I squeezed his arm. ‘Losing a pet is like losing family or a very close friend. It’s okay to be sad. I’ll be a mess when Charlie goes.’

‘Yeah, but Lion wasn’t even my cat.’ He smiled sadly. ‘Come on, if you’re sure, let’s do this.’

Dan fetched us both heavy waterproof jackets—I briefly wondered if mine had belonged to Tessa—before wrapping Lion’s lifeless body tenderly in a blanket. We sat in the boat in solemn but not uncomfortable silence, me holding the lifeless bundle close to my chest, as we shot across to the island.

I’d visited Bill’s island three times now and tonight was the first time it felt eerie. Except for the gentle wash of waves on the sand and the wind whispering through the remaining trees, it was silent, but I didn’t feel scared or unsafe. Not with Dan.

I couldn’t believe we’d only known each other a matter of months. Perhaps we’d met before in another life. I’d never believed in reincarnation, but I’d also never felt such an intense connection to someone in such a short amount of time. An intense connection that only grew stronger each time we were together.

Shining a torch ahead, Dan led us inland to fetch a shovel from Bill’s supplies, then we made our way to the memorial site.

‘They’ll be glad to finally be together again,’ he said with a sigh as he started to dig.

Thanks to the moonlight and the torch I aimed in his direction, I had a great view of Dan shovelling dirt and found myself admiring his impressive masculine form.

What the hell are you doing?

I snapped my eyes away, chastising myself. The man was digging a grave!

When he finished, Dan dropped the shovel to the dirt and turned towards me. Our hands brushed against each other as I passed the cat to him and our gazes met with such intensity that, for a second, I thought he might kiss me. Everything inside me stilled, but of course I was the only one thinking such ridiculous thoughts at a time like this.

The moment broken, Dan stooped to lower Lion into the ground and I exhaled deeply. He reached out and stroked his hand over the cat’s now cold fur. ‘Goodbye little guy, say hi to Bill for me.’ Then he covered Lion with the blanket before reaching once again for the shovel.

‘Do you want to say a few words?’ I asked, when he finished smoothing out the dirt.

He looked at me like I was crazy.

‘It might help to talk about him.’

Dan managed a slight smile and cleared his throat. ‘Lion, you were a good cat and you had a good innings. Thanks for keeping me company since Bill died. I hope there’s lots of good fish in the afterlife. Rest in peace, you mad feline.’