Page 47 of A Poisonous Plot

“If you’re sure it’s okay, I’d love to.”

She smiled warmly. “It’s fine with us. Shall we eat out here?”

Jago nodded in response. “Do you need any help?”

“It’s all under control. You two chill out. It won’t take long.”

“Thanks,” Jago called when she stepped through the patio door into the kitchen.

“Have you two been together long?” Flynn asked as they took a seat at the long wooden table.

Jago swigged his beer. “Not really. I met her when I came to visit for Trystan’s wedding about eighteen months ago. Sylvie was visiting, looking for Lowen.”

Flynn quirked an eyebrow, knowing there was a story behind that. “He’s her cousin, right?”

“Yes.” Jago’s lips twitched in amusement. “Lowen has a different biological mother to the rest of us. Sylvie is from that side of his family. She’s notmycousin.” He stretched his legs out in front of him. “Anyway, we were both on the island for a visit and…” He shrugged, apparently deciding to keep the story short. “Now, here we are.”

“So you weren’t even living here then?” Flynn asked.

“No. I was living in New York, and had planned to move to London.” His eyes roamed over the stretch of grass that led to the barn at the corner of the property. “Things worked out pretty well.”

Flynn’s thoughts flicked to his life in London and how much of a wrench it had been to move to St Mary’s. For the first few weeks on the island, he’d been so bitter about the whole thing and was sure he’d hate every moment of his time here.

Now, when he thought about London, it was without the longing that he’d felt before. Over the last month or so, his anger had dissipated, and he’d stopped hating his time on the island.

He didn’t love it, but he didn’t hate it either.

“What was the weird thing that happened yesterday?” Jago asked, snapping Flynn from his thoughts.

“I kissed Lily,” he said, deciding there was no point in beating around the bush.

Jago’s lips pulled into a smirk. “That was pretty inevitable, wasn’t it? You two seem very close.”

“We are close, but just as friends.”

“The fact that you kissed her suggests there might be something more than friendship.”

Flynn shrugged. “We were investigating the poisonings, and we had to hide. The kiss was just a cover.”

“Of course,” Jago said, his voice ringing with amusement. “Seems totally plausible. So you’re not attracted to her?”

“I didn’t say that.” He raised an eyebrow. “She’s really cool, and she’s very attractive. In other circumstances, maybe there could be something more between us, but I’ll be leaving the island in a few months. We can only really be friends.”

“Friends who roll around in sand dunes together?” Jago asked, grinning.

Flynn’s eyes widened. “When did I say anything about sand dunes?” He stared at Jago, who continued his incessant grinning. “Did you already know about this?”

“I may have heard something. It’s a small island.”

“You can’t be serious! Who told you?”

“I read about it in our family WhatsApp group.”

Flynn’s eyes felt as though they might exit their sockets. “What?”

Jago laughed. “I believe Lily told Seren who told Kit, and Kit wrote it on the group.”

“Are you serious? Your entire family knows?”

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