Kate had run just one tour of the Giant’s Causeway earlier that day, ferrying holidaymakers from the nearby towns in her luxury minibus and escorting them on foot around the dramatic basalt rocks and columns. In the off season, this was often the case, but it was enough to keep the business ticking over until the hectic summer months came around.
‘You know what’s missing? There’s no nightlife’
‘After you wrap up, let me buy you a late lunch,’ Shaun had said when she’d explained on the phone the night before. ‘In return, you can let me pick your brains some more about the local area.’
Kate and Shaun had been spending a lot of time together, since they’d met on one of her causeway tours the previous week.
The American’s trumpeting of his Irish roots intrigued and sometimes amused Kate, and his enthusiasm for Port Madden delighted her – she’d always thought it a magical spot that deserved more recognition. Now someone had finally come along who had both the vision and the capital to raise the place up.
The first thing had been to take Shaun to the local outdoors shop and get him kitted out with a decent pair of hiking boots – his expensive loafers were certainly stylish, but he’d already slipped on the polygonal rocks at the causeway, soaking his foot in a pool of water, and they weren’t exactly suitable for clambering through the sand dunes.
The promised lunch had been locally caught haddock, deep-fried in crispy batter, and served with golden chips and a tangy wedge of lemon. Afterwards, they agreed to