‘I haven’t in the lodge,’ he shot back. ‘It’s not my home, but out here is different. It’s my job to keep things current, practical and cost-effective and besides, you’ve never objected to any of the other changes we’ve made.’

Given my track record for neglecting my inbox, I could hardly refute that.

‘We aren’t going to fall out over this, are we, Liza?’ Ned asked, looking concerned.

‘That depends,’ I churlishly said, even though the last thing I wanted to do was make an enemy of the man I had pinned to solve all my problems. ‘What’s going to happen to the Chevy now? Is it just going to sit here and rot?’

‘Of course not.’ Ned tutted, sounding offended. ‘It’s regularly inspected and it’s loved and polished too. Last Christmas it proved perfect for photo opportunities. We put a tree in the back, added some lights, and folk loved it. Bandit even featured in a few of the shots. And the customers tagged Wynter’s Trees every single time they shared a shot on social media. It might not be on the road anymore, but believe me, it’s still drawing customers in and from even further afield than before.’

I supposed it would make a beautiful backdrop for a seasonal snap.

‘Well, that’s something I suppose,’ I said, feeling appeased. I knew I should apologise, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. ‘I’m going to head back to the lodge,’ I said instead. ‘I need another coffee.’

Neither Ned nor Bandit followed me and I was grateful to be left alone. I spent the rest of the morning pottering about in the lodge. I could see that Ned had been true to his word and he hadn’t changed or moved a thing.

I was just pulling Dad’s old coat back on with a view to going out to apologise when I heard a vehicle revving on the drive and looked out to find the biggest lorry being slowly squeezed through the, by comparison, narrow gate. I rushed out the door to stop the driver before they got too far.

‘You’re in the wrong place!’ I shouted up to the cab. ‘The beach is that way,’ I added when I noticed what was strapped to the trailer. ‘You’ll have to reverse back down the drive because there’s no room for you to turn around here.’

‘It’s all right,’ said Ned, coming out of the barn. ‘He’s not lost.’

It was then I remembered, he’d mentioned beach huts earlier.

‘What’s going on?’ I frowned.

The driver jumped down and shook Ned’s hand.

‘Abbie’s so excited about this, Ned,’ he beamed, looking at me as he clapped my companion on the back. ‘And the whole village is talking about it.’

‘Talking about what?’ I asked.

‘Check your inbox,’ Ned grinned.