Page 87 of Wild About You

I filled the kettle and turned it on. ‘Sorry. I’m a bit jumpy.’

‘Good evening?’

I looked at him. There was a half-smile on his face, but his eyes were blazing with a strange warmth.Jealousy. My mind told me it, even as I tried to logically deny it (‘He’s not jealous. Why would he be? Don’t be ridiculous, Anna’). But he was. And there was a part of me that was thrilled about it. Ridiculously thrilled.

I looked into his eyes. I hadn’t allowed myself a look like that for a while, but I drank him in with my eyes. Screw it, if Lucinda was going to cheat on him, I was allowed to look at him. As I looked, I remembered the way he had touched me; I remembered how lost we had been in each other, the way he had said my name in a voice rough with desire. He stared at me; I saw in that look exactly what he wanted to do. He took a step back and I saw him catch his breath.

‘It wasn’t a great night,’ I said, thinking of Sean. ‘But it was necessary. Some ends to tie up.’

He nodded, looking at the floor. ‘I hope you’re okay,’ he said softly.

‘I am. Tea?’

‘Best not. Much as I’d like to sit up and chat.’ He turned away.

‘Jamie.’

He turned back. Tobias’s words were echoing around my head. Why on earth would Lucinda cheat, when she had thisman? But perhaps she didn’t have him, not really. It would be so easy to tell him – just to say the words. But how much would I be telling him for my own sake? It would be easy to fall into his arms, into his bed, right now. But telling him would be like flicking a domino over in rows of dominoes, and send circumstances spiralling off in all directions. It wasn’t the time or the place.

‘What’s wrong?’ he said.

‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘It’s nothing that can’t wait. Just a work thing.’

‘Right.’ His expression faded to blankness. ‘Goodnight.’

I heard him go to his room, closing the door softly behind him. I checked the kitchen for comfort food, but it seemed it had all been hoovered up by Fi, Richard and Jamie. The only thing left was the bottle of champagne sitting forlornly in the fridge, waiting for something to celebrate.

CHAPTER 26

Richard left to return to Stonemore at 7am; the only sign of him going was the epic slam, which was obligatory when exiting the glam apartment’s front door. ‘He’s got an important meeting tomorrow,’ said Fi, foggy-eyed with sleep, as I made her a tea an hour later. ‘And once we’ve got the prize ceremony out of the way, you’ve just got to visit that project, haven’t you? I can stay in the car.’

This wasn’t like Fi. Every time we asked her, she said she was fine, but all of her bounciness had departed. I thought about telling her what Tobias had said, but dismissed the thought in under a minute and gazed at my phone gloomily.

TOBIASAnna! Help me. What do I do? The creep is back.

ANNASit tight. I’ll sort it.

I thought it through. The ceremony was at lunchtime, thank goodness, and then we’d be on the road to visit the project outside London. Jamie suggested we drive through the night to get home, rather than staying another night in London as originally planned. ‘I think Fi needs to get home,’ he said, and I agreed.

‘Got your outfit planned?’ I said to her now.

She nodded and smiled. ‘Might need ironing though.’

‘I can do that.’

I watched her face brighten as Jamie entered with croissants.

We needed to get home. We could sort everything out once we got home.

Home. Stonemore. That’s how I’d thought of it, automatically. I should have felt more at home here in London – galvanised by the city, alive to its excitement and opportunity. As I’d sat by the glittering river the night before, I’d just wanted to get back to Stonemore. I wanted, not the freedom of London, but to be hemmed in by the stone walls of my cottage. Wearing jeans and a jumper dusted with beagle hair rather than designer clothes and shoes that made me sashay as I walked. I wanted to breathe the clean air, check the meadow, complain about the weather.

TOBIASA nice lady called Roshni called.

ANNAYou didn’t tell her, did you?

TOBIASOfc not! What do you think I am?

ANNAWe’re coming back tonight. We can sort everything when we’re back.

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