In reply he leaned closer to her, shaking his head so the damp strands whipped around him.
“Kit!” Seren shrieked. “Grow up, will you?”
“I’m trying very hard not to.” A dimple puckered in his cheek. “You make it look incredibly dull.”
She gave him a playful punch on his bicep as she told him to shut up.
“What time are the happy couple arriving?” he asked his mum, putting an end to the teasing.
Mirren checked her watch. “The flight should be in the air by now. They’ll land in half an hour or so. I’m pleased things have worked out so well for Noah.”
“Me too,” Seren agreed.
“I thought you’d be heartbroken at losing your best friend,” Kit said, stretching his legs out in front of him.
“I haven’t lost my best friend. What are you talking about?”
“His girlfriend is moving here,” Kit pointed out. “Which means he’s not going to be allowed to hang out with you any more.”
She tilted her head, loathe to acknowledge that he probably had a point. “When you grow up, you’ll learn that men and women can just be friends.”
“And that women don’t have a problem with their boyfriends spending loads of time with another woman?” He was goading her and she should completely ignore him … which was all she could do since she didn’t have a decent comeback.
“Keira and I get on well,” she said with as much confidence as she could muster. “So I’m actually gaining a friend.”
“Are you both meeting them at the airport?” Mirren asked.
“Iam.” Seren had offered to give them a lift home. She checked her watch, realising she’d need to leave soon.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Kit replied. “Noah said they only have a couple of suitcases.”
“At least be around when they arrive,” Mirren told him. “Make Keira feel welcome. I’ll cook them a meal for this evening so they don’t have to worry about that. Shall we all have dinner together, or shall we do a family dinner another night and let Keira get settled this evening?”
“I’m working tonight,” Seren reminded her. Her shifts at the bar hampered her social life somewhat, but she enjoyed the buzz of the place.
“I’ll come for dinner if you’re cooking,” Kit said to his mum, then glanced at his watch. “I’ve got a train trip in between though.” It still amazed Seren how successful Kit was with his sightseeing trips around the island. His electric train was a huge hit with tourists on the island, and his online reviews were absolutely glowing.
“Are you going to have time to mow the grass before then?” Mirren asked, looking pointedly over the lawn.
“Yep.” He shot out of his chair like a hunky Energiser Bunny.
Seren spent the next twenty minutes trying to concentrate on her conversation with Mirren and avoiding letting her gaze stray to her best friend’s baby brother.
CHAPTERTWO
By the time he’d finished pushing the lawnmower back and forth over the grass, Kit’s T-shirt was stuck firmly to his back. He cupped his hands under the outside tap and splashed water on his face and neck before shouting through the back door to let his mum know he was leaving.
The gentle whisper of a breeze that swept off the sheltered bay did little to cool him as he wandered away from his childhood home. Walking through the garden gate brought him to the narrow lane and the row of four cottages. Two were owned by his brothers and two by his mum, who rented them out to holidaymakers.
Kit needed to go home and shower before work but stopped at Noah’s cottage to say a quick hello. After a quick rap at the door, he tried the handle and let himself in. His brother was nowhere to be seen, but Keira and Seren were on the couch, chatting away.
“Don’t hug me,” he said, when Keira jumped up from the couch. “I’m on my way to shower but thought I’d call in and say welcome back.”
“Thank you.” She beamed. “I’m a bit giddy. I can’t believe I’m actually moving here.”
“You’re going to love it.”
“I think I am,” she agreed, perching on the arm of the couch.