The evening was only just in full swing and even though I knew there was going to be plenty to be getting on with ahead of the party tomorrow night, I was keen to keep the guys together and talking for as long as possible.

‘Yeah,’ he said, looking about him, ‘I need to go.’

I could see Sam and Hope talking cosily together and wondered if that was the reason behind Joe’s desire to get away. I could hardly come right out and ask him in the packed bar, but I wished I could.

‘Are you sure you can’t stay just a little bit longer?’ I asked, pulling him out of earshot of everyone else. ‘You and Sam seem to have really turned a corner tonight.’

‘We have,’ he told me. ‘We really have, but you have to understand Tess, that no matter how easy you want this to be, it just isn’t.’

‘Okay,’ I relented, not wanting to push him if he really had reached saturation point. ‘You do know though,’ I carried on nonetheless, trying to make him aware that if he wanted to open up to me about his feelings for Hope then he could, ‘that if there’s anything you want to talk about, Joe . . .’

‘Well, now, good evening you two,’ said George, neatly stepping between us. ‘How are you, Joe?’

‘Good,’ Joe smiled, still looking at me, ‘I’m good, thanks, George.’

‘That’s lovely to hear,’ George smiled back. ‘Now, Tess,’ he said, turning his attention to me, ‘I wonder if I might borrow you for a moment, my dear? I seem to have mislaid my glasses.’

Joe took the moment to slip away and it turned out that George had his glasses all along.

‘Why do I get the impression that you did that on purpose, George?’ I asked as he pulled the case out of his pocket with a flourish and a not altogether convincing look of surprise.

‘Because,’ he said wisely, ‘some things in life simply aren’t meant to be rushed. You have to let them run their own course and allow them to happen in their own time.’

‘Even if that’s taking literally years to happen?’ I asked.

‘Even then,’ he sagely replied, and I knew that he was right, ‘especially then in fact.’

First Sophie and now George. I seemed to be surrounded by people in Wynmouth who were keen to impart words of wisdom at opportune moments!

Chapter 20

Chapter 20