Rose was already clearing up when Chloe came in, the last customer was just ready to leave, Rose had already locked the door, since she had sort of a 'date' at five, something she was looking forward to and was sure it was showing on her face. Chloe noticed but didn't say anything as she looked around and saw Rose had made a start but her curiosity got the better of her half an hour later.

"You look happy about something," she remarked as Rose came out of the storeroom.

"Oh, it shows?"

"Well yeah. I don't mean to be nosy but have you got a date or something? It must be a date or you wouldn't be grinning like that."

"It's not an actual date, I'm meeting someone. Whether it turns out to be a date remains to be seen, I doubt the person I'm meeting will see it as that."

Chloe had to smile, her boss was being all coy and wasn't letting on if she was meeting a man or a woman. It could just be a friend and they were going out somewhere.

"I know who you are Rose, it can't be easy for you, hiding yourself away."

"You do? There was I thinking I was lying low, the newspaper editor was in the other day and didn't say anything but she might think there's a story brewing and she's taking her time."

"There'll be loads of reporters at Danny's funeral, just a warning."

"I'll have to stay out of their way then, won't I? Besides, I'm going with someone."

"I only invited you 'cos you're my boss, you're not thinking of bringing a date are you?"

Chloe bit her tongue, hoping she wouldn't now get told to forget the job.

"No, I'm giving someone a lift so I don't get lost. Don't worry, you'll know who it is when we arrive."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to be cheeky, it's just some people might think it's ok. The last time I went to a funeral, I had to pretend I wasn't with my boyfriend, mum and dad didn't know about him."

"That must have been awkward then. Do they know about him now?"

"Yeah, he's across the car park waiting for me, he's early."

Chloe crossed to the window, seeing Dean sat on his bike by the other café.

"Did I just see DI Hardy across the other side?" she asked.

"I don't know, where?" Rose asked, seeing him walk along and sit down on the low wall.

"He's not waiting for you is he?" Chloe laughed.

"What makes you think that?"

"Just a lucky guess, I've not seen him around before and you're meeting someone."

"Promise not to laugh?"

Chloe nodded as she put the sweeping brush away.

"I'm teaching how to make a video call, he keeps getting it wrong. He doesn't seem to be able to grasp it, he hadn't turned the camera on when I asked him yesterday."

"Really? Seems like you'll have your work cut out for you then?"

"Yeah, even my mum can make a call and trust me, she's not the easiest person to teach anything to, my little brother is more technically minded. I hope you won't tell anyone who I am, especially Alec Hardy?"

"No, I won't tell anyone but Dean already recognised you, sorry. Like I said though, you might get swamped by reporters on Friday."

"Aw, I'll be fine, I'll have the police with me but I'm a bit puzzled, about this incident he was involved in, do you know anything about it?"

"Oh, I think he fell during a chase that he had to go to hospital, so my gran heard. She knows someone who volunteers at the hospital, he discharged himself the next morning."

"Was it serious?"

"I don't know, was it in the paper?"

"Not really, I don't like to ask him about it. I mean he's been in here the last three mornings and doesn't talk much."

"He never did really, Ellie used to do all the talking but how she put up with him is beyond me."

"Who's Ellie?"

"She was his DS and my mum's best friend but not any more, something happened, I can't talk about it."

She had been told not to say who had killed her brother even though by now, probably half the town knew.

"You can get off if you've finished, I did some of it earlier. Oh, do you know where's the best place to get flowers, for Friday?"

"The florists up in the town, I expect they'll be busy, you might have to order."

"I'll do that then I can just pick them up on my way and hope Alec doesn't get us lost."

Chloe laughed. "He's not been in the town for long but he'll know where the church is, he's been twice for services and probably to see the vicar. He hauled in most of the town's male population at some point and he held my dad for hours, I had to bail him out."

She almost said by getting Becca Fisher to admit he was with her the night Danny died but Rose didn't need to know about that.

"You know who killed your brother, don't you?" Rose asked as Chloe got her jacket.

"Yeah, it was someone we all knew. Ask Alec Hardy, he might tell you."

"I don't need to know, as long as the person's been locked up. My mum followed the case, with me having a younger brother. See you tomorrow and I'll understand if you don't want to work on Saturday."

"It'll be all over then, we can get on with our lives. I'll tell mum not to say anything if she recognises you."

"I'll try not to steer the attention of the press away, that's not why I came here."

"Then why did you come here?"

"I was running away, my stepfather helped me set up here. It wasn't because of what happened, this place reminds me of somewhere. I'd best go meet Alec or he'll turn around and disappear on me."

"You like him?" Chloe teased as Rose made sure everything was switched off and then pushed the button for the grill to let them out.

Why she never used the back door she didn't know but she wasn't keen on going that way, it led to the back of the shops just around the corner and was a bit out of her way anyway.

Rose looked across, it was almost five and he was looking at his watch, not that he wouldn't be able to see her from where he was sitting, he couldn't really miss her.

"I've been flirting with him every morning and it was my idea I went to the funeral with him. I would have found my way on my own but don't tell him that."

Chloe laughed as Rose locked the door then put the key in the shutter.

"Your secrets are safe with me. See you tomorrow."

Rose waved across at Alec and made her way over the stony entrance to the car park. She got up to him and he stood up, indicating they should walk around and sit on one of the nearby benches.

"I saw you arriving, you should have come over," she greeted him.

"You had company."

"Don't you want to be seen with me?"

"Nothing of the sort, I'm here am I not? So, are you going to help me make that video call?"

He'd got a message back from Daisy saying if someone was going to teach him, she wanted to know who was daft enough to do so but he'd replied saying it was just someone who owned the local coffee shop and for her not to make a big deal out of it. He got his phone out and activated the screen, Rose noting it had just a picture that came with it. She expected it just rang instead of a fancy ringtone as well.

"Right, you did what I told you and added the person to your call list and activated the camera?" she asked him.

"Yes, I did all that. Here but don't mess with my settings," he told her, handing Rose his phone.

"I'll just go in the camera settings, you may have something turned off. Why don't I give you my number, then I'll go sit on the next bench and you can try and call me?" Rose suggested, going into the camera app and locating the settings.

"We'll do that then. Put your number in when you've done that."

Rose soon realised where the problem was, his video recording settings and the volume was muted, probably factory settings or he'd thought he wouldn't need it. She showed him, Alec squinting at the screen.

"You could put your specs on, I don't mind."

"I'll manage. So is that it?" he asked as she came out of the settings, leaving it on the camera.

"Yeah, here, I'll put my number in shall I?"

It meant he had to close the camera for her to do so but that was the least of his problems because now, she would get his. Still, he'd made his mind up he'd come clean with her and if she still wanted to be friends, then he wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. It wouldn't do his tarnished reputation any harm, being seen out with her.

He remembered what he'd been told and put her number into his call list and Rose got up and went to the next bench. He made the call and Rose answered him, saying she could see and hear him. As soon as he'd done so, he hung up and Rose went back to him.

"See, it wasn't too bad, was it? Now, trying calling whoever it was and see if you can be heard."

"I'll call later. Don't let me keep you."

"Aw, you're not keeping me from much. Are you hungry? We could get something from one of the stalls and come back here to eat?"

As long as it wasn't fish and chips wrapped in paper, he wasn't bothered. He got up and Rose walked beside him, Alec hoping she wouldn't do something really stupid like putting her arm in his. They decided to stay by the catering stall, sitting at one of the tables around the corner, facing the river. Alec could just see the chalet he would be moving into the next day and was already regretting she knew where it was.

"So are you all packed, for tomorrow?" Rose asked him.

"Yes, I will be moving after I finish work."

"You never told me why you're in the coffee shop at the same time."

"There is a reason, I'm now on reduced hours."

"Oh, something happened, didn't it? I saw it in the paper and Chloe mentioned it. Was it serious?"

He wasn't going to admit that technically, according to Miller, he had died on her.

"Fairly, I don't want to bore you with the details. I should let you get home."

"Yeah, I have things to do but if you want to talk, I can put them off."

"No, it's fine, I'm fine now. I just agreed because my boss wanted me to check out your coffee shop."

"How much longer are ya gonna do that?" Rose smiled, throwing her rubbish in the bin.

"As long as I'm told."

"Hope your boss doesn't think it's a waste of time?"

"Probably but she wants to keep peace with the council. I should get back to the hotel and make that call now, she might think I've forgotten."

Rose looked at him and he knew he shouldn't have said that.

"Don't let me keep you then, since I've gone to the trouble of showing you. Will you be in tomorrow morning?"

"Yes but I can come to the counter."

She was going to tell him he should, why was she giving him special treatment, when all he wanted her for was to learn to video call his girlfriend?

Alec thought he'd put his big foot in it yet again.

"I'm not calling a girlfriend, in case you were wondering?"

"It's nothing to do with me who you call Alec, I'll let you get on with it."

Rose got up but he caught her arm. "Rose, I wanted to learn so I could call my daughter, before she forgets what I look like."

Rose sat down on the wall next to the tables and he joined her.

"I did not mean to mislead you but I saw the look on your face just then. You did think that I was calling a girlfriend or my ex wife?"

"The thought crossed my mind."

"Is that why you were still flirting with me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Was I?"

"You know you were and I'm very flattered Rose, that despite me misleading you, it did not put you off. I should have said something."

"What? To tell me to stop wasting my time flirting with you? What's wrong with you anyway? What happened that night?"

He knew now was as good a time as any to tell her but she didn't look like she was in the mood to take pity on him.

"It was nothing, I told you, I fell."

"Then why don't I believe you? Alec, you can trust me, I don't know anyone here apart from you and Chloe, who am I gonna tell?"

She managed to smile at him as a glimmer of recognition appeared on his face when she said he could trust her, it was her stepfather's company's motto. She tried it again, nudging him and trying to get the thumb sign right, something Pete always laughed at.

"I've been an idiot," he declared as she laughed. "Rose Tyler? What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Flirting with the local DI? Did it work?"

He wanted to say no, that he was impervious to her flirting but he would be lying to both himself and to her. The first time since he'd arrived in the town, getting on for almost two months and she was already getting to him more than anyone else had.

"Maybe but I would not like to spoil your fun. I should really go call her now."

"What's she called?"

"Daisy and before you say anything, I do not come in the coffee shop because you are named after a flower also."

"I never said anything did I?" Rose laughed.

She got up and they walked back towards the coffee shop, Alec wanting to call for a cab to take him back to the hotel and thinking from tomorrow, he wouldn't have that problem. They crossed the road and Rose wondered if he intended walking her home to find out where she lived but he stopped outside the harbour stores.

"I have to get a few things, then I'll get a taxi to the hotel," he told her, thinking he could at least go in and get some bottled water, the hotel charged more than double.

"Right, so I'll see you tomorrow? Please don't tell your daughter who taught you to make the call."

"She thought anyone who tried to teach me must need their head examining. Until tomorrow then?"

He took her hand and kissed the back of it, almost a smile on his face. Now, he would get back to the hotel and trim his beard and tidy himself up a bit, he'd been letting himself go the last few days and Rose might actually forgive him for misleading her, if he was very lucky.

Rose got home and made herself a drink, relieved she'd not gone rusty with her flirting skills but it wasn't over just yet. Now, she knew she was on the right track with him and it still needed a bit of work but why wouldn't he admit what was wrong with him? Alec got back to the hotel, tidied himself up and called Daisy.

"Hey, I can't believe someone managed to teach you," she told him.

"Well yes, it was only something simple."

"So, where is she then? It was a she?"

"She went home and she is just someone I know, as I already told you, she owns the coffee shop by the harbour."

"Do you fancy her then Dad?" she teased, seeing him blush.

"I don't know her very well but I may like to get to know her. Why? Would you object if I were to do so?"

"No, I accept you and mum can't stand each other and she's got that loser Dave instead. Honestly, he's such a misery, he's no fun at all."

"Well, you can't choose for her, try and make the best of it eh? I got an appointment on Monday, at the hospital."

"Do you want me to come down and go with you Dad?"

"No, it's just a consultation but I won't have long to wait for the actual surgery."

"Maybe your new friend can go with you? What's her name?"

"She's called Rose."

"Seriously? Well I hope it's not Rose Tyler but what would she be doing in Broadchurch?"

He decided to leave things as they were for now, he may have nothing to tell her anyway. He remembered to take his pills, using the water he'd bought in the store and looked at his phone, thinking he should maybe put Rose's number in his phonebook.

Rose had already put Alec's in hers, she was watching TV when she got a message from him saying the call had gone well and he'd not told his daughter who exactly had shown him.

Rose sent him one back saying 'well done, see u tomorrow? x' and instantly regretted the 'x' at the end but she did it to everyone, even Mickey, well when she was actually talking to him, which she hadn't been for a few weeks. She might forgive him sooner or later, it had brought her to Broadchurch and she had met Alec Hardy and the town wasn't going to be half as boring as she had originally thought after all, he would more than compensate for her being away from home.

Alec had to smile when he actually got a reply, wondering why she'd added the 'x' but Daisy did it all the time to him, he had no reason to think Rose wasn't the same with her messages, had he? He'd been so close to telling her what was actually wrong with him and if he couldn't trust Rose Tyler, the Vitex heiress, who could he trust? Maybe on Friday, after Danny's funeral, it would be a good time to make a fresh start with her, if she was still talking to him by then.