Sealed With a Kiss by Rachael Lucas Page A

adjusted the binoculars slightly, homing in on a shape beyond the adult seal. ‘Oh, it’s a baby!’
    The pup was covered in a shaggy white coat. As Kate watched, it yawned, showing a coral-pink mouth.
    ‘I’ve seen that cow here every year since I was fifteen. Seals can live for thirty years.’
    Kate was transfixed. Ten minutes later she handed the binoculars back to Roderick. ‘Sorry, I’ve hogged them. It’s just that the seals are so beautiful. I could watch them for
hours.’
    Roderick raked his fingers through his hair and smiled lopsidedly. ‘I thought you might think I was a bit of a geek.’ He looked awkward, and suddenly young.
    ‘Not at all. I spent my childhood collecting beetles.’
    ‘As in creepy-crawlies, or as in toy cars?’
    ‘Bugs.’ She had no idea why she was sharing this information with him. It had been years since she’d even thought about her little collection of pet pests. ‘I know, it
sounds a bit bonkers. I kept them in little boxes and constantly got into trouble for having them escape all over the kitchen. Not quite so exotic, but we didn’t have many seals in
Essex.’
    ‘Oh, you do,’ Roderick said, boyish in his enthusiasm. ‘I did some work down there a while back – you just need to head over to Foulness and . . . ’ He paused for
breath. ‘Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying, about being a bit of a geek . . . ’
    Kate laughed.
    ‘Come on then.’ He strode ahead, beckoning her to follow. ‘I’ll show you my favourite place for watching them. It’s where I’m going to have the hide built
– the cottages aren’t far from here, look.’ He pointed to some grey stone buildings up on the hill.
    They were much closer to the seals now, but hidden from sight by a stack of boulders. Creeping forwards, Kate slipped, falling backwards into Roderick’s arms.
    ‘Sorry, I missed my footing.’ She pulled away, embarrassed.
    ‘I’m not complaining.’
    His amused tone sent an unexpected prickle of heat through Kate, flushing her face scarlet. She was suddenly very interested in the binocular straps, adjusting them with great concentration.
    As if nothing had happened, Roderick pointed out the noses of a group of seals, bobbing up and down in the shallow water.
    ‘They only sleep for ninety seconds at a time. That’s a meeting of Insomniacs Anonymous out there.’ He laughed. ‘Come on, I’ll take you up the hill and show you
what we’re dealing with.’
    The cottages were tumbledown, but beautiful. Tussocks of grass grew in between the paving stones, and the little road that led to them was strewn with rusted, discarded farm machinery. The long,
low byre, which was to become the student bunkhouse, was still full of straw.
    ‘It’s like a rural
Marie Celeste
.’
    ‘It’s sad, isn’t it?’ He gestured to the cottage in front of them, before pushing at the wooden door. Long shards of paint crackled to the ground. Inside, the cottage was
floored with ancient linoleum, and the walls were covered in dated floral paper.
    ‘This was lived in by a tenant farmer, who died when my father was still alive.’ He held open the door to what had been the sitting room and kitchen. ‘The other was rented to a
family who decided to come and live the good life.’ His voice was mocking. They made their way back through the door, standing on the step, taking in the view of Selkie Bay.
    ‘And what happened to them?’
    ‘One cold winter, and they’d had it. They were determined to be self-sufficient, but that only works if you’re willing to eat a very limited diet.’
    Kate gasped. ‘They died?’
    ‘No.’ Roderick burst out laughing, startling a crow. It spiralled into the air, squawking in disgust. ‘They legged it off the island. They got snowed in over here for about
three days and had to live on turnips and potatoes. I think they’re living in an eco-house in Findhorn now.’
    ‘There’s a lot of work to do here, isn’t there?’ Kate poked at the wood of