fresh air,’ he said after I sat down. ‘I might have drunk too much yesterday and I paid for it this morning.’

‘You didn’t seem drunk when I saw you on the beach.’

‘There’s nothing like your psycho ex trying to seduce you to sober you up.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m so sorry that you saw that. You do know that nothing happened, don’t you?’

I nodded. ‘I know. She’s a beautiful woman, though. Must be pretty hard to say no to her.’ I bit my lip. I hadn’t meant to say that. I sounded jealous.

Sam laughed. ‘Believe me, saying no was easy. Getting her to hear and accept it? Not so easy. Besides, she’s only beautiful on the outside. Not like you.’

My heart raced as he gazed at me intently. I felt my cheeks colour and had to look away.

‘Aside from Kirsty-gate, how was the anniversary? Was it sad?’