‘I admit it,’ she said simply. ‘Who wouldn’t want that, Logan? Someone to love. A family. Isn’t it what everyone wants?’

His hands dropped to his sides. ‘I can’t do this. I’m sorry, Flora.’

‘Is this because of Evanna and Logan?’ Suddenly she couldn’t just let him walk away. ‘Talk to me, Conner. I know you’re upset about what just happened and I can imagine it must be very hard seeing all that family stuff when your own family life was so desperately bad, but—’

He jerked away from her and strode towards the door. ‘Enough.’

‘Please, talk to me, Conner. I can see you’re upset. Come over later. Even if we don’t…’ She stumbled over the words. ‘If we’re not still together, I’m still your friend.’

He paused with his hand on the door and then he turned slowly. And then he looked at her and his eyes were bleak and empty. ‘People are already talking.’

‘I know.’

‘They’re going to find out, Flora,’ he said roughly. ‘Nods. Winks. Whispers. Everyone wondering what a girl like you is doing with a man like me. And you’ll hate it. You hate being the focus of attention. Take that first night—you were mortified when Jim and the others turned up on the beach.’

‘Well of course I was.’ She defended herself. ‘I was in my underwear!’

‘It was more than that. You didn’t want people gossiping about you. And the whispers have started all over Glenmore. Do you think I haven’t heard them? In the pub the other night, you almost cracked your glass because you were so terrified that Jim had discovered just who I’d been visiting in the dead of night. Knowing this place, people are grilling you every time you go to buy eggs or milk. Am I right?’

‘Yes, but—’

‘And you’ll hate that because you’re so shy. And I don’t want people breathing your name and mine in the same sentence.’ His knuckles whitened on the doorhandle. ‘You know what people say about me. I’m bad Conner. People expect me to go the same way my father went.’

‘I keep telling you that you are not your father.’

‘No, but you deserve to be with a man you’re not ashamed to be seen with.’

‘I’m not ashamed of what we share, Conner.’

‘Yes, you are, because you’re not the sort of woman to indulge in wild affairs, especially not with men like me. When Logan walked in and caught us kissing, you jumped like a kangaroo on a hot plate and your cheeks were the colour of strawberries.’

‘Well, of course! But that wasn’t about you, it was about me. I’m not used to…’ she shrugged self-consciously ‘…kissing and stuff in public.’