Page 73 of The Key to the Last House Before the Sea

‘Nessa,’ he said quietly, his voice unheard over the sound of heavy rain battering the windows.

She stood still, staring into his eyes. They were so close in this room, dark with shadows. He could kiss her. Did she want him to kiss her? She wasn’t moving away.

The thoughts tumbling through his mind faded when he bent his head. Her upturned face was illuminated by a flash of lightning – her inquisitive eyes, her freckled skin, her full mouth. And a roar of thunder shook the foundations of the cottage as he kissed her warm lips.

She leaned against him as the kiss went on and windows began to rattle in the gale. It sounded like the world was ending outside but Gabriel didn’t care. He pulled her into him, holding her close, and felt her arms loop around his neck.

His phone had started ringing, deep in the pocket of his drying coat, its shrill tone piercing the storm. He tightened his arms around Nessa’s waist, determined to ignore it. But she pulled away from him, her face flushed.

‘Do you need to get that?’ she asked, biting her lip.

He shook his head and kissed the soft skin at the nape of her neck. The phone had stopped ringing but, as his lips strayed back to her mouth, it began again. Shrill. Distracting. If it was his father, he’d continue to call until Gabriel picked up.

‘Sorry,’ he said, when Nessa pulled away from him again. ‘Ignore it.’

But she tensed in his arms when he pulled her back. And their kiss, as the phone stopped and began to ring again, felt different – less heat, more awkward.

He was the first to break apart this time. ‘I guess I’d better—’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Nessa, not catching his eye.

She went to sit by the fire and stared into the dying flames while he fished the phone from his coat pocket.

‘There you are. I thought you were avoiding me,’barked his father. Few people kept Billy Gantwich waiting.

‘Not at all. I was busy.’

Nessa shot him a brief look before going back to staring into the fire.

‘Where are you?’

‘I’m in Sorrel Cove.’

‘Checking up on that damn woman?’

‘That’s right,’ said Gabriel tightly, wondering if Nessa could hear what his father was saying. He had a loud voice, and the storm had eased a little. The wind didn’t sound like a wailing banshee any more.

‘Is she still living there?’

‘She is,’ answered Gabriel, trying to keep his answers brief. He should have been braver and switched the phone off. But it was too late now.

‘So how’s it looking?’ demanded his father. ‘Any signs of her caving so we can get on with the project, or do we have to finish this ludicrous thirty-day charade first?’

‘No change,’ said Gabriel, trying to speak in code in front of Nessa.

‘Then you’d better pull your finger out and do something about it, pronto. I’m very disappointed in you that it’s gone this far, and I don’t relish having to spend money and more time to get her out.’ He paused for breath. ‘Oh, and don’t forget to call the Jacksons tomorrow about the Chelmsford deal. James has been doing a good job in your absence from the office, but they’re used to dealing with you in person. So give them a call and schmooze them a little. “Everything’s fine, your money’s safe, I’m focusing on nothing but your project…” Yada, yada… You know the drill.’

‘I’ll call them first thing tomorrow.’

‘Good. And if you can’t get that woman out of the cottage permanently, I’ll come down to Devon myself, or maybe I’ll send James to do the job.’

‘That won’t be necessary,’ said Gabriel stiffly, not sure which would be worse – his father arriving to bawl him out for not being up to the job, or James breezing in to show how it should be done. Neither of them would be sympathetic to Nessa’s family situation.

‘We’ll see,’said his father, ending the call before Gabriel could reply.

‘I presume that was your dad?’ said Nessa.

‘Yeah.’ He dropped the phone back into his coat pocket. ‘He was ringing for a catch-up. Not great timing.’

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