Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Coffee’s better than okay. I may never let you leave.”
Her face flushed, and she ducked her head out of his line of vision as she poured them two cups. “Milk or sugar?”
“Both.”
She looked at him in surprise. “I was sure you were going to say you take it black.”
He smiled at her. “I’ve always had a weakness for sweet things.”
His flirting was clearly making her uncomfortable, based on that nervous laugh she gave and the fact that when she poured the milk, some of it sloshed over the edge. “I’m not sure who stocked the fridge, but thank you if it was you. I had granola for breakfast, but there’s plenty more and fruit in the bowl.” She babbled on, and he sort of enjoyed knowing he was the cause of her discomfort. “Mari and I are going to look at the space she’s found for the reading retreats today. She should be here soon.”
“That sounds interesting.”
They sipped, and he discovered she made a mean cup of coffee.
There was a knock on the door. “That must be Mari,” Josie said with what seemed like relief as she went to open it. Sure enough, Mari stood there looking full of energy.
“Hi, I hope I’m not too early.”
Josie smiled. “No, this is perfect timing.”
The two women hugged, obviously already friends even though Josie had only arrived yesterday.
Then Mari caught sight of him and faltered. “Oh… Malc… what are you doing here?”
He got up and gave the woman he was sure was soon to be his sister-in-law a hug. “It’s a bit of a long story, but suffice it to say I couldn’t stay in my flat last night, and Josie was kind enough to let me crash here.”
Mari’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Couldn’t you have stayed at Mathilda’s? Or in Owen’s cottage?”
He could have stayed at a number of places, including any of the top hotels in London, but something had pulled him here to the island. He hadn’t even planned to stay on the houseboat, had simply come by to get some spare clothes.
“That was the plan, but then one thing led to another, and I ended up here.”
“It was no big deal,” Josie clarified. “We shared grilled cheese sandwiches on the rooftop deck, and then we both hit the sack. It’s really handy that there are two bedrooms.” She couldn’t have been more clear about the state of their relationship unless she had said, Don’t worry, I didn’t sleep with him.
“Okay then, but aren’t you supposed to be at work, Malcolm?” Mari asked, still clearly trying to piece things together.
“I was supposed to be heading to Thailand on vacation today, but things ended with Katrina, so I won’t be going with her and her new lover.”
Mari’s eyes got big. “New lover? When did you guys break up?”
“Around nine last night.” Before Mari could ask, he said, “It’s for the best for everyone. In fact,” he added suddenly, “since I’m free, if you don’t mind, I’d like to tag along and see the space that you’re planning to use for the reading retreats.”
Mari looked at Josie. “Would that be all right with you?”
Josie paused ever so slightly before nodding. “Sure, that’d be great.”
Mari shot him a look. “Okay, then. Can you be ready to leave in ten minutes?”
He picked up his mug and headed into the back. “I’ll take a quick shower and be right out.”
He found himself whistling in the shower as he lathered up. It was funny how much he was looking forward to checking out the retreat locations with the two women. He wasn’t normally anywhere near this cheerful before heading into the office. In fact, it was interesting that he had no urge whatsoever to even check his email. If he had gone to Thailand, he would have worked during the entire trip there, during the bulk of the time in Thailand, and during the entire trip back. But here he was, with no plans, just letting work slide. In fact, between Genevieve and Mabel and the rest of the staff, they could handle most of the work for the next couple of weeks. Unless there was a clear emergency, he’d let the staff he paid so well do their jobs.
Ten minutes later, after Malcolm grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl for breakfast, they were headed out along the towpath toward the center of the island.
* * *
“Pemberton House was once the hub of the island,” Malcolm explained. “It’s a sad story, but it was owned for hundreds of years by the Pemberton family. By tradition, the eldest son was always named Vincent. In the late 1930s, a young and dashing Vincent Pemberton met and married the love of his life. There are pictures in the local archives of the wedding and the parties they used to throw. They had a child, a son, naturally named Vincent. Then war broke out.”