Roane nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Aye, I wouldn’t wish having to live in the same village with the object of your affection, watching her live her life with some other man, on my enemy. But he made a choice to move on, marry Kathy, have kids. That should have been it. Instead he turned it into a war with everyone taking sides. Some locals patronize here, others The Alnster Inn—some are people who didn’t even live here thirty years ago but have somehow gotten caught up in their story. And worse, they have two boys. Lucas, the youngest, is Viola’s age. The war continued with them. The two of them are forever at each other’s throats when they’re home. Kathy has to see that. Can you imagine marrying a man and standing by his side while his bitterness over losing the love of another woman pervades an entire village and affects your kids?”

Sometimes I loved the way Roane talked. Realizing I was staring at his mouth, I shook my head and returned my attention to our conversation. “Poor Kathy.”

My friend contemplated me a moment, those entrancing lips of his twisting into a smirk. “Aye, poor Kathy. Poor Milly. Poor Dexter. Maybe poor West. You could write a book about this place.”

I chuckled. “One day I might.”

Over a week after our conversation about Milly and West, Roane had commandeered my day off. I hadn’t had time to rent a car just yet. Penny drove me along the coast on one of my days off, and I’d visited a few of the coastal towns. As for food, I’d had groceries delivered to the apartment. When Roane found out, he’d insisted on taking the following Sunday off work to drive me into Alnwick so I could buy some groceries and check out the car rental place. Upon our return Roane would cook dinner for me.

The man was perfect.

I had to find a flaw. It was imperative that I find a flaw.

He picked me up in his old Land Rover Defender, and I bubbled with excitement at the prospect of finally venturing into Alnwick. Roane laughed as I settled into the SUV. “You’re like a five-year-old going to her birthday party.”

“I feel like a five-year-old going to my birthday party.”

“Aye, well, I’m not far off that feeling myself.” He shot me an affectionate look. “It’s my first day off in I don’t know how long.”

This surprised and dismayed me. “Seriously?”

He nodded, pulling the Defender away from the curb. We waved at a few locals as we drove out of the village.

“So, do you not have time for a day off?”

“I’ve got people to cover me . . . I’ve just not seen the need to for a while.”