Page 86 of Dead in the Water

“Yep. That’s the one. He asked Lily out on a date.”

“Right.” Noah pursed his lips and cast a bemused glance in Flynn’s direction before responding to Seren. “Thank you for the information.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “She turned him down. Maybe she’ll change her mind, though.”

“Keep me updated.” Noah gave her two sarcastic thumbs up. “I’ll be on the edge of my seat.” He looked at Flynn and shrugged before entering the pub.

With a comically insincere smile, Seren turned to Flynn.

“Was that conversation for my benefit, by any chance?” he asked.

She pressed a hand to her chest and sucked in a breath in a show of mock surprise. “Oh, did you hear that?”

“What’s your point?” he asked wearily.

“I thought I was pretty clear – my point is that Lily is a catch and if you’re not careful someone else will swoop in and you’ll miss your chance.”

“Thanks for the warning.” He glanced behind her, the idea of a drink less appealing now. “How’s Lily doing?”

“She was a little shaken up.” Seren’s features turned earnest. “I was worried about her. I’ve never seen her like that. She’s okay, though,” she added quickly. “Kit and I stayed with her for a couple of hours and she perked up in that time. I offered to get someone to cover my shift so I could stay with her but she seemed to want to be alone.”

“I was going to call over and check on her,” Flynn said.

“You should.”

He shifted his weight. “Do you think she’ll want to see me? She was avoiding me most of the week.”

“I think she’ll want to see you.” She smiled sadly. “You need to at least try.”

“Yeah.” And he didn’t need to put it off with a trip to the pub. He needed to get on with it and tell her exactly what was going on in his head.

On the promenade, the ice cream shop was all closed up. He rang the bell, then took a step back and craned his neck to look up at the living room window.

Lily’s lips formed the smallest of smiles when she appeared. Opening the window, she didn’t say a word, but dropped the keys down to him. Effortlessly, he plucked them from the air and let himself in.

He smiled sympathetically at the sight of her framed by the doorway at the top of the stairs.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked, fighting the urge to gather her in his arms.

“I suppose so.” Turning, she headed along the hall. “Do you want a drink?”

“Are you having one?”

She shook her head. “Seren kept making me tea. I think I’m severely over-hydrated.”

“Did you eat?”

“No. But I’m not hungry. I’m kind of tired. I was thinking of going to bed early.”

Following her into the living room, he ignored the hint that he couldn’t stay long.

“I want us to talk properly.”

“Can it wait until another day?” she asked, sinking onto the armchair. “I’m tired and I have a headache.”

He perched on the edge of the couch. “Just let me say what I need to say.”

“If it’s about you not wanting to date me, we already talked about it. I don’t think we need to keep going over it.”

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