The evening continued, a pleasant bubble of chat and laughter surrounding the Fishergirl’s Luck as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Once, looking along the path towards the cliff, Anna saw a dark figure lurking in the gathering shadows. Douglas McKean. She glanced at Robert, remembering his comment about the old man’s problems. She should probably show willing and invite him to join them for a drink and a bite to eat. But Anna still hadn’t forgiven him for his vile rudeness at the harbour that day. Besides, the next time she looked, he had melted away.

‘This is great,’ Liam said, later, as he looked at the email on Anna’s iPad, which displayed the poster Cathy had created for the first lunch club. ‘It manages to be really elegant and perfectly legible at the same time.’

‘She does them all by hand, too,’ Anna told him, busy unwrapping the sample flatware that Rhona had brought over earlier. ‘I’m surrounded by talented people. Look at these, aren’t they beautiful?’ She held up one of the dishes she’d just unwrapped. The glaze on it was almost black, though a closer inspection revealed a gradient of dark to lighter green moving towards the centre. ‘These belong in a gallery, not on my little table.’

It was late and the rest of her guests had gone home, but Liam had stayed. It had been a subtle agreement and no one had batted an eyelid when Old Robbie had left without him. Anna had been relieved, and then wondered why. There wasn’t any reason to suggest any of ‘the Usual Suspects’ would be prudish about her choices. Still a hangover from the encounter with Douglas McKean, she supposed.

‘So a week Saturday’s the day, eh?’ Liam asked, getting up from what had become his customary seat on the floor and coming over. ‘I’m really sorry but I’m not going to be around.’

Anna put down the plate and reached up to give him a quick kiss. ‘Oh?’

He caught her around the waist before she could move away any further. ‘I’m off that weekend. But I’m booked onto a group dive up in Shetland, to a wreck called the SS Glenisla. I’ve been meaning to go up there ever since I got here, and well…’

‘You’re running out of time,’ Anna finished for him. ‘I’m glad you’ve got yourself booked on one, then.’

‘You’re not upset I won’t be here?’

‘Of course not. Why would I be?’

He grinned and pulled her back in for another kiss. Anna smiled against his mouth, his stubble scratching against her chin.

‘Well,’ he murmured, backing her slowly across the room towards the stairs. ‘Since we’re both going to be busy for the next while… how about we make the most of me being here right now?’