Page 72 of Cooking Up a Christmas Storm
‘I don’t know. We’ve had lunch before.’
They had. ‘And we’ve talked like normal humans.’
‘And it was fun. That’s why I thought this might be…’ She rested her face into her hands for a second. ‘I’m sorry. I pushed this, didn’t I?’
‘No.’
‘You can admit it.’
‘Maybe a bit. But not just you, to be fair.’
She raised her head. ‘Who else?’
‘Who didn’t? Basically all of Lowbridge agrees that this should work.’
Jill took an enthusiastic glug of wine. ‘I wasn’t aware it was up to them.’
‘No.’ Obviously it wasn’t. ‘But…’
‘What? I hope you didn’t go out with me because the Ladies’ Group thought you should?’
‘No.’ Not just that at least.
Jill sighed. ‘I see their point though. This should work. We get on. You’re hot.’
Pavel shook his head.
‘Your muscles have muscles. Don’t pretend you don’t know. And I’m, I mean, I’m not supermodel pretty but I scrub up all right.’ She paused. ‘You could say something nice about me there, you know?’
‘Sorry.’ Pavel wasn’t even managing to make anything better. ‘You’re gorgeous.’
‘Thank you. So what’s wrong?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Bollocks.’
Pavel raised an eyebrow in mock shock. ‘Reverend, really?’
‘Come on. We both know what’s wrong. It’s OK to say it.’
To say what?
‘I need you to say it. Please. I need you to let me off your hook here. Say it. For me.’ She folded her arms and stared him down.
‘I can’t…’ He couldn’t hurt her. He didn’t want to be cruel.
‘Please. This isn’t a broken pipe you can replace and make good.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Pavel took a deep breath and forced the words out. ‘I don’t think of you that way. I mean I love you.’ That was true. ‘You’re my best friend but just a friend, you know.’
‘Thank you.’ She took a sip of her wine. ‘That’s fine. Genuinely fine. I don’t want to go out with someone who’s only there because he knows everyone else thinks it’s a good idea, or because – bless your little heart – he doesn’t want to disappoint me. I want to be adored. I deserve to be adored.’
‘Too right. So just friends?’ He didn’t want to lose her. He wouldn’t have been here at all if he was blasé about that.
‘Friends.’ She nodded. ‘Don’t say just friends. Friends is something. Don’t make it sound less than. Friends is brilliant.’ Her usual smile was already starting to reassert itself.
‘You’re sure you’re OK?’
