‘The cakes Ashley brought you? What flavour? They do an amazing lemon and poppy seed muffin down there, and their scones are the best I’ve tasted.’
‘I haven’t even looked, to be honest,’ Will said. ‘I was so busy sorting things out that I just took the box and put it down …’ His words faded away and his eyes widened. ‘Shit, I’ve left them at Tabitha’s house.’
‘Well, that’s OK, I don’t think the grime will be able to get inside the box.’
‘But what about the furry friend Darcy was so terrified of?’ Will was already standing. ‘After having to hunt out scraps in an abandoned house for the last six months, mice will home straight in on cake. I’ll be back in a few minutes, and if they’ve survived, we can have them for pudding – the cakes, not the mice.’ He grinned at her.
‘You don’t need to—’
‘You provided the first course, it’s only fair. Darcy, stay.’ He pointed at the little dog who, from what Robin could see, had no intention of leaving her cosy spot on the sofa, and hurried out of the room.
Robin couldn’t resist.
As soon as Will had gone she went over to the sofa and sat next to Darcy, putting her hands in the Cavapoo’s soft, springy fur. Darcy sniffed and moved her head forwards, licking Robin’s hand with her rough tongue. Robin bent and buried her nose in the dog’s coat, and then felt the lightest weight land on her lap. She sat up to find Eclipse looking at her, his kitten eyes too big for his face. He gave a squeak of a meow, and then put a paw out and tentatively tapped Darcy’s leg.
Robin held her breath, waiting for Darcy to spring to her feet and bark, but Eclipse kept pawing gently and Darcy just looked at the small cat, her eyes barely visible beneath curly eyebrows, and after a moment started whining, so quietly that Robin could only just hear.
‘Oh, Darcy,’ she said, stroking the dog with one hand and Eclipse with the other, ‘it’s OK. Eclipse won’t hurt you, he’s about a fifth of your size. You won’t, will you?’ She smiled at her cat and he blinked at her. ‘You could be great friends. It would be like Homeward Bound, only without the horrendous journey.’
The doorbell pealed and, thinking Will had forgotten his key, Robin put Eclipse in her space next to Darcy and went to answer it. When she opened the door, it wasn’t Will and some cupcakes smiling down at her.
‘Tim,’ she said, swallowing down the panic. ‘Hello.’
‘Robin. How are you?’ He stepped into the hallway before she had invited him. He was still wearing his suit, dark grey with a white shirt beneath. The tie had gone, the top button open, and he looked like a model doing post-work dishevelled for a magazine shoot. ‘How was your first night with a house full of holiday makers?’
‘Good,’ she said, and then remembered she hadn’t told Will about the incident with Eclipse in Rockpool, just as she realised she didn’t want to give Tim this anecdote. Even though it was harmless, revealing any signs of imperfection to Tim didn’t sit right with her. ‘I’ve actually got a full house. Someone booked into my last empty room yesterday evening, so it couldn’t have gone better.’
She gave him a bright smile and he nodded distractedly, surveying the hallway as if talking to her was bottom of his to-do list.
‘Can I help you with anything? Did you come round for a drink, or …?’
‘No,’ Tim said. ‘I came by with a question. You see, I’ve heard that—’
His words were cut off by a loud commotion coming from Sea Shanty, which Robin recognised as unhappy animals.
‘Oh no.’ She rushed into the room to find Eclipse standing on the arm of the sofa, his tail fluffed, squeaking down at Darcy, who had managed to fit herself under the piano stool. Anyone else would have found her kitten’s attempt at dominance hilarious, but she already knew that Darcy was lacking in the bravery department.
‘Eclipse,’ she said, pulling him into her arms. ‘What happened? What did she do to you? I’m sorry Darcy’s here; I shouldn’t have left you alone together so soon. I promise she’s lovely, and if you just give it time …’ She stroked him and eventually his body stopped shaking, his purrs much louder than his attempts at meowing. She kissed him on the forehead and put him gently on the sofa. He eyed Darcy warily.
Tim appeared in the doorway. ‘That’s a lot of commotion for such a small cat.’
‘It’s my fault,’ Robin said. ‘I should have prepared him for dogs.’ She crouched next to the piano stool, turning her back on Tim. ‘Come on, Darcy, you can come out now. I’m sorry about Eclipse. He’s just protecting his territory.’ She stroked her paw and the dog padded forward, whimpering, and allowed Robin to gather her on to her lap. ‘You’re a soft thing. You and Will are like chalk and cheese.’
‘Who’s Will?’ Tim asked. ‘And more to the point, who’s this? Are you opening a home for stray animals as well as a guesthouse? I’m not sure they’re the most harmonious businesses.’
‘This is Darcy,’ Robin said. ‘She belongs to a guest. And I shouldn’t have left her alone with Eclipse – not so soon.’ The dog was still whimpering, but Eclipse had calmed down and was curled into a ball, almost lost against the navy fabric of the sofa.
‘Right,’ Tim said, his pale brows knitting together, his voice laced with irritation. ‘Look, Robs, I just came round to ask about next door. Malcolm hasn’t had a chance to get in touch with Tabitha’s family yet – there’s a nephew he’s tracked down – but I heard that someone’s moved in. And the curtains were open as I passed.’
Robin focused on Darcy, rubbing the thick fur on her nose. ‘You’ve been driving past?’ She knew she sounded cross, but if she ended up being the reason Tim and Will met, and then Tim used his salesman tactics to secure a sale while Will was off guard and undecided, then she’d have let everyone on Goldcrest Road down, not to mention lost Will before she’d even got to know him properly. It was so hard to think with Tim standing over her.
‘I drove past just now,’ he said. ‘There’s a light on, too. If you don’t know anything, then that’s fine.’ Robin didn’t answer. He shrugged and turned towards the door, and Robin breathed a sigh of relief. But then his whole body stiffened and he rotated slowly, staring down at her. ‘Hang on. You mentioned someone called Will?’
‘Did I?’ Her voice was falsely light.
‘You said to the dog that it and Will were like chalk and cheese. Will is the name of Tabitha’s nephew.’
‘It is? What a coincidence.’
‘Robin, come on. You’ve always been a terrible liar. Is it Will next door? Is Tabitha’s nephew in Campion Bay?’
‘Tim.’ His name came out as a sigh as her brain scrambled madly for a way to get out of this, just for tonight. She needed more time with Will before Tim got his claws in, so that he was more resilient against the expert sales patter. She stood slowly, placing Darcy on the floor and facing him at full height. ‘Today has been so busy. Is there any chance we could have this conversation tomorrow?’
‘Why?’ Tim asked, folding his arms over his chest. ‘I’m pretty sure I know the answer to my question. What I’m not so clear on is why you would want to hide it from me.’
Because I don’t want Will to sell to you, she thought, unable to meet his gaze. I want him to stay here, to become my neighbour. Nobody wants you to do this. Saying the words in her head made her feel better, but it didn’t give her a reply that she could actually use.
The front door banged and she closed her eyes, knowing she was out of time. Darcy barked and raced into the hall.
‘The mouse didn’t get them,’ Will called. ‘And I’m not sure what the flavours are, but they