‘Hi.’ Noticing he hadn’t said good morning, I waved back and pulled my waterproof jacket tighter around me. ‘It’s a bit cooler than usual.’

A shadow of a smile appeared on his lips. ‘At least it’s not raining. You ready?’

‘Yep.’ I gestured to my backpack, which held Jedda’s camera and a pen and notebook so I could jot down my observations and Dan’s answers to the questions I’d been awake half the night coming up with. It felt wrong to be excited considering, but I couldn’t help it.

‘Excellent.’

‘New boat?’ I asked, indicating the shiny red and white beast moored in the water. It was at least triple the size of the canoe and from what I’d heard about the Emersons, much more their style.

‘Yes. Sadly, Bill’s canoe got washed away in the storm. I should have tied it down but I was more focused on Lion. This one has less character, but it’ll do the trick. Come on.’ He held out his hand to help me into the boat.

I took a few steps, and as my hand slipped into his, my breath caught in my throat. I almost pulled back as the warmth of his skin seeped into mine.

‘Thank you,’ I managed and then shrieked as he scooped me up into his arms like a baby. ‘What are you doing?!’

‘Putting you in the boat. Don’t want you getting wet.’

My heart was thumping too loudly for me to reply, but I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had picked me up. Not long before we separated, I’d jokingly asked Adrian to give me a piggyback. His response—‘Are you kidding? You’d break my back.’

But Dan didn’t seem to work up even a small sweat; I guess working on cray boats meant he could probably handle a heavier weight than Adrian could. His chest, which I was now awkwardly pressed against, certainly felt harder than my husband’s. I willed my cheeks to cool as Dan lowered me onto one of the luxurious leather seats.

‘These are not the circumstances I’d hoped to be bringing you out to the island under. It’s a mess out there,’ he said, his tone solemn as he handed me a life jacket. ‘Here. Put this on. I know it’s only a short distance but better to be safe than sorry.’

I shoved my arms into the bright yellow safety vest as Dan did the same with his, then he sat in the seat beside me and started the engine.

The island was so close, I couldn’t imagine it would take more than a couple of minutes to get to, but I planned to throw myself straight into the interview to alleviate the possibility of any awkward silences. However, Dan got in first.