I gave myself a little shake and turned away, striding out towards where I knew the sea was waiting, picking up the odd bit of litter and stuffing it in my pockets as I went. I would explore the pools when I had purchased a bucket and net. With two weeks at my disposal, there was absolutely no need to rush to discover every delight Wynmouth had to offer on my very first day.

With no phone glued to my hand, I had absolutely no idea what the time was. It felt strange, deviating from my self-imposed strict schedule and, if I was being completely honest, a little unsettling not having that uninterrupted connection to the wider world, but I pushed the feeling away and carried on.

Sometime later, with my pockets pleasingly weighed down with pebbles and smooth fragments of soft green sea glass, I left the beach and made for the pub, purposefully ignoring the call of my mobile as I walked by the cottage door. It thought it wouldn’t hurt to introduce myself to Sam, the landlord, and I wanted to leave thanks for Sophie for both the welcome pack and the delicious dinner.

I found the pub door open, but it looked so shaded inside after the brightness on the beach, that I couldn’t make out if I could go in or not.

‘Are you open?’ I called through the door and into the darkness within.

‘If the door’s open,’ came a man’s deep voice in quick reply, ‘we’re open.’

‘Great,’ I said, taking a step inside but finding my way blocked by the owner of the voice who was carrying a large chalkboard sign in his arms.

‘I was just about to put the board out,’ he elaborated, squeezing tightly past and treating me to a delicious breath of woody aftershave before I had a chance to step out of the way. ‘I’m doing breakfasts today, if you fancy a bite?’

What I fancied, I quickly discovered, when I saw him in the light of day, was him. His sun-streaked blonde hair, ready smile and sparkling green eyes caught me off guard and I suddenly felt far hotter than I had from the brisk walk back from the beach.

‘I really just wanted a coffee,’ I swallowed, pressing myself back into the wall so he could get by again. ‘If that’s okay?’

‘Of course,’ he nodded, stepping up behind the bar and turning to look at me properly.

Was it my imagination, or did he, just for a second or two, seem to be caught off guard too? His eyes certainly seemed to widen as they lingered on my face and the flush spreading across his tanned features almost matched my own. He opened his mouth to say something, but then seemed to change his mind and cleared his throat instead.