Page 37 of Just the Beginning

Anya eyed her reflection in the bathroom mirror she was using to apply her make-up while Freya splashed around in the bath.Or perhaps you’re just looking for an excuse to back out. She’dgrown increasingly nervous as the day had gone on, and if the butterflies in her stomach didn’t settle down soon she wouldn’t be able to eat a bite later.

‘You look pretty, Mummy,’ Freya said.

‘Thank you, darling.’ Bending over, Anya added a dash of lipstick to Freya’s mouth and smiled at her. ‘You look pretty, too!’

Freya giggled in delight and they spent the next couple of minutes blowing kisses and giving each other ever-more-extravagant compliments until they were laughing so hard Anya had to wipe off her eyeliner and start again.

By the time Chloe arrived, Freya was in her pyjamas and had transferred her favourite dolls and teddies to the sofa ready for aFrozenwatch party. ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Anya whispered as she greeted Chloe with a hug.

‘Not at all. It’ll be the most fun I’ve had on a Friday night for a long time.’ Chloe held up a carrier bag. ‘I’ve got plenty of supplies to keep us going.’

‘I know I’m not going to approve of probably 90 per cent of what’s in there, so I’m not even going to ask,’ Anya said with a rueful laugh.

‘Girls’ night secrets,’ Chloe said, making a show of hiding the bag behind her back. She cast a critical eye over the shorts and T-shirt Anya had thrown on after her shower earlier. ‘You’re not wearing that, are you?’

Anya couldn’t resist glancing down. ‘What’s wrong with it?’ When Chloe frowned, she grinned. ‘My dress is hanging up in the bedroom.’ She checked her watch. There was still plenty of time before she had to get changed. ‘Do you want a drink?’

Though she’d seen it a hundred times before, Anya still ended up getting caught up watching the film – well, watching Freya watch it, anyway. Snuggled up with her toys, merrily stuffing strawberry bootlaces, sherbet-filled spaceships and allsorts of other sugary delights from the enormous bag of pick ’n’ mix Chloe had brought with her, Freya was in her element. Only a nudge from Chloe reminded Anya of the time, and she had to dash into the bedroom, pull on her dress and swap her slippers for a pair of flat, strappy sandals. She picked up the little cream evening bag that had room for a lipstick, a pack of tissues and her debit card. She hoped wherever Rick had chosen wasn’t too expensive and tried not to think about all the things the money could be better spent on.

Stop it.

Taking a deep breath, she put her best foot forward and walked into the other room. ‘Wow, look at you!’ Chloe said, giving her an approving look-over. ‘That dress is beautiful. Give us a twirl!’

Feeling giddily self-conscious, Anya turned around a couple of times, letting the floaty skirt of the dress flair. ‘I found the material online.’

‘You made it?’ Chloe’s eyes grew wide. ‘We must get the workshop sorted and get you back behind that sewing machine because I could sell a dozen of them, tomorrow.’

Anya blushed, absurdly pleased with her cousin’s obvious admiration. ‘Let’s make time this weekend to start clearing things out, then!’

‘Deal! Now hurry up or you’re going to be late.’

Having given Freya a hug and a kiss, and earned a complaint from her daughter that she was blocking theTV, Anya hurried out of the summer house and through the garden.

Rick was waiting for her on the street, leaning his back against the side of a smart-looking blackSUV. The sight of him dressed up was enough to make her catch her breath. In a navy short-sleeved shirt that highlighted the impressive size of his biceps and a pair of tailored cream chinos, he was the dictionarydefinition of tall, dark and handsome. He straightened up the moment he saw her, the smile curving his lips sending little tingles of anticipation dancing down her spine. ‘You look lovely,’ he said, reaching out to take her hand. He drew her close enough to lean down and brush a kiss on her cheek. ‘Simply gorgeous.’

The rich, amber scent of his aftershave had her eyelids fluttering closed for a second, unable to cope with so many pleasurable sensations at once.

God, you smell good.

Her eyes flew open again, but Rick’s warm, friendly smile reassured her that she hadn’t humiliated herself by saying it out loud. She needed to say something, though. ‘Thank you. You umm, you look nice too, that colour really works for you.’

He brushed a hand over the front of his shirt and she could tell he was pleased at the compliment. ‘Are you ready to go?’ When she nodded, he used his free hand to open her door, releasing her with the other only after he’d helped her in. He waited until she gathered her dress well clear, then closed her door and circled the bonnet to get in the other side. ‘How was Freya? No problems with you going out tonight?’ he asked as they fastened their seatbelts and he started the engine.

‘She was fine, stuffing herself with sweets and having a lovely time with Chloe.’ She wrinkled her nose at him. ‘I’m not looking forward to dealing with the after-effects of her sugar rush later, I have to admit.’

Rick shot her a sympathetic grin just as he was pulling away from the kerb. ‘I bet. Fingers crossed she’ll be fast asleep when you get home.’

‘I can only hope!’

There was a lull in conversation as Rick negotiated his way through what bit of traffic there was. The village had grownfrom the seafront outwards in a higgledy-piggledy maze of narrow streets and dead ends. Even the later parts of the village that had been built in the seventies and eighties struggled to accommodate the combination of parked cars and the popularity of larger, wider vehicles like Rick’sSUV.

Once they were out on the coast road, she began to worry less about his paintwork and was able to relax a little more. ‘So this place you’ve booked for tonight, have you been there before?’

Keeping his eyes on the road, Rick nodded. ‘Yes, a couple of times. It’s not super fancy or anything, but the food is delicious, and if you like seafood they always have a daily special with whatever the chef has bought fresh from the boats that morning.’

She let her head loll back against the seat as she watched the beautiful scenery go by. ‘It’s been so long since I’ve been out for a meal that didn’t come with fries and a toy, I’m really looking forward to it.’

‘I can’t remember the last time I went for dinner that wasn’t either something to do with the council or a family occasion.’ Rick’s admission made her feel better, somehow.

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