She realised she didn’t have to tell him exactly what she was doing. That way when Ewan inevitably told her that her writing wasn’t up to scratch, she wouldn’t have to face the embarrassment of telling him that too. But she found she wanted to tell him.

‘Yes. Well, I’m helping out at it. It’s going to be very busy. But, well, that’s not all. I’ve been trying my hand at writing, and actually I’ve written a book which I was keeping to myself. But Libby read it and decided she really wanted Ewan to see it. She sent it to him without my knowledge and, last night, he emailed me to ask if we could meet and chat about my work.’

‘Jo!’ Lorcan exclaimed. ‘That’s amazing. Wow, how exciting for you. Tell me you’re excited?’

She turned to face him. ‘Not so much excited as terrified.’

‘But maybe a little bit excited?’ Lorcan said as he raised an eyebrow.

‘A tiny bit,’ Jo admitted with a small smile.

‘Well, then. Here’s my advice, for what it’s worth. But please bear in mind that my advice mightn’t be great considering I’m in my late twenties and have run away to Ireland to escape the collapse of my existing life in England. Hang on to the excited bit. Ignore the terrified. Terrified is only good if you’re in actual physical danger, which you’re not. I’d assume that Libby wouldn’t have sent your work on to Ewan if she didn’t think it was good enough for him to read.’

‘I suppose,’ she said, picking a daisy from the grass and starting to pull its delicate white petals off one by one. Jo didn’t know if that made her feel worse or better about the situation, but she did like what he’d said about holding on to the excited part. Maybe she could try that.

Lorcan lifted his water bottle and took a long drink.

‘Will we get back?’ she asked, hauling herself up to standing and brushing the grass from her leggings.

Paddy jumped up, ready to spring into action for round two of their walk.

‘I suppose I can’t sit here all day,’ Lorcan said. ‘I’ve the lads in the street to call round for and get a game of football in before dinner.’ He laughed, and Jo felt a rush of warmth towards him. And maybe, just maybe, a little hint of terror that she couldn’t seem to dampen down her fondness for him even though they’d only known each other five minutes.

Terrified is only good if you are in actual physical danger, she told herself. And you’re not. So breathe!

‘Let’s go,’ she said, ‘before my legs seize up and I need a me-sized buggy, never mind one for the dog.’