Page 86 of Take Me Away

Her gaze drops, fingers brushing crumbs from the wool of a cardigan I’m pretty sure was Maggie’s. Although pretty sure Maggie never made violet wool and wooden buttons look quite that good. Her hair is unravelling from the low ponytail it’s caught in, strands of gold lifting in the air. Cheeks pinked from the breeze, her gaze is focused on the horizon.

‘You fed me fish.’

I nod, waiting for more.

‘And Piper left me with some supplies.’

‘That was days ago.’

A shrug brushes across the careful space we’ve left between us. I might have eaten her out on her dead grandmother’s sofa, driven myself home with a relentless and overpowering determination that stole my breath, but I’m not sure I’m ready for Maisie to see us tiptoeing back into familiarity yet.

‘I just…’

I wait. But I’m not a patient kind of guy. Never have been where Isla Quinn is concerned.

‘Just what?’ I’m so focused on her, I see her swallow, the shiver running across her skin.

‘I just can’t stand the thought of people looking at me, wondering, questioning if I’m a liar. Am I a career-wrecker?’

‘Isla, I don’t think anyone thinks that, and I’m not saying I understand everything about the headlines, but no one around here would ever think that of you.’

She turns slightly, gaze catching mine, as deep and dark as the churn of the sea in front of us. Her lip curls slightly. ‘You’ve got no idea what men think, what most men think of women who talk out of turn. And it’s not just men. It’s some women too. Do you know what the Daily Mail has been saying?’

‘I try not to read the Daily Mail unless it’s covered in grease from the chippy.’

She chuckles softly but the laughter dies on the wind. ‘Piper thinks I need to tell the whole truth.’

My stomach coils tight at her words, at her fingers plucking at the blanket draped across her shoulder. ‘And what is that?’

The look she turns to give me could turn me to stone. ‘I can’t tell you.’

I nod, looking out at the sea. Words stick sideways in my throat.

‘Because if I do, Kit, I won’t be able to bear the way you look at me either.’

Without hesitating, I reach for her hand and squeeze. Maisie turns, gaze dropping to our joined hands. She grins, and Isla drops her head to my shoulder.

For the first time in two years, the ground feels solid beneath my feet.

‘Should we get back?’ she asks, as the breeze catches a strand of her hair, filling my senses with vanilla and salt.

‘Another ten minutes.’ I press a kiss to the top of her head, strands of her hair tickling my nose. A deep sigh escapes me, like the pull of the tide. ‘And if you’re planning on staying around Sea Salt Bay, it might be time to face going into Dot’s shop.’

‘Dot? I’ve seen her in passing. Is she still the gossip queen of the town?’

‘Hell yeah. And no one will have your back more. Apart from me.’

I catch the hitch on her breath. ‘I don’t know, Kit. I never planned to stay. I was supposed to just hide out and stay out of view for a while.’

‘I know.’

There’s a gentle press on my fingers.

‘But now I can’t help but wonder if I’ve been hiding out in every other place I’ve been.’

I turn to meet her gaze, aware of Maisie chasing a seagull who’s circling her pile of wet seaweed.

‘The actress with many faces. But what if I no longer recognise my own?’