The aroma of coffee greeted her as she walked into the small kitchen and found Alex there.

‘Morning.’ His voice was deep and husky, like he hadn’t long been out of bed. In fact, with his hair askew that was what it looked like. Desire filled her as he plunged the coffee then pushed the door open on the cabinet that covered the north wall. ‘Your mother up?’

‘Yes, sitting with Gran.’

He raised an eyebrow then pulled out three mugs. ‘And how’s that going?’

She laughed. ‘Gran’s sleeping.’

During that summer, cocooned in an old blanket on the beach, they had talked about her mother and her grandmother. Heck, they had talked about everything, even her father – or lack of one. He understood the hole in her life because he’d lost his dad when he was fifteen. That was when he came to live in Porthpean to be near his grandmother. He handed her a mug.

‘Thanks.’ Her gaze narrowed. He looked too bloody good. Better at thirty than at twenty. Why couldn’t he have lost his charm in the last ten years? She pushed her hair back. His shirt had only one button done leaving an expanse of chest on display. Her fingers twitched, and she clenched her fists. They remembered the feel of him, even if she didn’t want to. Hawaiian Tropic. She smelt it now. Was she imagining it? She must be. Having Alex here was wrong because she was still so damn attracted to him. Too much time had passed, and it didn’t feel right. Plus she was still technically married even if she didn’t want anyone to know and she had no clue where her husband was.

‘How long are you here for?’ He popped some bread into the toaster.

She opened her eyes wide. That was a question she didn’t want to answer. She had no place else to go. But saying that would invite further questions. ‘Don’t know.’

He lifted his head and smiled. There were lines on his face that hadn’t been there before, but instead of making him less appealing they did the opposite. There was knowledge behind the smile and laughter behind the lines. Who had helped him to gain the knowledge and who had made him laugh? Lottie looked into her coffee. She had no right to be jealous, but she was. Standing here so close, so casually dressed in a strappy top and silky shorts, everything between them felt incomplete. But it was over years ago. They were kids and now they were adults. She knew nothing of Alex Hoskine now and he knew nothing of her. For this she was grateful, and she needed it to stay that way.

‘Depending on how things are with your grandmother, maybe we could go for a drink tonight?’ He gave her a lopsided look.

Lottie cradled her mug, telling herself there was no harm in having a drink with him. She wanted to. Even just to remember the good times . . . but accepting would be wrong. There was an invitation in his eyes. It spoke of unfinished business and of longing. She felt it all, but she had to keep her distance.