“I was thinking of the Mermaid Inn. How soon can you get there?”
“Oh … Um …”
“Hopefully soon. I’m just leaving work and I’d rather go straight to the pub than home first.”
“Why don’t you come to my place? I’ve got beers.”
“I’d rather go to the pub. I haven’t eaten dinner and I’m craving their fish and chips.”
“Right … I guess that’s fine.” He was fairly sure Seren would be working, but he’d promised to start going in the pub again. It felt a bit weird going in with Holly, but there was no reason why it should be awkward. He’d explained that he and Holly were only friends. Not that Seren would care about his relationship status. “I’ll leave now,” he said into the phone as he headed for the door.
He bumped into Holly on his way to the pub, standing outside of the post office on Hugh Street, chatting to the woman who worked there. She looked relieved at the excuse to extract herself from the conversation and gave his arm a grateful squeeze as they continued along the road.
“You saved me from having to eat leftovers,” she said. “And saved me from Dawn’s gossiping too.”
“Happy to help,” he said as they made their way to the pub.
Charlie was behind the bar, and Kit felt momentarily relieved at the thought that Seren wasn’t working. It didn’t last long though – they’d taken a seat near the window when she walked out from the back room. She paused when she caught sight of him, then came over to say hello.
“I take it you found him in the end?” Holly said, beaming up at Seren.
Seren shifted her weight and glanced around the pub. “Yes. I did.”
“Found who?” Kit asked in confusion.
“You,” Holly said.
“I saw Holly on Saturday when I was looking for you,” Seren explained. “I asked if she’d seen you.”
“Oh.” He tried to catch Seren’s eye, but she was looking anywhere but at him. When the door opened and a group of local fishermen walked in, she said she’d be back in a bit and went behind the bar. “Where did you bump into each other?” Kit asked Holly.
“We didn’t bump into each other. Seren came into the tourist information specifically to ask if I knew where you were. She seemed pretty worried. You must have known her ages, right? Isn’t she good friends with one of your brothers?”
“Seren’s been best friends with Noah since they were little. They were inseparable when they were growing up, so she was at our place a lot. Still is. She’s like part of the family.” His words sounded hollow as he looked over at Seren. There was a flutter in his chest when she looked up and caught his eye. She looked away quickly and he forced his attention back to Holly, asking her about work.
He already knew that Seren had been looking for him on Saturday, so he wasn’t sure why his mind was working overtime with the fact that she’d gone into the tourist office. Maybe it was because she clearly hadn’t wanted him to know the lengths she’d gone to find him. She also didn’t seem overly comfortable with him being in the pub. Which made no sense since she was the one to complain about him not coming in any more. Was it him being with Holly that was the problem?
That was exactly the kind of thinking he’d been trying to avoid, and he made a conscious effort to keep his mind on the conversation with Holly. Seren didn’t linger when she brought their food out. Try as he might to stop himself, Kit couldn’t help but glance behind the bar from time to time. Each time he looked, Seren was looking back at him and would either snap her gaze away or give him a quick smile.
When Holly asked if he wanted dessert or another drink, he told her he’d rather get going. They moved to the bar to pay, and Kit had just said goodbye to Seren when Rebecca wandered in with Felix.
“You’re not leaving now, are you?” Rebecca asked. “Stay and have a drink with us.”
“I’ve got some things I need to do this evening,” Kit said when Holly looked questioningly at him. There was no way he was going to hang around and have a drink with Felix.
“I should get going too,” Holly said. “We’ll see you at the party on Friday though. I can’t wait.”
“Are you coming?” Rebecca aimed a playful jab at Kit’s ribs. “You didn’t reply to my message.”
“Sorry,” he said weakly. “I wasn’t sure if I could make it—”
Holly interrupted him. “He’s coming.”
“You have to,” Rebecca put in. “Seren was worried she wouldn’t know many people, so you need to come.”
Kit swung around to Seren. “Are you going?”
“Well … I …” She opened her mouth a few times and he got the distinct impression that she was about as keen to go as he was.