Chapter 5
Kitty hovered in the pub car park, willing her feet to move.
She wasn’t just scared; nausea roiled in her stomach.
Her palms were sweating, her jaw locked.
What if she forgot who she was supposed to be?
It was stupid to be frightened of going for a drink, and yet she couldn’t calm her hammering heart or trembling limbs.
She tried to calculate how long it had been since she had gone to the pub with friends.
Her hand flew to her mouth. Five years? It had been over five years since she had led anything resembling a normal life.
‘Kitty! You came!’ Alice jogged along the path towards her.
Kitty jumped, her name still feeling like it belonged to someone else. How long would it take for her to get used to being Kitty, not Catherine? And the surprise in Alice’s voice made her kick herself. This was an invitation she could have ducked out of. A missed opportunity.
‘Luke and Nick should already be there. I’m running late.’ She gave Kitty a wide smile and linked arms with her, leading her across the carpark.
‘Luke is your boyfriend?’
‘That’s right, and Nick is his best friend. Sam and Steve were coming but had a last-minute delivery so can’t make it.’
Kitty’s heart sank. Was Alice trying to set her up with this Nick person? A new relationship was the last thing she wanted or needed.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Alice, reading Kitty’s expression like a book. ‘This isn’t a double date. I’m not trying to set you up with Nick, far from it. If anything, I’d advise you to avoid him like the plague. He has a bit of a reputation where women are concerned.’
‘Not a good one?’
‘Not unless you enjoy being swept off your feet only to be ghosted a few days later.’
‘Thanks for the heads-up,’ said Kitty. ‘I will steer clear.’ Despite her misgivings, she smiled. Alice was warm and funny, but unassuming with it. Kitty decided that in another life they might have been friends.
She followed Alice to a decked area overlooking the sea. For a minute she paused, looking around at the occupied tables. Then, a handsome man at the far end of the terrace waved, and a smile lit up Alice’s face.
‘There they are. Come on.’
As they neared the table, Kitty’s nerves intensified.
She couldn’t tell if they were an echo of the past, believing what she was doing was forbidden, or if it was because she was so out of practice at spending time in the company of men.
It might have been easier if the men in question were unattractive, but to Kitty’s disappointment, they were the opposite.
When they stood, she saw they were both around six feet.
That was where the similarities ended. Where one was blond and blue-eyed, the other’s hair was chestnut, the hazel of his eyes almost disappearing into black as he scanned Kitty from head to toe.
She bristled, glad she was wearing jeans and an old T-shirt, and nothing remotely revealing.
‘Nice to meet you,’ said the blond man, holding out his hand. ‘I’m Luke.’
‘Kitty. Pleased to meet you.’
The darker man locked eyes with her and held out his hand. ‘Nick.’
In the brief pause before she accepted his outstretched hand, Kitty noticed Nick’s eyes narrow. His face relaxed as she shook his hand and introduced herself. Uncomfortable under his appreciative gaze, Kitty turned to Alice. ‘What would you like to drink?’
‘I’ll get these.’ Luke pulled his wallet from his back pocket. ‘What’s your tipple, Kitty?’
‘I’ll have a glass of merlot, please.’
‘Coming right up. Alice?’
‘Did you notice what special beers they’ve got on tap today?’
‘No, sorry. Why don’t you come with me?’
Alice glanced from Kitty to Nick. She must have decided Kitty would be safe for five minutes because she took Luke’s hand and they wandered off to the bar.
‘Here,’ said Nick, pulling out a chair.
‘I’ll sit here if you don’t mind.’ She sat beside him rather than opposite, unwilling to be in his line of sight for an entire evening.
What was it about good-looking men that made them think they had the right to control everything and everyone around them?
If Nick thought she’d go weak at the knees over a pretty face, he was very much mistaken.
Kitty couldn’t help but smile to herself, picturing the past five years of hell draped across her shoulders like an invisible shield.
‘Welcome to Saffron Bay,’ drawled Nick, tilting his pint glass to her before taking a sip. He was left with a frothy moustache, which he didn’t notice, and Kitty wasn’t about to point it out.
‘Thank you.’ She shifted her seat to create more distance between them. ‘Have you lived here long?’
‘All my life.’
‘You’ve never left?’ Her eyebrows rose, curious despite herself.
‘Why would anyone leave somewhere like this?’ Nick pointed to the view. The broad white-toothed smile was still on his face, but there was a defensive tone to his voice.
‘So, what is it you do? I can’t imagine there are many job opportunities in a village this small.’
Nick coughed and took another sip of his pint. ‘This and that. Enough to keep me out of trouble… most of the time.’
As he winked at her, Kitty rolled her eyes and surreptitiously checked her watch. How soon could she leave without appearing rude?
Nick fiddled with the beer mat in front of him. ‘Luke said you work at the school?’
‘Yes,’ said Kitty. ‘I’m a teacher.’
‘And have you moved to Saffron Bay by yourself?’
‘For the time being.’ Kitty had no intention of being anything other than alone, but there was no harm in letting Nick think she had a man waiting in the wings.
‘Bit of a weird time to start at a school, isn’t it?’
Her last comment must have done the trick, given the level of disinterest in the question, as if he was only asking to be polite.
‘A job came up, and I went for it,’ said Kitty.
‘Right.’
An awkward silence stretched between them.
‘Sorry,’ said Alice, rushing up to the table and spilling some of her pint as she set it down. ‘There was a queue at the bar. Everything alright here?’
‘Fine,’ said Kitty and Nick in unison.
Alice winked at Kitty, then raised an eyebrow. ‘Have you been up to the school yet, Kitty?’
‘No, not yet. I’m hoping to get my classroom set up in the next couple of days.’
‘You’re teaching the little ones, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, the babies of the school. Teaching Early years is my passion.’
Nick shook his head in wonder. ‘I don’t know how you can stand to be around little kids all day.’
‘You’re not a fan of small children?’ asked Kitty, frowning at him over her glass of merlot.
‘Let me see.’ Nick put down his pint and counted his fingers. ‘They’re noisy, rude, dirty, annoying…’
‘Yeah, we get it,’ said Alice. ‘It’s lucky not everyone thinks like you though, Nick, or humanity would soon die out.’
‘Hey,’ said Luke, arriving at the table and pulling out his phone. ‘The sky is amazing tonight. Let’s get a photo of us all, shall we? A memory of your first week in Saffron Bay, Kitty.’
Fear flooded Kitty’s body. ‘I’d rather not,’ she snapped. She forced her face into a smile, gave a little shrug, and in the most normal voice she could muster added, ‘I’m not a fan of having my photo taken.’
‘Oh, OK, sorry,’ said Luke. ‘I didn’t realise.’
‘It’s fine,’ said Kitty, trying to slow her heart rate. There was nothing wrong with his suggestion, but a photo wasn’t merely a photo these days. Inevitably, it would end up on social media, which could land her in trouble so great she couldn’t bear to contemplate the consequences.
Alice gave Kitty a sideways glance then changed the subject, and the rest of the evening was pleasant enough.
Despite a few more half-hearted attempts at chivalry and charm from Nick, Kitty made it through unscathed.
She’d accepted his jacket when it grew cold, making sure to be clear she wasn’t about to accept anything else, especially not his attention.
Kitty congratulated herself on handling the evening as best she could.
She’d managed to smile a few times, and there had been moments when she’d felt like her old self.
But it was a relief to return to the silence of the cottage, and close the door on the world. At least once the term started, she’d have plenty of excuses to avoid another night out with the locals. Once was more than enough, especially where Nick was concerned.