‘It’s fine. You go first. I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing,’ she said wryly.
‘Of course, I keep forgetting that you’re in charge.’
They both paddled out towards the Holy Island, Kitty at the front, constantly looking over her shoulder to check he was behind. He wanted to be alongside her, so he paddled a bit faster until he was.
‘Isn’t it pretty?’ said Kitty as she manoeuvred herself around and pointed back at the panoramic view of Lamlash.
‘I know,’ he said. ‘That’s what I love about being on the water. The different perspectives it gives and the way you can look back on a place and see it like this. It’s amazing.’
‘Do you see those terraced cottages there?’ said Kitty, pointing at the row of white houses with green doors that were prominent in their view. ‘Did you know they’re actually ofmajorarchitectural importance? They were designed by Sir John Burnet and built in the late nineteenth century.’
‘I did know that actually, but I’m impressed,’ said Logan. ‘I didn’t realise you were so up to speed on the island’s history. Did I tell you that on one of the tours when we drove through Lamlash?’
‘No,’ she said indignantly, then laughed. ‘It’s something Fergus tells me just about every time I see him.’
‘How come?’
‘Because he’s decided that he wants to buy one of the cottages. So he’s been doing his research while he waits for the perfect one to come on the market.’
‘Ah, I see.’
‘It will actually be good to spend a bit of time with him while I’m here. I haven’t seen him properly for ages, and he also has a new girlfriend that he appears quite smitten with.’
Logan considered her words for a moment. ‘That sounds like a familiar story. The same thing happened to my friend, James. Until he met Amy, I thought he would be a bachelor forever.’
Kitty turned to him and he allowed his gaze to roam over her face. She opened her mouth as though she was about to say something in response, then appeared to change her mind and clamped it shut again.
‘What is it?’ he said.
‘Nothing.’
‘Mmm. You looked like you were going to say something.’
She held up her hands. ‘All I was going to say was, first one to the Holy Isle is the winner.’ With that, she turned and began paddling furiously.
They paddled quickly, peals of laughter coming from Kitty as she tried her hardest to stay in front. There was no denying that she was good, and he was struggling to keep up. By the time they reached the shore, he was panting for breath, as was Kitty, andshe beat him by about a metre. ‘I won,’ she said, punching the air triumphantly.
‘I didn’t have you down as the competitive type,’ he said, grinning.
‘I’m afraid I am. I can’t help it. Even when Cameron was small, he would get annoyed with how competitive I could be.’
‘What, did you try and tackle him and his friends when they were playing football?’
‘Pretty much,’ she said, beaming. ‘I know I shouldn’t be telling you that. You’ll think I’m an awful person.’
Logan stepped out of his kayak and pulled it onto the beach, then stretched his arms up. ‘That was quite the workout,’ he admitted.
‘Did you think you were just going to have a gentle morning on the water?’ There was a smile on her lips.
He looked shame-faced. ‘I wasn’t expecting that. Just goes to show you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.’ He reached into his small backpack, which was tucked into the boat. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m desperate for a coffee.’ He pulled out a flask. ‘Can I offer you one?’
‘Oh, yes please,’ said Kitty, fastening her hair with a clasp. ‘I’m parched.’
‘There you go,’ he said, passing her an enamel mug. ‘Hope you don’t mind it black. I wasn’t sure what you took so thought I’d play it safe.’
‘It’s perfect,’ she said, taking a sip. ‘Wow, this is a really good cup of coffee.’ Her tone was quite sincere.
‘You sound surprised.’
