‘Essentials, and a few extras, just in case.’

‘In case of what?’ He peered into the top of the bag. ‘What do you need the torch for?’

‘Well, a torch is always handy.’

‘Cable ties?’

‘They’re useful; you never know when you might need one.’

‘When you’re a serial killer possibly. And what’s that?’

‘A candle.’ She pulled a face. ‘In case of power cuts and things. Overkill?’

‘Possibly, but I like that you’re prepared for anything.’

‘I like to call it organised,’ she said, zipping up her fleece and letting loose a big sigh. Now that she was sure she’d got everything she needed she could relax. How lovely to be spending the day outdoors and even better that the weather had decided to be on their side. It was a warm, bright morning and although it was probably heresy round these parts to say it, she was looking forward to a whole day away from the kitchen. A week of cooking with eggs, which seemed to be a delicate balance between science and natural flare, had left her wrung out and she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to see another egg yolk again. She’d had more than her share of disasters, although she was quite pleased she wasn’t on her own. Even Meredith’s soufflé had collapsed and Alan’s sabayon had curdled. Fliss had put her first euro in the jar, although Fliss being Fliss had managed to make the f-word sound posh.

‘Where are we going?’

‘To Dingle. Dingle Bay. It’s quite sheltered there and there’s… well I think I’ll leave it as a surprise.’

‘I’m not sure I like surprises.’ In fact, Hannah didn’t like surprises at all, but saying it out loud always made her sound like a bit of a killjoy. Surprises snuck up on you, you couldn’t prepare for them, and you didn’t know how to school your face to deal with them.

‘Live a little.’ He nudged her with his elbow, setting light to a funny little spark in the bottom of her belly.

Ignoring the fluttery, butterfly wing sensation, she climbed into his big four-wheel drive, determined to enjoy the day. As they set off, rumbling down the track to the main road, she sank into the seat, glad that there was no one around to see them leave. She had a feeling that there’d be a few comments, especially as the two of them were sharing the cottage, and she felt sure she’d blush wildly because they had no idea what she and Conor had got up to the first time they met.