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“I’m not very good at being fussed over,” Lucy admitted.

“Then I suggest you get some practice in, because from what I’ve seen, Dylan isn’t going to stop anytime soon, so you may as well make the most of it. There are definitely worse things.”

By the time Lucy closed up shop, she was feeling thoroughly fed up with herself for mooching around missing Dylan. She went through the motions as quickly as she could, doing her best to ignore the fact that nothing felt right without Dylan sitting with his laptop at the table in the corner, and went up to her flat, determined to relax and not think about him. She could take advantage of the fact that he wasn’t around to cajole her into taking a stupid walk in the cold. She debated whether four thirty really was too early to get into her pyjamas . . . Definitely not, she concluded. She’d be in bed by eight anyway with any luck.

She opened up her pyjama drawer, but closed it again with a sigh. She’d been stuck inside the coffee shop all day; she really should get some fresh air for half an hour. In a moment of inspiration, she messaged Carrie: Fancy coming for a walk when you finish in the shop?

The bookshop must have been quiet because her friend messaged back almost immediately: Why on earth would I want to do that? It’s freezing and dark.

Because it’ll be good for us, Lucy wrote back.

Is this a cry for help? What have you done with my friend? Carrie shot back, making Lucy laugh.

It’ll be fun.

No, it won’t. What’s this about anyway? If you want more exercise, we’ll just go to the pregnancy yoga class I’m supposed to be convincing you to go to with me.

Dylan’s getting me to go for a walk with him every evening, Lucy explained.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I’ll be around just after 5 in that case. We wouldn’t want to let Dylan down.

Lucy shook her head in amusement and began to get wrapped up ready for the cold. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She must be mad.

* * *

“So, I’ve got Dylan to blame for this, then?” said Carrie when Lucy opened the coffee shop door to her. “I’ll remember that.”

“Stop complaining. It’s good for you,” Lucy replied, coming outside and locking the door.

“That’s what Dylan says to you, isn’t it?” Carrie laughed.

“Maybe,” Lucy replied.

They walked down the high street towards the beach.

“Well, we’d better take a photo to prove you were a good girl and did your daily exercise,” Carrie declared. “Where’s your phone?”

Lucy retrieved her mobile and took a selfie of them both.

There was a message from Dylan checking how she was. She did her best to hide her grin at the sight of it as she sent the photo to him.

I don’t believe it! came the reply a moment later.

Don’t worry, she typed back. I’ll be home and sofa-ed in no time.

No watching Downton!

Of course not.

“That’s a very big smile,” Carrie commented, receiving a glare in response. “You teased me plenty about Michael when I first moved here,” she pointed out. “Now it seems like it’s my turn.”

“That was different,” Lucy said.

“Yeah, right,” Carrie mumbled.

They continued walking into the park by the light of the street lamps and turned on their phone torches to walk up to the castle.

“You know, Dylan isn’t the only one fussing,” Carrie confided. “When I told Michael we were going for this little stroll, he wanted to come with us so I didn’t overdo it.”