Chapters (39)
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Epilogue
- Author’s note
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
‘No,’ Anna said quickly, ‘it’s not that. I’d love to come. Let’s go, before it decides to rain.’
He still looked doubtful as they followed the boy towards the boat bobbing on the waves in Crovie’s tiny harbour.
‘Sorry,’ he said quietly. ‘Robbie can be a tad overwhelming, I know, and I don’t do anything to discourage him. Maybe I should.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ Anna said. ‘He’s a wonderful boy. You’re a wonderful father. I don’t know how you do it. I don’t know that I could.’
‘You could,’ he told her, his voice still quiet. ‘I have a feeling you could do anything you set your mind to. And you’d be a great mum. Look how the boy loves you already.’
Anna said nothing as he helped her down onto the boat. She pretended that it was the wind bringing tears to her eyes as they cleared Crovie and cut out through the North Sea waves.
Twenty-Two
‘We’ve got you to thank for a booking, you know,’ Pat said, as she put a mug of tea down in front of Anna a couple of days later.
Anna looked up at her. ‘What do you mean?’
‘A woman called and asked how close we were to the Fishergirl’s Luck, as she and her partner had read that it was the best new place to eat on the coast and they wanted to have a good chance of getting a seat.’
‘Really?’
‘Really!’ Pat joined her at the kitchen table with a plate of biscuits. ‘She didn’t sound local, either.’
‘Neither do we…’
Pat laughed. ‘True. Still, that’s good, eh? You’ve caught the attention of the foodies.’
‘But how? I haven’t even done ten lunches.’
‘Hmm. Never underestimate the power of the Internet,’ Pat said. ‘Have you looked to see if you’ve had more reviews? I bet there are some after the last two you did. And it wouldn’t take much to make you stand out in this area – there’s not a lot of choice, is there?’
Anna stared into her tea. ‘I suppose that means I’d better carry on then. For a while, at least.’
‘Are you all right, love?’ Pat asked, watching her carefully. ‘You’ve seemed a bit preoccupied lately. We’ve hardly seen you. I know the thing with Liam is off – has that dragged you down a bit?’
Anna smiled. ‘Maybe a little. I’m fine, though, really. I’m sorry I’ve not been around. Tell you what, why don’t we get the Usual Suspects together at the weekend? Have a good catch-up.’
‘Sounds like a fine idea.’ Pat looked at Anna over her mug as she took a mouthful of tea, and then said, ‘I saw you heading out with the MacKenzie boys on Sunday.’