Page 110 of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Nory wished he’d let her help. She decided not to push it.
“So, you were a horticultural lecturer in Cornwall. What came before that?”
“You want a complete résumé, do you?”
“If you don’t mind. I like to know what I’m getting into.”
Isaac laughed quietly. “I finished university and started as an undergardener at Chatsworth House.”
“That’s a bit fancy,” said Nory, rubbing her feet against his.
“You ought to know there is nothing fancy about the actual act of gardening,” he said, and she liked that she could hear the smile in his voice.
“True,” she agreed. “What next?”
“Next came an estate in Cumbria. I stayed longer than I should.”
“Why?”
Isaac sighed. “I met someone. She was older than me, and I relied on her more than I should have. It wasn’t a healthy relationship for either of us. She felt undervalued, and I felt overpowered.”
“How long were you together?”
“Two years. It ended when I took the job in Cornwall. How about you?”
“Oh, I wasn’t with her at all.”
Isaac gave her a playful squeeze. “I mean, relationships. Any significant others? Ex-husbands in the closet?”
“No, no ex-husbands. No great love affairs, just a series of unfulfilling relationships.” She said it with a smile, but the truth of it was, she hadn’t had any great love affairs. Nobody had ever really rocked her world, until now. Was that a terrible thing? To be in her thirties and to only have experienced skinny love?
“So, then.” Isaac traced a line with his finger between herbreasts and down past her stomach. Nory’s breath caught. “We have nobody in the past to live up to or to live down.” He turned onto his side and began to kiss her neck, working his way slowly and delightfully down her body with excruciating slowness. “Only each other to discover and the future to write.” But Nory didn’t hear; she was already lost to the sensation of right now.
Nory lay awake while Isaac slept beside her. His breathing slow and steady. She felt happy. Happier than she’d felt in a really long time. She felt as if being with Isaac would be like signing up to be happy for life. She wanted to do something for him, something that would show him how much she cared. She wanted to help him. She lifted her phone from the bedside table and began to compose a message.
Thirty-three
She was woken while it was still dark by Isaac kissing her cheek and stroking her arm.
“Mmm... what time is it?” she asked sleepily.
“It’s half past six,” he replied. “Lettuce needs to go out, so I’ll take her for a walk. I’ve got a few bits of work to do, so I thought I’d get them done early and then we can have a lazy Sunday morning before you have to leave.”
Nory stretched and tried not to breathe in Isaac’s direction.
“It’s not really a lazy morning if you’ve already done a day’s work.” She yawned.
“Ah, but it’s so much more fulfilling knowing that you’ve done all your jobs and have nothing pending.”
“Freak.” She smiled, pulling the duvet up around her chin.
Isaac laughed quietly. He reached down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours and then I’ll make us breakfast.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“I’m glad you stumbled into my life,” he said, brushing the hair away from her face.
“So am I.” She had never meant anything more.
