Page 36 of An Ill Wind in Seabury
She wasn’t telling porkies either. The front garden was full of late summer colour, and the small patch of grass was clearly carefully mown. The minute she stepped into the warmth of the little cottage, it was obvious she’d just arrived somewhere that was very much loved.
Claudia glanced into the living room, and for a moment she longed to cancel their plans for the apology tour and just curl up on one of the squashy sofas with George… preferably under a blanket, with the woodburner burbling away in the background.
Then again, that could be very dangerous, couldn’t it?! If they stayed here, she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions. It was much safer if they were out and about… at least in public, she’d have to behave a bit!
‘You want to hang out down here while I get changed, or would you like to see your room?’ said George, still looking decidedly cute in his work uniform.
‘I’ll take my bag upstairs and stash it out of the way, if that’s okay?’ said Claudia. She had to admit, she was curious to see the rest of the cottage and get a glimpse of where she’d agreed to spend the night.
‘Sure. Let me leave these here,’ he said, popping the bag of cakes down on the hallway table. Then, without a word, he picked up her little pink case and led the way up the narrow stairs.
Claudia followed slowly, doing her best not to stare at his decidedly cute bum just a couple of steps ahead of her.
‘Here we go!’ he said, leading the way into a gorgeous little room.
It was decorated with fresh whites and deep blues and had a bit of a seaside theme going on. A large glass bottle full of bits of sea glass sat on the windowsill, and the curtains boasted a nautical print. Most importantly, there was a comfy-looking double bed with fresh white linen, and a couple of fluffy towels sat folded at the foot.
‘Blimey George,’ she gasped, staring around. ‘You weren’t joking—talk about house-trained!’
‘Yeah, well, I didn’t want you to have to put up with my piles of unfolded laundry and stacks of books that outgrew the shelves downstairs.’
Claudia sniggered. ‘So, the truth comes out!’
‘Something like that,’ he laughed. ‘Anyway, the loo is just across the hallway, and my bedroom’s right next door. I’ll let you land a sec while I go and change, then we can start with Charlie at the allotments, and go to Jess at Hillside Farm afterwards?’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ said Claudia, suddenly very aware that she was standing close to a double bed… and George was within grabbing distance. She watched him leave the room and let out a sigh of relief… or maybe it was longing?!
‘Be cool, weirdo!’ she muttered, flopping down onto the bed the minute he pulled the door closed behind him.
‘What was that?’
‘Nothing!’ she squeaked.
Claudia turned and buried her face in the pillow, willing the coolness of the fresh linen to ease her blush. Unfortunately, it didn’t work because a second later, she heard the undeniable sounds of George stripping out of his uniform.
‘Oh blimey,’ she whispered.
Nope - she’d end up a jellified mess if she stayed put and listened to that!
Jumping back off the bed as if it had burned her, Claudia grabbed her phone and hotfooted it back down the stairs without a backwards glance.
‘There, much better!’ she muttered, heading into the little living room and sinking onto one of the well-worn sofas. She strained her ears but couldn’t catch any hint of the postal striptease going on upstairs.
Good.
As enticing as that had been, she needed to calm down before she terrified the poor guy!
Claudia swiped at her phone screen and promptly let out a quiet groan. There was another missed call from her mother.
Nope, she wasn’t about to call her back yet.
Claudia had a plan, and she was going to stick to it. She’d wait until after she’d had dinner at Seabury House, and only then would she call her mother back. She’d keep it brief and to the point—a short but glowing report that would hopefully put an end to any further ridiculous shenanigans.
Glancing up again to make sure there still wasn’t any sign of George, Claudia swiped to a different screen and pulled up the link to her digital portfolio. She hadn’t looked at it in ages, but sure enough, the minute she typed in her password, her screen was filled with her designs.
As she swiped from one image to the next, Claudia cast a critical eye over the years of hard work she’d simply abandoned. She had to admit, she’d forgotten quite how many projects she’d completed… all to her clients’ exacting demands, but with that hint of style that marked them as hers and tied her portfolio together.
Blowing out a long breath, Claudia shook her head. Looking at these now, without the poisonous whispers of ex-husband number two telling her that she didn’t really have what it took, Claudia couldn’t help but feel a hint of pride. But the feeling wasmixed with a strange dollop of grief, too… because she’d let it all go, hadn’t she?
