‘I’ve actually already packed it. All you have to do is walk with me a bit, sit yourself down on a blanket on the beach, partake of these delicious morsels and then if you wish, you can come back here and continue to work your fingers to the bone. But you do look as though you need a break.’

It was true. Penny was emotionally and physically exhausted. ‘Dead on her feet’ as her mother might have said.

They set off down the beach for the picnic, followed hopefully by Rob’s dogs. They didn’t go too far, just far enough for Penny to feel like she was no longer working. She sat down, ate a ham sandwich and a slice of fudge cake, and then listening to Colin talk about somewhere he had travelled to, promptly fell asleep in the sun.

Almost an hour later she sat up bleary-eyed. ‘Ah, you shouldn’t have let me sleep!’ she complained, more than a little embarrassed.

‘I saw no harm in it,’ Colin said. ‘Your unpleasant tasks will still be there when you get back. And you looked like a sun-kissed goddess, lying there like that. I didn’t want to upset the vision.’

She blushed. Only he could say a ridiculous thing like that and not appear entirely ridiculous himself.

They walked back up the beach towards the hotel in companionable silence. ‘How’s your novel going?’ she asked.

‘Not well, I’m afraid. The truth is, I’m finding life here rather too interesting to concentrate. To say nothing of the fact that I haven’t yet hit on a decent plot idea.’

Penny laughed. ‘I’d say you’re one of the few that find life around here interesting,’ she commented. ‘Charming, maybe. Picturesque, certainly. But interesting? I don’t so.’

‘I think you would be surprised to hear exactly how interesting I find you and your life, Penny,’ he said, in a way that made her blush afresh.

She went off into an almost incoherent babble. ‘Well here we are – oh there’s Rob and his friend, and I really shouldn’t keep you any more from your work.’

And with that, Penny rushed off, leaving Colin standing there with the picnic basket looking surprised, but not altogether concerned.

‘Hey Penny,’ said Rob, as she approached. ‘I’ve made quite good progress, but that leak is bigger than I thought. It’s going to take me a few more days. Just pray that we don’t get rain in the meantime. That tarp won’t hold off anything but a light shower.’

‘OK, thanks.’ Penny looked up at the roof to see a blue tarp rippling over a large slate-free patch. It was as if the old hotel had been bandaged up, losing a fair bit of dignity in the process.

‘Oh. This is Celeste,’ he said, motioning to the smiling girl with him.