Page 61 of A Secret Escape

Chapter14Milly

Milly tapped on the door of Brendan’s cabin, and when there was no answer she let herself in.

She dropped the bag of fresh linen in the hallway and took the bag of food straight through to the kitchen, noticing as she did so that most of the sheets of paper had been cleared from the floor.

She was unloading food into the fridge when she heard a noise behind her.

Heart thumping she turned, a fresh melon in her hand.

Brendan Scott stood in the doorway, his hair wet from the shower, a towel looped around his neck. He wore a pair of shorts and had a clean shirt in his hand. His chest was bare, water still clinging to his shoulders and his bare legs.

He raised an eyebrow. “Death by melon? That’s a new one.”

She lowered the melon. “You scared me.”

“Sorry. I should have called out from the bathroom, but you didn’t strike me as the jumpy type.”

She’d never been the jumpy type, but that was before Nicole had come to stay with her. Now she was suffering from hyper-vigilance. Yesterday she’d found herself checking the bushes for photographers when she left the house,and she’d insisted that Zoe walk to the main entrance of Forest Nest to meet her dad so that there was no chance Richard might catch sight of Nicole.

The fewer people who knew she was there, the better.

“I had no idea you were here.” And now she was flustered. “Did I get the time wrong? I thought you told me you’d be out this morning.”

“That was the plan, but my book was going well so I ended up working for most of the night.” He rubbed the edges of his hair with the towel. “I wanted to get it done while I was in the flow of it.”

“So you’ve finished?”

“Just a draft, but a draft is good.” His smile told her just how good.

She couldn’t imagine it, being able to create something from nothing like that. “You probably want to go right back to bed and catch up on sleep. I’ll finish off here and then leave you alone. I can come back later to clean the cabin and change the sheets and towels. I apologize for disturbing you.” She carried on unloading the food from the bag. She felt self-conscious, which was ridiculous because she was just doing her job. Of course, she didn’t usually do her job with a shirtless man hovering. But she wasn’t a teenager. She was past feeling flustered, surely?

“Why are you apologizing? We had an arrangement. I’m the one who changed it. No need to leave, unless it bothers you working around me.”

“It doesn’t bother me.” Although it might have been easier if he put his shirt on.

Perhaps he read her mind because he tugged on his shirt and strolled into the room. “What delicious treats are you bringing me today? That dish you left a few days ago—what was it? Roasted peppers and goat cheese. Sublime.”

She wasn’t a teenager but discovered she was still capable of blushing like one. “Good. You need to eat.”

“I appreciate it. It’s kind of you. Catering isn’t exactly part of my package here.”

“I’m bringing you leftovers, that’s all.” She didn’t say that these days she planned a portion for him into every meal she prepared. “I love to cook, and I always make too much. Ask Zoe.”

“Zoe is your daughter?”

“Yes.” Close up she could see how tired he looked. She imagined him in the early hours, hunched over his laptop on the deck, losing track of time. “Have you had breakfast? Coffee? I could make you something.”

“I’m sure you have things you need to do. It’s the weekend, after all.”

“I don’t have anywhere else I need to be. Zoe is with her dad this weekend.” And she was trying to fill her time and not to think too much about it, because dwelling on what might be happening was a quick way to make herself feel horrible. She’d been awake half the night worrying that Richard might say bad things about her in front of Zoe. She’d managed to upset herself over conversations that had only happened in her mind, but in her defense Richard didn’t seem to be exercising much restraint at the moment. Milly didn’t want Zoe to find herself in the middle of it all.

She loaded the last of the food into the fridge, trying hard not to think about Richard. Trying not to wonder how you could go from smiling together at your new baby to dividing up weekends and holidays. “I made lemon chicken, which you can heat up and eat with rice. I noticed you had some in the cupboard. Also a roasted vegetable tart that you can have with salad. I made some poppy seed bread rolls this morning, so I’ve put a couple on the side for you. At least you won’t starve for the next couple of days.”

“Where have you been all my life?” He fastened the buttons on his shirt. He didn’t seem in any hurry to get back to his work. “Is it hard for you when she’s away?”

Milly closed the fridge door. She was tempted to spill out the truth, but the last thing he needed was to hear about her problems and worries. Overthinking was one thing, but oversharing was something she tried to avoid. “It’s fine. I get time to myself, and that’s a treat.”

“Time you spend waiting on other people and staying busy.” He watched her for a moment. “Will that delicious-sounding chicken keep until tomorrow?”

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