Page 57 of The Night Before Christmas
He held his hands out and flashed her that Tom Cruise smile. ‘That’s why I wanted to see you. I wanted to apologise in person.I thought… well, I hoped you might have calmed down by now. But if you want me to bugger off, say so and I’ll go. No questions asked.’
‘Bugger off.’
‘But before you do that,’ he continued smoothly, ‘will you let me take you for a coffee?’
‘Because that worked out so well last time?’
‘Look, I’m here now.’
‘Onmyholiday.’
‘On your holiday. Well, it’s my holiday too. I mean work trip. It’s a work trip, did I mention that? It’s gone on expenses and everything.’
Damn, he’s good.
‘I don’t care what it is. Will you kindly go back to your whatever it is now, please?Mytrip was going just fine without you.’
‘It’s just a coffee. I read about this great little place in St Martin’s. And then I’ll go, I promise, and let you get on with your, er, holiday or whatever it is.’
She was relenting. She could feel herself relenting, dammit.
Half an hour later, they were sitting at an iron table in the grounds of the impressive Saumerez Manor, armed with two enormous coffees and the thickest slices of Guernsey Gâche fruit loaf Felicity had ever seen.
‘I thought you said this place was little.’
‘I lied. It’s meant to be great though. Best Gâche on the island apparently. Wait, that sounded wrong.’
‘I think you’ll find it’s pronounced “gosh”.’
He laughed knowingly. ‘My mistake.’
A smile tugged at her lips but she was determined not to let him win her over, especially not over something so childish. She looked around her instead until she got her face back under control. The sun had come out and was warming the terrace pleasantly. Birds were nipping in and out of the greenery on the courtyard walls. It felt like being in the South of France, or so she imagined anyway. In spite of herself, she began to relax.
‘I’m not sure if I’ve ever been here before.’
‘Not even when you were a kid?’
‘I don’t think so.’
Adam put down his cup and looked across at her. His brown eyes looked hazel in this light.
Stop that, Felicity.
‘Have you been to the house yet?’
‘I went on Saturday.’
‘And? How was it?’
‘It’s… sad. Run-down. There’s no one living there even now and all the walls are losing their plaster.’
She began to spread the butter on her still-warm fruit slice, giving herself time to think.
‘Ah that’s a real shame.’
‘It is. It’s an amazing house but it’s going to end up in ruins if no one saves it.’ Felicity sighed. ‘Much like my family.’
‘I’m sorry.’
