anyway. It wouldn’t have covered much more …’ Her voice trailed off and she felt her cheeks turn as red as his boxer shorts.
He cleared his throat. ‘Do you want any help with your bonfire when I come down?’
She shook her head. ‘It’s beyond rescuing. I’m going for cheese on toast, if you want any? I wasn’t sure if you had plans for tonight.’ Apart from standing half-naked in my hallway. He didn’t seem that embarrassed, certainly nowhere near as flustered as she was, and she was the one who’d asked him to strip in the first place.
‘No plans,’ he said. ‘I’ve not got enough energy to hit the nightspots of Campion Bay, whatever those might be. I didn’t realise you offered a restaurant service.’
‘Only cheese on toast,’ she blurted, and then added weakly: ‘It’s my specialty.’
‘I’d love some. Give me ten minutes?’ He glanced down apologetically and Robin nodded, dropping her gaze to the floor. Darcy was sitting quietly between them, her brown eyes wide with curiosity, and Robin’s blush went deeper.
‘Take as long as you need.’ She heard him climb the stairs and then, despite the strong urge to see what the boxers looked like from behind, when she was sure he’d turned the corner to the second flight, raised her head and exhaled. She would have to tell him about Molly’s plan to charm him into staying. She couldn’t bear the thought of lying to him; there was something about Will Nightingale – a man who was comfortable talking to her in only his boxer shorts – that demanded honesty.
The sun had picked that Sunday evening to set spectacularly, bold streaks of peach and fuchsia lighting up the sky, highlighting the dark waves with a golden edge. Robin and Will stood side by side in Sea Shanty watching it, with the window open and the sound of the waves filling their awed, slightly uncomfortable, silence.
‘Sunsets never look this impressive in London,’ Will said eventually. ‘Mainly because there just isn’t as much sky. The buildings dilute the effect.’
‘It is a hazard, living down here,’ Robin admitted. ‘Being in sight of the sea the whole time means there’s always something interesting to watch. I could spend entire days standing here, watching boats pass or the different cloud formations, or just people walking by on their way to the beach or town.’
‘Ah, people watching.’ Will nodded knowingly. ‘One of the greatest pastimes.’
‘I expect you got to do a lot of that, working at a stately home?’
‘I did,’ Will said. ‘Meeting new people was one of the best parts of the job. You’re ideally placed for human observation too – inviting guests into what is essentially your home.’
‘I am,’ Robin said, surprised. ‘I hadn’t thought of it like that. But, let’s face it, only a day in and I’ve already had a few interesting things happen.’
She felt Will shift slightly beside her. ‘I take it you’re referring to the imbecile who turned up on your doorstep at midnight looking like he’d just gone for a swim.’
‘Well, there’s that,’ Robin said, smiling.
‘And, Robin, about before. I really did think I had time to get upstairs.’
She shook her head. ‘It’s forgotten. Well, not forgotten, but – I had a cat saga this afternoon. I’m going to have to get used to eventful days.’
‘Cat saga?’ Will turned to her, his brows lowered. His hair was fluffy after his shower and, she assumed, some extensive towel drying, and she realised that the frown didn’t sit well on his face. Maybe it was because it obscured his eyes, but she got the general impression that he didn’t do bad-humoured very often.
‘I’ll tell you all about it, but I’d better rescue the cheese on toast or it’ll go the same way as dinner number one.’
They sat opposite each other at the long table, the golden cheese still fizzing on top of the toast, with pots of Robin’s homemade garlic mayonnaise on the side and large mugs of steaming tea.
‘It doesn’t work with anything else,’ Robin said. ‘Cheese on toast can’t be improved with wine or beer – or even coffee. It has to be tea.’
Will narrowed his eyes, cut a soldier off his toast and dipped it in the mayonnaise. ‘Did you say you made this mayonnaise? It’s delicious.’
Robin sat back, enjoying the compliment before she gave the game away. ‘It’s Hellmann’s mayo. I just added some crushed garlic cloves.’
Will nodded, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. ‘Classy move. Why go to the effort of making it from scratch when a couple of well-placed modifications will do?’
‘I am running a guesthouse, after all,’ Robin said. ‘I have to strike the right balance between quality and efficiency.’
‘It sounds like you’re already a pro.’ Will sipped his tea and glanced towards the sofas, where Darcy had chosen to snooze.
‘My parents ran the guesthouse before me,’ Robin said. ‘So I grew up in the environment, absorbing it all without ever considering that I would end up making my living this way.’
‘This wasn’t your plan all along, then?’
Robin shook her head. ‘I lived in London for a long time, and only moved back here last year. My parents wanted to move to France, and it seemed like the logical thing to do, taking over from them. I’ve restyled it completely, though. My parents didn’t go in for room names or themes.’
‘It’s a great idea. I saw the other rooms in your welcome pack, and I think I should be staying in Wilderness.’ He smiled at her, and Robin took a moment to get the joke.
‘Ah,’ she said, ‘Bear Grylls. Of course.’ Remembering how Will had compared himself to the celebrity adventurer when they’d first met. ‘Well, Starcross is my favourite room, so in my opinion you’ve got the best deal.’ She glanced at the table, suddenly embarrassed that she’d admitted this to him.
‘I’m honoured. And a little bemused, if I’m honest.’ Will mopped the last of the mayonnaise up with his final piece of toast and rested his elbows on the table. He was wearing a navy jumper speckled with threads of different colours, the sleeves rolled up, exposing his forearms and reminding Robin – as if she was likely to forget – that she’d seen a lot more of him than that.
‘Why?’ Robin asked, wrapping her hands around her large mug and letting the steam hit her face.
‘Because – and don’t take this the wrong way – I hadn’t expected everyone to be so friendly.’
Robin felt a wave of discomfort. ‘You’ve come from London to the seaside. Everyone’s bound to be friendlier down here – we’re not all trying to live our lives at a hundred miles an hour.’
‘Yeah, but this is extreme. The guy from the teashop a few doors down – Ashley – brought me a box of cupcakes as a welcome present. And then he stayed and helped me bag up loads of rubbish. How did he know I was here? And does everyone go out of their way to help here – I mean, all the time? How do you live your own lives?’
Robin closed her eyes. Will is going to love it here. Molly must have asked Ashley to take those cakes round to him.
‘It … uh, Will?’
‘Yes?’ He looked directly at her, his face open and expectant, clearly pleased by the acts of kindness, and Robin found she couldn’t tell him. She should, but already, the thought that he might see her behaviour towards him – offering to help with Tabitha’s house, the cheese on toast – as something other than genuine, was too horrible. And if she told him about Tim’s plan for his aunt’s house, and of Molly and Mrs Harris’s concerns about the possible development, then that’s what he would think. It was inevitable that her kindness would be seen as part