shooting at the weekend, as far as she knew, so it couldn’t be work. So was it his aunt? Had she taken a turn for the worse?
She called him. ‘Hey, it’s Jess,’ she said when he answered.
‘Jess?’ He sounded shocked to hear from her.
‘You just texted me,’ she pointed out.
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘So you haven’t just taken Baloo for a run?’
‘Ah. That text.’ He sighed. ‘I meant to delete that, not send it. My apologies.’
‘Is everything OK?’ she asked.
‘Sure.’
‘So your aunt’s all right?’ Jess persisted, convinced that something was wrong and he was bluffing. But he’d let her dump a load of stuff on him, last night. The least she could do would be to return the favour.
‘Monica’s a bit stir-crazy and dying to come home, but they’re keeping an eye on her for a while longer yet.’
‘That’s good. I was worried that something might be wrong.’
‘Why?’
She coughed. ‘Let’s try that again. If I’m right about taking the dog for a run, it means you’re having a bad day. So if it’s not your aunt...’
He sighed. ‘Ignore me. I just let a stupid article get to me, that’s all.’
She knew she was probably speaking out of turn, but she couldn’t help herself. ‘It sounds as if you could do with tea and cake.’
‘Tea and cake?’ he asked.
‘My sister’s remedy for absolutely everything.’
‘Does it work?’
And that sounded as if the words had come out before he could stop them. ‘Usually.’ She paused. ‘If you have tea, I could bring some cake over.’
‘I thought you were busy?’
Most of that had been an excuse so she didn’t seem needy. Or like a stalker. ‘I can always make time for cake.’
‘Then thank you. Cake,’ he said, ‘sounds perfect.’
‘See you in a bit.’
Jess went to the bakery round the corner from her flat to buy a selection of cakes, picked up some dog treats from the pet shop further down the parade of shops, and took the Tube to Luke’s place. Remembering that kiss from last night made her feel slightly nervous about it. Was she doing the right thing? Was he going to think that her offer of comforting him with cake was going to be followed up by comforting him with kisses? And did she actually want to kiss him again?
The heat that flooded her skin told her that yes, she did.
Luke was the first man she’d been attracted to since Matt was killed. Part of Jess felt guilty about it—how could she want someone else, when it was only a year since she’d been widowed? And yet she knew that, had it been the other way round, she wouldn’t have wanted Matt to spend the rest of his life pining for her.
And then again, how did Luke feel?
Not wanting to think too closely about that, she checked her phone to see if she could find the article that had thrown him off balance. She winced as she read it. How horrible to have people speculating about you in that way, and knocking your confidence. She was glad that she’d never had to deal with anything like that.
When she rang the doorbell, he opened the front door a few seconds later and the Labrador pushed her way in front of him, wriggling and wagging her tail wildly.
She grinned. ‘Nice welcome, Baloo. And, yes, I brought something for you.’ She smiled at Luke. ‘And for you.’ She handed him the box.
He glanced inside when he’d ushered her indoors. ‘These look wonderful—I don’t believe this. Cupcakes with top hats on.’
‘Well, with you being such a hat fiend...’ she deadpanned.
He grinned. ‘Yeah. Thank you. What tea would you like? Earl Grey? Rooibos and vanilla? Chai?’
Clearly he was a man after her own heart; she had a variety of teas in her own cupboard. ‘Chai, please.’
‘Chai it is.’
Luke had one of those posh glass teapots where you put loose-leaf tea in a basket in the centre that could be taken out when the tea was at the desired strength. And Jess noticed that he was careful not to put the tea into the water until they
She called him. ‘Hey, it’s Jess,’ she said when he answered.
‘Jess?’ He sounded shocked to hear from her.
‘You just texted me,’ she pointed out.
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘So you haven’t just taken Baloo for a run?’
‘Ah. That text.’ He sighed. ‘I meant to delete that, not send it. My apologies.’
‘Is everything OK?’ she asked.
‘Sure.’
‘So your aunt’s all right?’ Jess persisted, convinced that something was wrong and he was bluffing. But he’d let her dump a load of stuff on him, last night. The least she could do would be to return the favour.
‘Monica’s a bit stir-crazy and dying to come home, but they’re keeping an eye on her for a while longer yet.’
‘That’s good. I was worried that something might be wrong.’
‘Why?’
She coughed. ‘Let’s try that again. If I’m right about taking the dog for a run, it means you’re having a bad day. So if it’s not your aunt...’
He sighed. ‘Ignore me. I just let a stupid article get to me, that’s all.’
She knew she was probably speaking out of turn, but she couldn’t help herself. ‘It sounds as if you could do with tea and cake.’
‘Tea and cake?’ he asked.
‘My sister’s remedy for absolutely everything.’
‘Does it work?’
And that sounded as if the words had come out before he could stop them. ‘Usually.’ She paused. ‘If you have tea, I could bring some cake over.’
‘I thought you were busy?’
Most of that had been an excuse so she didn’t seem needy. Or like a stalker. ‘I can always make time for cake.’
‘Then thank you. Cake,’ he said, ‘sounds perfect.’
‘See you in a bit.’
Jess went to the bakery round the corner from her flat to buy a selection of cakes, picked up some dog treats from the pet shop further down the parade of shops, and took the Tube to Luke’s place. Remembering that kiss from last night made her feel slightly nervous about it. Was she doing the right thing? Was he going to think that her offer of comforting him with cake was going to be followed up by comforting him with kisses? And did she actually want to kiss him again?
The heat that flooded her skin told her that yes, she did.
Luke was the first man she’d been attracted to since Matt was killed. Part of Jess felt guilty about it—how could she want someone else, when it was only a year since she’d been widowed? And yet she knew that, had it been the other way round, she wouldn’t have wanted Matt to spend the rest of his life pining for her.
And then again, how did Luke feel?
Not wanting to think too closely about that, she checked her phone to see if she could find the article that had thrown him off balance. She winced as she read it. How horrible to have people speculating about you in that way, and knocking your confidence. She was glad that she’d never had to deal with anything like that.
When she rang the doorbell, he opened the front door a few seconds later and the Labrador pushed her way in front of him, wriggling and wagging her tail wildly.
She grinned. ‘Nice welcome, Baloo. And, yes, I brought something for you.’ She smiled at Luke. ‘And for you.’ She handed him the box.
He glanced inside when he’d ushered her indoors. ‘These look wonderful—I don’t believe this. Cupcakes with top hats on.’
‘Well, with you being such a hat fiend...’ she deadpanned.
He grinned. ‘Yeah. Thank you. What tea would you like? Earl Grey? Rooibos and vanilla? Chai?’
Clearly he was a man after her own heart; she had a variety of teas in her own cupboard. ‘Chai, please.’
‘Chai it is.’
Luke had one of those posh glass teapots where you put loose-leaf tea in a basket in the centre that could be taken out when the tea was at the desired strength. And Jess noticed that he was careful not to put the tea into the water until they
Similar Books
