‘And you,’ he said, ‘in spite of the fact that you’ve only been in the village for five minutes, turned out to be the girl capable of administering that little nudge.’

His sultry tone made my knees buckle a bit. It was just as well he still had his arms around me.

‘I suppose I did . . .’

The words died in my throat as I realized he was going to kiss me. I moistened my lips in anticipation and took a preparatory breath. He lowered his head and was so close I could almost feel his breath caressing my mouth.

‘Are you still there, Sam?’ someone suddenly shouted as they hammered on the pub door, and we sprang apart. ‘I think I’ve left my keys behind!’

*

I lay in bed in the early hours, imagining the kiss that hadn’t quite happened, and remembering how wonderful it had felt to be held. However, even though Sam was gorgeousness personified and had got me all stirred up, with my sensible hat on, the one that wasn’t fuelled by my sex drive, I knew it was probably just as well that nothing had happened. I hadn’t come to Wynmouth looking for a love affair. My life was already complicated enough.

I rolled on to my side, my ears trained to the sound of the waves as they gently broke upon the beach, and I felt sleep start to take me. Even though I was relieved Sam and I had been interrupted earlier, I couldn’t seem to stop my head playing out what might have happened had someone not forgotten their keys . . .

*

‘Morning!’ I cheerily shouted, announcing my arrival, as I slipped into the pub kitchen via the beer garden a few hours later. ‘How’s your head?’

Neither Sam or I had drunk a great deal; in fact, now I thought about it, I don’t think I’d seen him with a beer in his hand all evening. In fact, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him take a drink, other than the occasional fully loaded Coke, at all.

‘Clear as a bell!’ he called straight back. ‘Not even a hint of a headache. How about you?’

‘Oh, I’m all right,’ I said happily, ‘in fact . . .’

The words died on my lips as I walked through to the bar and found him framed in the doorway with his arms wrapped tightly around a young woman.

‘Oh,’ I choked, feeling a complete fool for just marching in. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realize. I didn’t mean to interrupt.’

I turned back to the kitchen, wondering if he made a habit of going around hugging women and then reminded myself that I wasn’t supposed to be bothered about things like that. The little fantasy I had indulged in as I nodded off had been just that, a fantasy. I stopped again, not sure what to do.