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She nodded, inspecting the floors before walking over to the fireplace. Like the stove, we’d kept the original, restoring it as best we could.

“I like that you kept some things. I spent some happy years in this place,” she said, turning around to face me at last.

When she did, a small frown shaped her lips. She stepped forward, her eyes tracing my features, then lowering to my loosened tie and undone buttons. I must’ve been dragging my fingers through my hair without realising it because she reached up, her careful fingers sweeping it back into place. My breath hitched. I wanted her to touch me more, sink her fingers in, then let them travel down the back of my neck, over my shoulders.

Her eyes moved back and forth between mine, and this close, I could see all the different colours that made them amber, the flecks of yellow and gold, hues of light, coppery brown and tinges of orange. There were galaxies within her irises, and I was lost in exploration.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Something about the question and her caring touch had emotion rising forth, and I remembered just how wound up I’d been before I saw her lying on the grass, more beautiful than she even knew.

“Not really,” I answered, surprising myself with my own honesty.

Erin moved closer, her hand coming out to touch my tie. Fuck me. This was torture.

“What’s wrong?” She tilted her head, peering up at me in genuine concern, and I struggled to keep my hands at my sides. She was far too pretty this close.

“The stress of the opening is getting to me a little. I’ll be okay, though. Just need to power through.”

“Do you normally get this stressed?”

“Not like this, no. The Astor Cove is … important. It’s the biggest risk I’ve taken in my career so far. If it fails, I’ll—”

“It won’t fail.” The confidence in her voice once again soothed my inner turmoil. “Katy and I have been rushed off our feet all morning. We’ve had a huge number of bookings come through the new website. We thought being fully booked for the first month was great, but it’s looking like the first four months are going to be full capacity.”

I glanced down while she was talking, noticing she was absentmindedly stroking my tie. Something about her fingers on the silky material turned me on. I didn’t think she even realised she was doing it.

“I’ve been out here for the last few hours dealing with calls. I didn’t know,” I said, my heart lifting. Full capacity for four months was incredible. But also daunting. We’d all need to be on our A-game. It was an auspicious start, and it gave me hope that my big swing wasn’t going to be an epic miss.

Erin seemed to realise she was fondling my tie and instantly dropped her hand, her cheeks reddening as she stepped back.

“What were you doing out there?” I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity. Her cheeks grew redder.

“Oh, well, it’s just something I used to do when I lived here with Fred and Nessa. If I was having a stressful day, I’d go lie out on the grass and stare at the clouds. It’s something me and my dad did when he was still alive. We’d look up and say what shapes we thought we could see. I’ve always found it relaxing.”

“That sounds kind of nice, actually,” I replied with a smile, and her face lifted.

“Would you like to try it?”

“What? Lie outside on the grass with you?” Yes, definitely. Can I also roll you over and kiss my way down your body?

“Why not? It has a calming effect, I promise. There’s just something about looking up at the sky. I think it might reset our nervous systems or something.”

I couldn’t resist her optimism. “It can’t hurt to give it a try.”

We still hadn’t confronted the elephant in the room, and I didn’t expect her to be the one to bring it up. Erin seemed keen to avoid the subject, so I let it lie for now.

She sat down on the grass and motioned for me to join her. “The ground is dry today, so you don’t need to worry about getting a damp bottom,” she said, grinning, and I chuckled.

“Good, because I have a meeting in half an hour, and I certainly don’t want to walk in with wet pants.”

A small titter escaped her, and I enjoyed the sound. It made my chest tighten again, but this time in a pleasant way.

Erin watched me as I lowered next to her, the grass soft beneath me. She watched as I lay back, and I could’ve sworn her breath caught when I looked up at her with a smile.

“Aren’t you going to lie down too?”

She hesitated a moment, then cleared her throat. “Yes,” she said, her voice a little breathy, before she lay back. I caught her scent again, and it was far too intoxicating. I forced my gaze up to the clouds, searching for shapes until I found one.