Page 35 of A Summer Scandal

‘It’s the end studio that’s still available,’ Vi said, leading them through to the back. Cal wandered out of her room as they drew level, raising his hand in greeting, and again Keris frowned slightly, glancing questioningly back at Violet.

Lucy stood in the centre of the available room. and then broke into a wide smile. ‘It’s bloody perfect. Being in the corner gives me complete privacy.’

Violet nodded, still not quite getting it. ‘Is it portrait photography you do, Lucy?’

Lucy nodded. ‘Kind of. Boudoir.’

Ah, now it was starting to make more sense.

‘As in … bedroom?’

Lucy shrugged. ‘As in photographs that make women feel good about themselves, for themselves.’

‘I see,’ Vi said. She liked Lucy instantly; older by a decade or two, there was a quiet, contained warmth to her that reminded her oddly of her mum. ‘Well, it’s available for the summer to begin with, and then I’m going to review things at the end to see where we go from there.’

Cal put his head around the doorway. ‘I’m off now. See you later, guys.’ His eyes lingered on Violet for a few seconds before he left.

‘Well, he made my fingers itch for my camera,’ Lucy grinned.

‘Cal,’ Keris said. ‘You’ll get to know him over the summer, he’s in the next one along.’

Lucy put her hand out. ‘I think you’ve got yourself a deal.’

Vi grinned as they shook on it. This was really happening; within a week or two, Swallow Beach Pier would finally hum again with life and laughter. She only hoped her gran would have approved.

Walking back up the steps into the Lido a while later, Violet yawned wide. ‘Sorry Keris,’ she said, blinking a few times. ‘I’m not sleeping all that well.’

‘Must be all the excitement,’ Keris said, holding the door open for Vi to go through first. ‘Am I going mad or did I pick up on something with you and Cal earlier?’

Violet shrugged, not meeting her friend’s eye. ‘Nope,’ she said. ‘We just had a drink to celebrate the end of the week.’

She could feel Keris eyeing her curiously so threw in an extra yawn to close the conversation down. ‘Right, I’m going to go and run myself a bath and see if I can get my second wind,’ she said, already heading for the stairs. ‘I could do with working a couple of hours after dinner.’

‘Sewing?’

Vi shook her head. ‘Boring stuff. Insurance paperwork and all that stuff for the pier to run as a business. My dad’s got his solicitor doing all of the necessary, he’s sent me a load of forms and paperwork to fill in.’

Keris pulled a face. ‘Bleurgh. That kind of thing brings me out in hives.’

‘Me too. Got to be done though.’

She took the stairs at a jog, waving over her shoulder without hanging around for more. All she wanted was to make it inside her own front door without bumping into Cal, and then lie in the bath and try to work out what the hell had happened earlier at the pier.

Which was why her heart stopped when, just as she was closing her door, Cal opened his and said her name.

CHAPTER TEN

‘Hey, Violet.’

Cal watched as Violet stalled, her back turned, her key already in her lock. For a second he thought she was going to go inside and pretend she hadn’t heard him. That was exactly what he wanted to avoid, and precisely the reason he’d told himself not to get romantically involved with her in the first place. She turned slowly, like a grounded teenager caught sneaking out of their bedroom window.

‘Hey,’ she said, her smile too wide.

‘I just thought we should clear the air, while it’s still today.’

She chewed her bottom lip. ‘Okay. Well, shall we just forget it happened?’

‘We’d had a drink,’ he offered.

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