a patchwork of fast-moving white cloud, and she’d thrown a cotton sweater over her vest top and jeans to stave off the chill coming in from the sea. But the sun, when it broke through, was still warm and comforting on her skin and she was happier and more optimistic just for being in it. She was looking forward to seeing Luke’s reaction when she showed up unannounced, and to more than just that. She was hoping that he’d be able to down tools to spend an hour or two with her.
When she arrived at the Old Chapel twenty minutes later he was on the roof, stripped down to his waist. She stopped and watched for a while as he worked to replace a row of tiles, partly because she didn’t dare shout up in case she spoiled his concentration and made him fall, and partly because his tanned and muscular back was a pretty good view, one she was content to drink in for as long as she could. In fact, she perched herself on a large boulder at the side of the rocky lane that led up to the house. It wasn’t until he stopped and straightened up, standing atop the roof with impossible balance and admiring the view in the sunshine, that he suddenly noticed she was there.
‘Wow.’ He grinned. ‘Must be my lucky day!’
She stood and walked to the garden gate as he scooted down the roof and negotiated the scaffolding like a mountain goat.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked as he met her on the garden path. ‘I thought we’d agreed to meet up later for that walk on the beach?’
‘Oh, you know, I didn’t have much to do and it was a nice day so I thought I’d throw the schedule out of the window and surprise you.’
‘You certainly did that.’
‘You don’t mind, do you?’
‘God, of course not! I needed an excuse to take a break and you’re perfect.’
She shielded her eyes and surveyed the house. It was low level, one floor like a bungalow, with beautiful arched windows. It had once been Sea Salt Bay’s tiny chapel, where the hundred odd parishioners got together on Sundays to worship. The last time it had been used for that purpose had been many years ago – certainly longer than anyone alive in the bay today could remember. It had been deemed too high up on the cliffs and too old and draughty to continue using, a Victorian red-brick church taking its place, and for many years it had stood empty, until someone had attempted to turn it into a house. They’d given up, and then someone else had had a go and decided it was too much for them too. Sadie hoped that Luke would be a bit more tenacious in his attempts – for purely selfish reasons, of course. She wanted him to stay in the bay, and he was far more likely to do that if he had a beautiful, completed home there.
‘It’s looking good,’ she said.
‘Coming along,’ he replied, wiping his hands down his jeans and reaching for a shirt he’d left hanging on a gatepost. Sadie was almost sorry to see it cover his chest as he buttoned it up, but maybe she’d work on getting it off again before too long. She’d had a horrible few days and this morning, being handed a reprieve of sorts, had put her in a strange and mischievous mood. She felt like having some fun – in fact, she needed some fun because she felt as if she hadn’t had fun for a hundred years.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked. ‘There’s not much of a choice I’m afraid – it’s either tea or orange juice. If I’d known you were coming I could have got more in, but…’
‘Orange juice sounds nice.’
She followed him inside. The sunlight was swallowed by shade. The windows were beautiful in here but they were small and the frames worked with a heavy criss-cross design that kept out a lot of light. But, despite this, it wasn’t a dark or unpleasant space because the ceilings were so high and the rooms so spacious. The walls were still bare plaster and the original floor boards – with some new replacements here and there – were on show. Almost everything was in one room – the kitchen, living space and dining room – except for a master bedroom and a small bathroom which were off to one side. He