Page 50 of Could It Be Magic?
He looked so adorably uncertain, standing there, that he’d said the right thing, that Thea couldn’t help kissing him again. ‘I like you too. A lot. But let’s take this slowly, OK?’ She glanced up at the front windows of the first floor of her house, and Nick immediately understood.
‘Slowly is fine.’ Nick smiled. ‘I know you’ve got a lot to think about. But I want to be a part of your life, Thea, and, if you want me to be, part of Cora and Dylan’s lives, too.’
‘Thank you,’ Thea replied. She knew Nick was sincere, but she also knew he hadn’t really had a great deal of experience with children. So, slowly was fine.
‘See you soon,’ Nick murmured, leaning in for one last kiss. ‘Sweet dreams.’
‘You too.’ Thea watched him as he got back into the car, then, rummaging in her bag for her keys, let herself into the house as quietly as she could. All was silent as she sneaked up the stairs, feeling, to all intents and purposes like the teenager she’d once been. As she reached the landing, she checked in on Cora and Dylan, both sound asleep, and noticed the door to the spare room was closed, suggesting Lorelai was too. Smiling into the darkness, she mulled over the events of tonight. Things were changing for her in so many ways, and she couldn’t help feeling optimistic.
43
The next morning, Thea, unused to such a late night, ambled down from her room to find breakfast in full flow in the kitchen. Lorelai, true to form, had risen early, had a pot of tea on the go and had made sure the children had eaten a decent breakfast. Dylan, noshing his way through an enormous bowl of porridge, glanced up at his mother before fixing his attention back on the TV series he was watching on his Kindle. Cora, slightly less of a morning person, was staring at her phone and making slower progress with her bowl.
‘Morning!’ Lorelai chirped, handing Thea a cuppa. ‘How was last night.’
‘Great, thanks.’ Thea couldn’t quite meet her grandmother’s gaze, although she had nothing to be ashamed about. After all of her protestations about seeing how things went with Nick, last night, in the cold light of day, felt like a bit of a leap. She couldn’t quite believe they’d fallen into bed on literally their first ‘proper’ date, but then, she supposed, they had thirty years of friendship to set the groundwork. And what a revelation last night had been! Thea hadn’t enjoyed sex like that in years; in fact, if she was being honest, ever.
‘So, any gossip from the social event of the season?’ Lorelai asked as she placed a generous bowl of porridge, topped with cream and raspberries, in front of Thea.
Thea stared at it in confusion. She didn’t recall buying any of the ingredients in front of her that had gone into the delectable breakfast.
‘Oh, I brought this all over with me,’ Lorelai replied when Thea gave her a quizzical look. ‘I remember how you used to love a bowl of this after a night out, and the kids always request it when they come over to stay.’
Thea smiled at her grandmother. ‘Thanks, Gran, it’s just what the doctor ordered.’ She took a spoonful and instantly felt better. ‘I can’t think of anything too scandalous – except that Robert Saint was persuaded to buy a new dinner jacket, having sworn he’d never get into one again!’
‘Maggie got her way, then!’ Lorelai laughed. ‘It’s good to know they’re both up on their feet again – hopefully that’ll take some of the pressure off Annabelle and Nick in the new year.’
Thea nodded. The mention of Nick made her face feel hot, and she hoped her grandmother wasn’t going to press her for more details. She wanted to keep things to herself for now, to hug the memory of their wonderful night close for as long as she could.
‘So, what are your plans for today?’ Lorelai asked, breaking into her reverie.
‘Not sure yet,’ Thea glanced out of the window. ‘It’s a lovely, sunny day – perhaps we’ll go for a quick walk, blow away the cobwebs.’
Stereo groans from her two children greeted this suggestion, which made Thea even more determined to get them off screens and into the fresh air. She hurried upstairs for a shower, making it clear that she expected them to be dressed and ready to go in twenty minutes. Checking her phone before she went into the small ensuite shower room that adjoined her bedroom, she smiled to see that Nick had sent her a message:
Hope you got some sleep in the end… wish it could have been with me, though! x
Replying, she suggested they make another date after the Christmas rush. She wanted to suggest something sooner, but it was three days until the big day now, and she still had a lot to organise, and she owed it to her children to be present for them now that the holidays had started for them all. She and Nick had lots of time to spend together; Christmas needed to be spent with the other people in their lives. All the same, she felt a sudden pang; she missed him.
As she got back out of the shower again, she couldn’t resist re-checking her phone to see if Nick had responded. He had, and her smile turned to a grin. He’d sent her a shot of himself, towel strategically placed low on his waist, torso still wet from the shower, a suggestive half smile on his face. The message simply read:
Next time…
If saucy texts were about as close as she was going to get to him for the next three days, then she’d look forward to receiving more of them. Dithering about what to send back, since she herself was pink and dishevelled from her own shower, she made do with:
Nice view to keep me warm on these long, lonely nights.
Perhaps she’d send him something more ‘visual’ later on. Saturday night had unleashed Nick’s naughty side, it seemed. She’d have to make sure she kept her phone away from the kids, if this was going to be the way their communications were going.
A little later on, as Thea, Cora, Dylan and Lorelai wandered through the woodland between Thea’s house and Nightshade Cottage, Thea reflected that, even with the unsettling situation with Ed and his other son not yet resolved, things were looking up. Annabelle had taken her aside between courses last night and offered her a few more hours at the farm shop, as well, which she definitely said she’d consider. Although the money wouldn’t match her teaching salary, every little would help. For the first time since she could remember, Thea felt optimistic about the future, and as she strolled along with her family on a bright, wintry Sunday morning’s walk, even the weather seemed to be celebrating.
44
For Nick, the next couple of days flew by in a flurry of activity, as the farm shop got ready to close for Christmas. He’d spent a leisurely Sunday at home, mulling over the previous evening and trying to keep the grin from his face whenever he thought back to how much fun it had been. Even Thea’s reaction to the roulette tables hadn’t derailed either of them for long, and he felt privileged that she’d shared the reason for her upset with him. They were building on many years of trust, and taking their relationship to the next level had felt like the natural next step. He knew, now, to give her the space she needed to celebrate Christmas with her family; she’d made it clear that this was what she wanted, and he felt optimistic that they’d be going into the new year having established something very new, but very precious.
To that end, he’d promised he’d keep his distance, that he would enjoy Christmas with his own family, and he and Thea would get together after the festive furore was over. That didn’t stop him thinking about just jumping in the Land Rover and heading over to Orion Close at least thirty times a day for the next day or so, but he managed to restrain himself. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.
Annabelle, of course, had been driving him bonkers with her knowing looks when they’d been on shift in the shop together, but he’d resolutely refused to give her any ammunition. There’d be plenty of time to talk to the family when he was surer of the ground he and Thea were breaking. But he couldn’t resist mentioning to Annabelle that yes, she’d been right, and yes, he hoped, finally, that things were going to work out between them. Annabelle, seemingly content with that, had made do with Cheshire cat grins in his direction ever since.
