Page 33 of Sanctuary at MacLeod's Cove
‘So,’ said Lucy, re-appearing. ‘All sorted?’
He nodded.
‘It’s very kind of you, Sam,’ said Jen.
‘Not at all. It’s my pleasure.’ His mind dwelt on the word. Then he cleared his throat as the two women looked at him expectantly. ‘It’ll be a pleasure to help your mum after all she’s done for me,’ he added quickly, before turning to Lucy. ’Guess that means free coffee for life, huh?’ He flashed Lucy a grin as he reached for a muffin from the display.
‘Try not to clean us out,’ Lucy said before disappearing back into her kitchen.
Muffin in hand, Sam grinned at Jen and walked out of the café. He didn’t want to hang about in case she changed her mind. You never knew with women.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Sam knocked on the door of MacLeod’s Cottage although it was open, and waited on the steps. He could hear voices from the back kitchen and a radio playing classical music. They were in, but the days of his entering with a shout of hello were well past.
He knocked again, a little louder this time, and he heard a shout and saw a figure hurrying along the hall towards him.
Jen. He could tell by the way she walked — no ambling, or hesitation — and his heartbeat sped up. Seemed she felt more secure on home territory. She opened the door wider and shot him a brief, awkward smile, which disappeared far too quickly for his liking.
‘Hi, Sam,’ she said.
‘Jen,’ he nodded. ‘How are things?’ He cringed at the ubiquitous expression. He’d say that to the postie, he’d say that to people he barely knew. And he wanted to say so much more to her.
‘Fine thanks. You?’
‘Yep. All good. I’ve left a new wheel for your bike outside the shed. I’ll replace it before I leave.’
‘Oh, thanks. That’s really kind of you.’
‘No problem.’
’You must have made an early start from Wellington.’
He wiped his feet on the doormat outside. He knew from experience that Kate MacLeod didn’t appreciate muddy boots through her house. ‘Ah, no, I stayed overnight here, in MacLeod Cove.’
She opened the door further so he could enter. ‘I thought you lived in Wellington.’
‘Yeah, well, kind of,’ he said, stepping into the hall. ‘It’s complicated.’
‘Sounds intriguing,’ she said with a raised eyebrow.
‘More like frustrating.’ She didn’t move, as if waiting for a further explanation. ‘I overnight in the caravan up at the beach sometimes.’
‘Oh, but I thought it was some kind of super-luxury apartment you had in the city.’ She suddenly looked embarrassed at knowing this about him. ‘Um, Lucy mentioned something about it.’
Sam was torn between liking the fact that Lucy and Jen had been talking about him and feeling uncomfortable that he was the type of man who owned a luxury apartment. But he guessed that was the reality of the situation. That was exactly where fate had landed him.
‘I prefer the caravan. So…’ he prompted, wondering when they could move on from the subject of his dysfunctional personal life. ‘OK to come in and look at that downpipe?’
‘Oh, yes, please. Sorry. Come on through.’
As he followed Jen through the hall, he glanced in the front drawing room and immediately noticed how much shabbier it looked since he’d last been there. He was surprised that Kate had let things slide since he’d last visited the house. It wasn’t as if MacLeod’s Cottage had ever been pristine — that wasn’t Kate’s style — but the wall in the hall was scuffed, and the wallpaper was peeling. It looked like she’d let things go, which wasn’t like her either.
He continued on towards the kitchen, where he could hear voices. As they entered, Kate put down the phone with a shrug and turned to face them. She gave him the kind of wide, welcoming smile, he’d have liked to have seen on Jen’s lips.
‘Sam! How lovely to see you,’ she said, giving him a hug.
‘And you. How come you don’t get any older?’
