I wiped the tears away with my sleeve. ‘It’s just the cold. It affects my eyes.’ I looked at my watch. It was nearly eight. ‘Shit. I really ought to get back.’

‘I’ll give you a lift,’ Cole said. ‘I haven’t even checked into my hotel so I better do that.’

Dylan looked between us, brow creased. I wish he’d offer to take me back.

‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ I asked them.

Cole shrugged. ‘I was going to suggest doing something. Asher and I were talking over dinner. He now wants to have a business breakfast here the day after tomorrow instead of meeting in the city tomorrow. So now I have a whole day free.’

‘Why don’t you both come to Diamond Beach, where I’m filming?’ I asked. ‘It’s beautiful and you’ll get a chance to see what I do.’

Cole smiled. ‘Absolutely.’

But Dylan hesitated.

‘Please,’ I said.

His face softened. ‘Okay.’

Relief flooded through me. ‘Good. Maybe you’ll strike it lucky and witness Duchess’s first voyage since having her pup.’

Cole and Dylan arrived in Dylan’s truck the next day as the sun was beginning to rise in the middle of the morning. Daylight hours are much shorter in Iceland. It was a particularly beautiful sunrise, bruising the sky a deep hue of pink that was reflected in the sea and the icebergs. It felt surreal to be surrounded by all that pink.

As Dylan approached, I tried to control my breathing. The effect he had on me! I busied myself making coffee for the two brothers as they looked around them in awe.

‘This place is out of this world,’ Dylan said as he went up to an iceberg and placed his large hand gently against it. In the distance, Cole set about taking photos.

I handed Dylan a coffee. ‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’

‘It is. That’s the Duchess, I take it?’ he said, gesturing towards the large seal.

I nodded. ‘I sensed something different in her this morning. A new resolution. I really think this might be the day she leaves the pup. She’s been moving more than she usually does, nudging him. I think he knows,’ I said sadly. ‘The playfulness is gone.’

‘You better get filming then,’ Dylan said. ‘Can I join you? Cole said something about taking a boat trip but I’d rather be here.’

I bit my lip to stop smiling. He seemed better today, more open to being with me. Cole set off on a boat ride, slightly put out his brother wasn’t joining him. Over the next few hours I sat with Dylan on a rock, my camera whirring. I got Dylan to place his eye to the viewfinder, and a smile spread across his face as Duchess waddled to the edge of the iceberg.

‘This is it,’ I whispered.