Page 47 of A Summer of New Beginnings
Zara sat on the sand and looked out at the water. The sunlight glinted like tiny light bulbs bobbing on the surface as the breeze caused little ripples. Overhead a couple of birds caught thermals and floated, dipping and looping. So peaceful. So uncomplicated.
How dare he read it? How bloody dare he? But…did he mean what he said? Or was he just being nice? Or did he think it was utterly crap but said it was good to cover up the guilt he felt for reading it in the first place?
She sighed heavily and, as if she sensed her mood, Bess placed a paw on her arm. ‘Oh, Bess, I’m going to miss you when I leave.’ Saying the words out loud caused a ball of emotion to tighten her throat and her eyes beganto sting. ‘I think I’ll miss your owner too, but don’t tell him I said so, okay? I bet he’ll be glad to see the back of me. Especially over that reaction to him reading my stupid book.’
*
By the time she had returned to the house Lachlan had gone. She had no idea where or how long he would be, but she had calmed down and realised that her overreaction could have just caused her to lose a friend.Because that was what Lachy had become. It might have been fast but he’d been there for her when she’d been vulnerable and needed someone. He’d taken her in when she’d had nowhere to stay. And how had she repaid him? By being a snappy, childish bitch. Instead of focusing on the fact that thefirst personto read her book – an intelligent person to boot – had loved it, she had focused on the factthat he had read it without permission. He’d read an open document on hisownbloody laptop. In truth he could’ve kept quiet about reading it and she’d have been none the wiser. The fact that he loved the book so much that he was excited to discuss it should have been the wonderful thing to cling to in all this. She needed to make amends pretty damned quick.
She riffled through his fridge, freezerand cupboards hunting for ingredients.Lasagne, I can’t go far wrong with lasagne,she thought as she piled up the necessary items. Bess watched her every move with a tilted head and a string of drool hanging from her mouth.
‘Ugh, Bess, you’re no lady, are you?’ Zara laughed as she ruffled the dog’s fur. ‘Right, I need to make this special meal for your human. Does he like lasagne?’ she askedthe black and white canine, who simply licked her lips. ‘I’ll take that as a yes.’
Two hours later Lachy appeared. Zara was sitting at the table facing the door and stood as soon as he walked in.
‘I wanted to—’
‘Lachy, I’m—’
He gestured in his typical gentlemanly way. ‘You first.’
She held up her hands. ‘Look, I’m sorry. I totally overreacted and it was ridiculous. You’ve been so good tome and you didn’t deserve me going off on you like that. I totally understand if you want me to take my tent and camp somewhere out there until the new bike arrives. But I made you lasagne. Think of it as an apology lasagne. Now, I’m no expert chef. No one will be renaming me Nigella Lawson any time soon. And I think the cheese is burned. And I may have overdone it with the herbs, so you might noteven want to eat it, but I had to do something to—’
She hadn’t even realised he had walked towards her but when his lips touched hers she gasped in a breath. His hand slipped into her hair and she parted her lips as she gripped his shirt. The kiss was intense and desire flooded her body like wildfire. His tongue caressed hers and her knees weakened.
When he pulled away he rested his foreheadon hers. ‘Well, that certainly quietened you down.’ He smiled. ‘I had to do it because you really weren’t selling that apology lasagne. It was sounding more likerevengelasagne with every sentence.’
She touched her lips. ‘You kissed me.’
He stroked her cheek with the soft pad of his thumb. ‘I believe I did, yes. I’ve wanted to do it since that day you stood outside your tent with wild hairand crazy eyes professing to be a strong, independent woman. Now come on, feed me, woman. How bad can this lasagne be?’
