‘I’m gutted that we won’t be around,’ David said, as Glynn nodded. ‘We’re away down to Manchester for a wedding that weekend. Although you don’t want us cluttering up your table, I suppose – we’d edge out all the real customers!’

‘I’m not even sure there will be any such people,’ Anna said. ‘I’ve already got Pat and Frank on standby in case I have no takers.’

‘That’s not going to happen,’ Rhona said, with total confidence.

The sound of laughing voices reached them from the path. It was Robert MacKenzie and Liam Harper, making their way towards them from the harbour. Anna was pleased to see Liam – when she’d left him the message earlier the invitation had been as casual as she could make it, and she hadn’t been sure he’d turn up. He looked up and raised a hand with a smile when he saw her watching.

Since that first evening, Liam had become a regular visitor to the Fishergirl’s Luck. In fact, in between the nights he was out with the boat, Anna wasn’t sure he’d spent a single night in his own lodgings. Not that she was complaining. It was, as he’d written in his note that first morning, fun.

When the two men reached the party, Liam surprised her by bending down and kissing her on the lips. It wasn’t that she minded public displays of affection in front of her friends, but somehow she’d imagined Liam might be reticent about pegging out a flag about their relationship, given how casual they’d both agreed it was.

Robert kissed her too, a fleeting touch on the cheek, his hand on her shoulder. ‘Thanks for the invite,’ he said. ‘The wee lad’s at a sleepover and it’s too nice an evening for housework.’

She laughed. ‘Too right. Did you two come together?’

‘I hopped in Old Rob’s ride,’ Liam said. ‘Seemed daft to bring both.’

‘I owed him,’ his captain added. ‘He’s been putting up with Robbie’s endless questions about the bloody dolphins every morning.’

‘Ach, I don’t mind,’ Liam said, as Anna poured them both a drink from the table. ‘He’s a cute kid. Smart, too. You’ve got a budding cetologist there, mate.’

‘Aye,’ said Robert MacKenzie, nodding his thanks to Anna as he took the glass she passed him. ‘I think you might be right. Although I guess we’ll see if he’s still getting up at 5 a.m. to pester the lads on the dock when he’s a teenager…’