“No.” She looked thoughtful. “I was supposed to be going out tonight, but I’m thinking about cancelling.”
“How come?”
She waved a hand dismissively. “It’s my friend’s twenty-first birthday. Petra’s lovely and I promised her I’d be there … but we worked together at the hotel. I’m not sure who else is invited.”
“You’re worried about your ex being there?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if he will be, and I don’t think bumping into him would be too terrible. It’s bound to happen at some point. I’m just not overly thrilled by the idea. I’m also not sure how many people I’ll know at the party.” She screwed her nose up. “I’ll probably just call in for half an hour to wish her a happy birthday.”
“Where is it at?”
“The Old Town Inn. Her parents own the place.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Yeah. I should at least go along for a while. Hiding away to avoid bumping into Gavin is a bit pathetic.” She smiled lightly. “What are your plans for the weekend?”
“Mainly work. And a family lunch at my mum’s place tomorrow. That’s about it.”
She arched an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose you feel like coming to the party with me tonight?”
“Um … I guess I could.”
“Don’t feel obliged. Clearly I’d just be using you for moral support. You can absolutely say no.”
He tapped the steering wheel as he pondered it. Again, it felt like a much better option than staying home alone. It would be a pleasant distraction, and that was exactly what he needed. Besides, it wasn’t a date – just two friends hanging out.
“Okay,” he said with a smile.
“You’re the best. I’ll look forward to it now I know I have someone fun to hang out with.”
“I’m looking forward to it too,” he said earnestly.
They agreed that Kit would call on her at eight and they’d walk over there together. When he left her, he was running slightly late for the train tour. To his relief, Keira was down at the promenade, reassuring the passengers that the train would be there shortly.
She gave the tour and they went out for lunch together afterwards. Having company for the day as well as plans for the evening made the day go quickly. It was only when he got home that he realised he’d hardly thought about Seren at all.
That was definitely progress.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Three weeks had passed since Kit’s big declaration and Seren had only seen him when he’d been passing in the train. Each time, she’d gone out of her way to be there, and each time he’d acknowledged her with a smile and a tip of his chin but never stopped to chat.
Mirren had invited her over for lunch on Sunday, and she was hoping Kit would be there too. She didn’t like to get her hopes up, though. There was a chance he’d stay away just to avoid seeing her.
On Saturday she was utterly fed up with the whole situation and was struggling not to snap at customers while she worked. To make things worse, Cadan and Felix were sitting at the bar. For once they were keeping to themselves and managing to act like respectable human beings. Eventhatannoyed Seren. Venting her emotions at someone might be a good release, and Felix would usually be the perfect target. Trust him to be amiable when she’d rather he gave her a reason to bite his head off.
“What time do you finish?” Cadan asked when she set a fresh pint in front of him. Felix was drinking soft drinks, which was completely out of character. Presumably he was driving. Seren didn’t like to ask for fear of giving the impression she was interested in his life.
“Half an hour,” she replied, checking the clock on the wall.
“Got any exciting plans for the evening?” Cadan asked.
“No.” She glanced at Felix, expecting some cocky remark, but none came. Maybe he was ill.
“We’re going back to Felix’s place after this.” Cadan indicated his beer. “There’s a bottle of Laphroaig that needs drinking. Come with us if you want.”
“I’d rather do anything other than spend an evening drinking whisky with you two.” She fully expected to get a rise out of Felix, but he looked around the room, seemingly uninterested.