Page 204 of Falling for You
‘Right!’ I say quickly. ‘Everyone inside, it’s freezing. Mum and Dad? In the kitchen,now.’
‘Oh Annie, he islovely.’
‘Mum!’ I cry, snapping my fingers at her as she slips back into her I-need-to-buy-a-new-hat trance. ‘What did I just say? He’s afriendwho is stuck here because of the snow; I said I’d help him find somewhere to stay. He doesn’t know the area, he’s American.’
‘What football team does he support?’ Dad pipes up.
I roll my eyes. Why is that important? ‘Just be normal, please?’ I say. ‘Don’t terrify him by giving him the Spanish Inquisition.’
‘Fun fact about the Spanish Inquisition—’
‘Not now, Dad!’ I run out of the kitchen and find Nate awkwardly perched on the living-room sofa. The fire is roaring with brilliant, yellow flames, sending a lovely woody smell through the house.
‘Sorry about that,’ I say. ‘They were just a bit … excited. Not that they’ve ever heard of you before,’ I add quickly, wanting to shut down any idea that I’ve spent the last week doodlingI heart Nateon the back of my hand.
‘Really?’ Nate says lightly. ‘I told my mom about you.’
‘Really?’ I blink at him, taken aback.
‘She loves romance,’ he says. ‘She wanted to hear how my dating life was going in London, so I told her.’
‘What did she say?’
He smiles, looking down at his hands. ‘She wanted me to try and find you.’
‘And did you tell her?’ I sit down next to him.
‘Tell her what?’
‘That we found each other!’ I say, feeling myself redden.
‘Ah.’ A shadow passes over his face. ‘No. Not yet.’
I push my lips together. God, read the room, Annie. He didn’t message you, he hasn’t told his mum any more about you.He isn’t into you. I just need to find him somewhere to stay for the night, do my Good Samaritan deed and thenforget all about him. Weird lovely feelings or no weird lovely feelings. That is what I have to do.
‘Right,’ I say, pulling my parents’ laptop out from under the sofa and tapping in their password. ‘So, here you go. If you google B&Bs in the Cotswolds, there are loads around here. You can use our landline to call any.’ I hand him the phone. ‘Let me know which one you decide to book and I’ll walk you over to it. There are quite a few that aren’t that far away.’
He nods. ‘Right. Of course. Thank you, Annie.’
I slap my thighs and get to my feet. ‘No problem,’ I say, walking out of the sitting room and forcing myself not to look back at him.
‘Right!’ I say loudly as I walk into the kitchen, forcing Mum and Dad to stop their incessant whispering in the corner. ‘What’s the plan for this weekend?’
They blink at me, totally still for a second, when Dad launches into action. ‘Ah, of course. Well, we thought we may do a nice walk tomorrow and then—’
‘Annie!’ Mum hisses in her I’m-being-really-quiet-but-I’m-actually-being-insanely-loud whisper. ‘What’s going on? Is he your boyfriend?’
‘No!’ I snap, exasperated. ‘Mum, we’ve just been over this – we’re just friends.’
‘But why?’ she cries. ‘He seems so nice!’
‘You’ve spent thirty seconds with him.’
‘Mother’s intuition! A motheralways knows.’ Mum taps the side of her nose and I roll my eyes.
‘I think that’s about whether your baby needs feeding or burping, not whether your daughter should go out with a guy you like the look of,’ I say flatly.
‘Excuse me?’
