‘Great idea,’ Joss said, completely straight-faced.
He placed the foaming beer onto the bar and Nessie snatched it up, desperate to escape their knowing looks. Did everyone in the village have an interest in her love-life or was that just how it felt?
‘Take your time,’ Sam called as she made her way to the door. ‘I won’t wait up.’
The cold air was a relief to Nessie’s mortified cheeks. Sam meant well but she wasn’t exactly subtle. What if Kathryn told Owen what Alyssa had said? He’d think Nessie was dreaming of wedding dresses instead of nervously wondering whether he was even interested.
She almost bottled it at the front door of the cottage. But the thought of going back to the pub was more excruciating than a few minutes of Owen’s company so she lifted the brass door knocker and tapped as gently as she could, aware that Luke’s room was directly above.
‘Nessie,’ Owen said, looking surprised but pleased. ‘I thought you’d be busy clearing up.’
She held out the pint. ‘We thought you might need this. A little thank you for everything you did.’
He smiled and held the door open. ‘Come on in.’
The living room was just as warm and inviting as Nessie remembered. The woodburner glowed red and a battered paperback lay spine up across the arm of the sofa. She glanced curiously at the cover but her eye was caught by the photo of Eliza and she looked away again fast.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ Owen asked. ‘There’s a bottle of red open if you fancy it?’
Nessie hesitated, then thought of the welcoming committee back at the pub. ‘Maybe just a small one.’
He disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later he was back, a brimming glass in his hand. ‘Cheers,’ he said, once he’d given it to Nessie. ‘Here’s to another roaring success at the Star and Sixpence.’
‘Cheers,’ Nessie said. She took a gulp of wine, feeling its warmth curl in her stomach. ‘Thanks again for your help.’
Owen sat on the sofa. ‘My pleasure. It’s great to see the old place full of life again. Your father would be proud.’
Nessie glanced at the space on the sofa and instantly dismissed it: too close. Instead, she perched on the edge of the armchair opposite. ‘I expect he would,’ she said, doing her best to keep her tone neutral.
It was no secret that she and Sam had been estranged from their father for years before his death, but Nessie had come to learn that the village view of Andrew Chapman had been very different from that of his daughters. In Little Monkham he’d been liked and respected and she saw no reason to alter that view.
She swallowed another mouthful of wine. It was really good, probably a Malbec, she decided, although Alyssa had made a Chianti sauce to go with one of the main courses so perhaps it was that. It was certainly taking the edge off her nerves, she thought, relaxing a little more into the chair.
‘You remind me of a little bird,’ Owen said, cutting into her thoughts. ‘Always about to take flight.’
Nessie looked over at him, expecting to see a smile in his eyes but she saw only concern. ‘You wouldn’t be the first to say something like that. Sam thinks I’m too timid for my own good.’
‘I don’t think you’re timid,’ he said. ‘I think you’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. Think about it – you moved to a strange village, took on an ailing business and turned it around in the face of some pretty fierce animosity. That doesn’t sound timid to me.’
Nessie smiled. When he put it like that, she felt braver. It had been a difficult undertaking to get the Star and Sixpence back on its feet, especially when Franny and Henry were set against them, but she and Sam had managed it. ‘Thank you.’
They gazed at each other for a moment and Nessie was aware of another kind of warmth creeping through her, one that had nothing to do with the wine. She thought back to Ruby’s suggestion in the graveyard earlier. Less looking, more action. If Ruby and Sam were right and Owen really was interested in her, then really there was nothing to stop her making the first move.
Emboldened by his praise, Nessie swallowed some more wine and cleared her throat. ‘Do you want to go for a drink sometime? Not over at the pub, somewhere else. Somewhere different.’
The words came out faster than she’d intended and she finished on an anxious squeak. So much for being brave, she thought with an inward groan. But Owen didn’t seem to have noticed. His eyes never left hers. ‘I’d like that,’ he said quietly. ‘I’d like that a lot.’
She let out her breath in a rush. ‘Me too.’
He shook his head wryly. ‘I’ve been trying to ask you for days, only something always seemed to get in the way. I was beginning to think it was a sign.’
Nessie smiled, as a mixture of relief and happiness flooded through her. ‘We got there in the end.’
Owen stood up and held out his glass. ‘To future drinks.’
‘To future drinks,’ Nessie echoed and tapped her glass against his.
The End
Acknowledgements
Thanks to T and E, the best kids in the world. Big smoochy kisses to Jo Williamson, of Antony Harwood Ltd, for being an agent par excellence and to Clare Hey, SJ Virtue and Emma Capron, plus everyone at Simon and Schuster, for filling the Star and Sixpence with love. Thanks to Kate Harrison for the ongoing cocktail support, and to Miranda Dickinson for making me look good on film, plus Rowan Coleman, Julie Cohen and Cally Taylor – I couldn’t ask for better friends. I’m so appreciative of the love for Snowdrops at the Star and Sixpence – thanks to all the reviewers and readers who’ve taken the time to get in touch. Cheers, everyone!
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2016
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Copyright © Tamsyn Murray, 2016
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eBook ISBN: 978-1-4711-5004-3
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