She was shivering, with shock she supposed, and Rob gave her a shirt to put on over her stained dress. One of the dogs tried to follow her into the bathroom and they both laughed. ‘No, you don’t, boss,’ he said. In the bathroom, finally Elle was alone again. She washed her face with warm water and studied herself in the mirror for a moment. She was calmer now, but still not ready to go home and face Ned and Penny. How had it all gone so wrong, so fast? Just yesterday they’d all sat around the table and laid out plans for the future, and now those plans were in ruins. She was partly to blame, for letting them hope in the first place, and for losing her temper at the bank manager.

If she hadn’t, perhaps something could still be salvaged, but now it was beyond repair. Elle would be lucky if she was ever allowed to go through the bank’s doors again, not that she wanted to. She would have to go home and break the news sometime, but not yet.

Going back outside, she sat in Rob’s bay window and watched the sea break itself against the rocks. It wasn’t a cold day, but she was wrapped in a blanket as well as Rob’s shirt. She felt chilled through from the shock of the morning.

‘So,’ said Rob, bringing her a cup of hot tea. ‘What happened?’

‘Well, to cut a long story short, I pretty much lost the lot today – my temper, the loan, and the hotel.’

He shook his head. ‘I’m sure it didn’t happen exactly like that.’

‘It may as well have. That man, he was so awful. It was like he didn’t care at all, like he’d already made up his mind before I came through the door but just wanted the pleasure of saying it. And I just couldn’t stop myself. I started to shout at him, like a madwoman. I’ve never felt so humiliated.’

Rob nodded. ‘I’ve heard he’s a smooth-talking, small-minded git.’

Elle laughed. ‘That’s pretty much what I called him.’

‘I wish I could have been there, Elle. I can’t believe you were escorted out of the bank.’

‘Well, probably better that you weren’t there, to be honest. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,’ she joked, raising a small smile. ‘But it’s all over now,’ she added, any humour darting away just as quickly. ‘The only thing to do now is go back and tell the others what’s happened. They’ll be devastated. And just when things were starting to come together, too. Dad was starting to take notice of what day it was and Penny was gaining some confidence.’