After hugging at the gate, I slipped into the cottage, banishing the thought of how difficult it was going to be making up for all that lost time with my half-sister when her partner and I had kissed and he had subsequently taken against me, and thought instead that I should probably open Dad’s letter. However, as seemed to be the way of it these days, the universe had other ideas.

I had barely had time to fill the kettle when I was stopped in my tracks.

‘Tess!’

‘Joe,’ I smiled, turning to find his face peeping around the door I hadn’t thought to lock behind me. ‘This is a surprise.’

‘A good one, I hope?’

I knew my smile was strained, but it was the best I could offer him.

‘I thought I might pop down to the pub for a bite of breakfast,’ he said. ‘Will you come with me?’

My head might have been caught up in an emotional maelstrom, but I still had enough about me to know that there was no way I could let him go to the Smuggler’s.

‘I’m not really in the mood.’ I said. ‘Let’s have something here instead. I’ve got bacon from the butcher’s so I could make us sandwiches.’

‘No,’ he said, holding the door further open. ‘Come on. Let’s go to the pub. That way Sam gets to deal with the washing up.’

Sam was the last person I wanted to see, but I couldn’t let Joe face him alone so, with a heavy heart I followed him up the lane, forgetting all about my expected phone delivery, and quickly ushered him into the snug before he was spotted.

‘I’ll order,’ I said, making for the bar, ‘you stay here. It can be my treat.’

‘Tess,’ Sam frowned as I approached. ‘I thought you’d be long gone by now.’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘about that . . .’

‘I think I’ll have a sausage bap, instead of a bacon roll,’ said Joe’s voice, unexpectedly close behind me, ‘if you haven’t already ordered, Tess?’

Sam looked from me to Joe and back again, his expression darkening with every beat of my heart.

‘Are you actually serious?’ Sam said to me.

‘What’s going on?’ Joe retaliated, instantly ruffled by Sam’s belligerent tone.

‘Nothing,’ I said, turning around and trying to push him away. ‘It’s nothing. Come on, let’s go.’

‘How dare the pair of you even think about coming in here together?’ Sam hissed. ‘I always knew you had some front, Joe, but this is too much.’

Joe suddenly looked every bit as pale and peaky as I had earlier.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he demanded, pulling himself out of my grasp. ‘What are you talking about?’