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‘Oh it did, did it?’ She advanced on the little girl.

‘Umm.’

‘Umm, indeed.’ She pounced, grabbing Sarah and tickling her as she tried to get the hose away, getting soaked in the process and laughing out loud. When she dropped the hose, Sarah seized it and gleefully chased Liv around the garden, spraying her with water and giggles.

Liv’s hair and clothes were plastered against her skin, cooling in the heat and washing away the dust and sweat from the garden. She laughed as Sarah sent the water gushing into the air, flinging a shimmering rainbow over the ancient well as the light played with the glistening droplets. For a few long moments the droplets seemed to hang in the air, making the rainbow appear almost tangible enough to touch.

She squealed and danced away again when Sarah flicked the water towards her — and collided with a solid, warm chest that smelt of musk and sweat.

‘Hi.’ She looked up, laughter still teasing her lips into a joyful smile.

‘Er, hi.’ For some reason, Callum was struggling to meet her gaze and looked decidedly uncomfortable.

Liv followed his gaze and felt the heat race across her chest and up her throat when she realised the formerly pale blue T-shirt had become almost transparent under Sarah’s attack, and moulded itself to her breasts. She bit her lip as she looked up and met his gaze, which heated her cheeks even further. Mischief flared and despite her best resolutions, and despite knowing better, she couldn’t help a cheeky grin.

‘See something you like?’ She kept her voice low and was rewarded when his eyes flicked lower again. This was interesting. His gaze locked with hers again, and warmth flushed through her stomach and lower body. Despite the cold, wet clothes clinging to her, her skin tingled and flared with heat, and she was scared, excited and relieved to see the same heat burning in his eyes.

‘Liv . . .’ His voice was husky in his throat, his hands scorching through her thin T-shirt as he reached up and caught her shoulders. He gasped, the sound deep, as water hit him and Sarah’s giggle filled the garden. But for a few moments, Liv struggled to focus on anything but the look on his face. She regretted teasing him as her mind wandered to places that she wasn’t ready to go: what other actions would draw similar noises from him?

The water hit her again, dragging her from her thoughts and firmly back to her sunny garden. She looked down at her wet clothes and up at Callum’s damp hair, forcing herself not to focus on his own wet T-shirt that clung to his broad chest.

‘I guess I should go get some towels, or something.’

‘Probably a good idea.’ He shook his wet hair out of his eyes, sprinkling her with shimmering droplets. ‘And I feel like I should apologise for my daughter. Again. She was supposed to be helping, and now you’re soaking wet instead.’

‘It’s fine. We’ve had fun. She’s a really great kid. I’ll go grab some towels and something dry.’

* * *

Callum struggled to tear his eyes away from Liv as she walked up the garden path, her hips swaying back and forth in the worn denim shorts that fit far too well for his comfort.

‘Daddy, are you listening?’ Sarah’s fingers wove through his, giving him a shot of guilt. He’d come outside to tell his daughter it was time to go, and instead she’d caught him ogling Liv like some horny kid. ‘Come see the fairy’s magic well!’

‘OK.’ He threw a final glance after Liv before letting Sarah tug him further down the garden. ‘Wow, you’ve done really well.’

‘I know! Isn’t it great?’

‘It really is.’ He wasn’t exaggerating. The whole, sweeping circle had been cleared of ivy, bindweed, vines, nettles and what looked like a few hundred yards of brambles. The stones had been brushed and washed clean of the dirt and debris of hundreds of years, leaving them to sparkle and shimmer as the sun bounced off the granite. The strange carvings seemed to twist and move with newly uncovered shadows. He traced one of the swirling patterns, leaving his finger tingling from the rough stone. ‘You’ve really done all this in a couple of weekends?’

‘Yes! And we put magic lights in the tree.’ He followed Sarah’s finger as she pointed them out. ‘Livvy says the sun charges them in the day and they turn on when it gets dark. Isn’t that cool?’

‘Very cool.’

‘Do you think the fairies will like them?’

‘If I was a fairy, I’d like them.’ Liv put down the tray she was carrying and offered Callum a towel that she had draped over her shoulder. Her hair was still damp and tousled, and she wasn’t wearing a scrap of make-up — he was damned if that didn’t make her even more attractive. When she knelt to wrap the second fluffy towel around Sarah, he buried his own face in the soft cotton and inhaled the honeyed scent that he remembered so well from the night Liv had slept wrapped in his arms on the couch just a few dozen steps from where they stood now.

He rubbed his hair brusquely, forcing the memories of Liv in his arms firmly out of his mind. When he was done, Liv smiled at him and offered a glass of lemonade that was already frosting in the warmth of the sun. ‘Thanks.’

‘So, you’ve seen our work, how’s yours?’ Liv asked.

‘Yeah, have you saved the surgery now?’ Sarah looked up at him with such trust that he felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

‘The proposal is as good as I think it can be.’ He fiddled with the edge of the towel. ‘If I’m totally honest, I’m worried. The clinical commissioning group need to save money, and we’re submitting an idea that will cost them even more.’

‘Initially.’ Liv nodded. ‘But longer term it will save them a small fortune, free up hospital beds, and extend services.’

‘It’s the “initially” bit that I’m worried about.’