Page 19 of Dead in the Water

“Right.” Seren’s enthusiasm dulled. “I don’t want to squash your excitement, but I just want to check… does he definitely know it’s a date?”

“Yeah.” Lily grinned. “He knows.”

“Are you sure? Because he’s a man. Maybe he heard picnic and just thought food and nothing more. Not that I’m saying he wouldn’t want to go on a date with you, just that I wouldn’t trust him to know that’s what’s happening.”

Lily laughed. “I agree completely. I didn’t trust him to realise either, so I told him clearly that I was asking him on a date. Hesaid he’d already figured that out. Anyway, there’s definitely no confusion.”

“That’s great,” Seren said. “It’s good that you checked. Men can be dense about these things.”

“So what do I wear?” Lily asked, getting the conversation back on track.

“I don’t think it matters too much. This is the beauty of getting together with someone you’re already friends with – there’s not too much pressure to impress. I was the same with Kit. We’d already known each other forever when we got together.”

“I want to make an effort, though. But it’s the beach, so it would be weird to make too much effort.”

“True.” Silence hung for a moment. “I’d probably suggest jeans since it’ll cool down later. Ooh!” She went slightly high-pitched. “Or wear a skirt, but take a blanket so you can snuggle up when you get cold.”

“I think I’ll go for jeans,” she said, feeling a pang of nerves. “I’m going to end up in jeans and a T-shirt, aren’t I?”

“Wear a vest top. Show off your figure and show some skin. Then you can throw a shirt or a cardigan over it if you’re cold. It’s casual, but you’ll still look hot.”

“Okay.” Idly, she sifted through the clothes on her bed.

“Are you excited?” Seren asked.

“I don’t know. I’m more nervous than I expected.”

“When was the last time you went on a date?”

“Ages ago. I’m out of practice.” She also didn’t remember ever being so anxious before a date – possibly because she’d never been overly attached to the outcome before.

“It’ll be great,” Seren said. “It’s been such a lovely, clear day. I’ll bet the sunset will be amazing tonight. It’ll be a magical first date.”

“Yeah.” Lily pulled a faded blue vest from the pile of clothes. “Do you think this is a bad idea?”

“No. Why? I know Flynn took a while to grow on me, but I really think the two of you are perfect for each other.”

“He’s only here temporarily.”

“Don’t let that stop you. Focus on enjoying the moment. Who knows what will happen in the future? Worry about that later. Besides, he’s still got a few months, hasn’t he?”

“I think so.” She didn’t know his exact leaving date, or if he even had one.

“Also, Sergeant Proctor has warmed to him now, so maybe he’ll be able to extend his posting here.”

“Perhaps.” The thought had crossed Lily’s mind too, but she hadn’t let herself linger on it, nor dared bring it up with Flynn. “I’m not sure he’d even want to stay here. He always says it’s boring to be a police officer here. I think he’s looking forward to getting back to London.”

“There’s an easy solution to that.” An edge of mischief rang in Seren’s voice. “You just need to make his life here a little more exciting. Starting tonight.”

Lily grinned and felt some of her nerves leave her.

“I have to get ready for work,” Seren said. “But message me later and tell me how it went. Or tomorrow, if that’s a more convenient time.”

Smiling, Lily shook her head and thanked Seren for her clothing advice.

An hour later, she was ready to go. She packed the picnic into her backpack and stared out of the living room window while she waited for Flynn to get in touch. Presumably it had been a busy day at work for him, so it wasn’t overly surprising that he would finish later than usual.

The feeling that something wasn’t right started a few minutes before a message popped up on her phone. It should have beena relief to hear from Flynn, but that niggling feeling stayed with her as she clicked into the message.

---