“Sure. So, why don’t you get situated and I’ll see you downstairs when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, and Lucy?” Lucy stared up into his handsome face. “Take your time. It’s been a long drive.”

She found herself nodding as he pulled the door closed behind him.

She looked around the room. It was bigger than any bedroom she’d ever had and was dominated by a king-sized bed replete with fluffy duvet and six (!) pillows. The dressing tables and bedside tables—two of each—were made of varnished pine and seemed brand new. She opened the door to the bathroom to discover a set of fluffy towels in forest green and a selection of toiletries that would make any grown woman cry. Crabtree and Evelyn? This was like staying at a resort!

There wasn’t a bath, but as well as a huge mirror, a modern basin and toilet, there was a rainwater shower. It called to her in a way that no shower ever had before. “Take your time,” Will had said.

She stripped off and turned on the taps.

Only twenty minutes later—she skipped some of her usual ablution steps—she was dressed in a pair of casual trousers and a cashmere jumper, as well as her trusty Ugg boots, a present Chloe had sent for Christmas a few years ago. She pulled up her long, curly hair into a messy bun and didn’t bother with makeup, not wanting to keep Jules’s family waiting too long. Downstairs, she followed the sound of voices to the front room.

When she entered, the first thing she noticed was that Will wasn’t there. The second was the fireplace. She’d only seen one like that in films. It was nearly as tall as her, with stones across the hearth and up the wall either side, and a thick, rustic mantle made from a single cut of pine.

On the mantle were a dozen or so framed family photos and her eyes went straight to one of Will as a boy, not much older than when she’d first met him at age seven.

He’d been so sweet then, if a little rambunctious—all big blue eyes, white-blond hair, and a giant gap-toothed grin—an energetic cherub. Lucy had always wanted a baby brother, so she’d been keen to let him play with them, but Jules hadn’t wanted him tagging along. She had shooed him off, one time making him cry, Lucy remembered.

Now he was a grown man—a handsome one. Stop it, she rebuked. His mum is right there!

Steph and Joe were sitting on one of the two leather sofas, her feet in his lap. “Feel better?” asked Steph.

She grinned. “So much better. That shower is amazing.”

Steph smiled at her. “Will hasn’t come down yet, but Nate’s in the kitchen, just through there. I’m sure he’d be happy to rustle you up something to eat. You must be starving.”

“Actually, I was just thinking how much I could murder a slice of toast.” Bemusement flickered across Steph’s face before she replied.