Page 28 of An Unholy Affair
‘The pink ones are nerines and sedums. These are dahlias, and these are chrysanthemums. And some pretty grasses.’
‘Do you want me to put them in water for you?’
‘Oh no, thank you. These are for the church. It’s much cheaper for me to grow them than to buy them from the florist.’
‘You don’t save any for you?’
She stared blankly at him. ‘Me?’
Fuck my life. ‘Yes,you.’
‘Why?’
‘Because they’re lovely to look at?’Like you.
She smiled. ‘But I can see them in the garden and the church any time I like. Are you alright to keep going a bit whilst I pop these over the road?’
‘As you wish.’
She blinked at the line fromThe Princess Brideand scurried out of the room.
Jack finished vacuumingand wiped his brow. He’d done his best, but his efforts had failed to transform the rectory into a place he wanted to spend any time in—unless Eveline was there.
Moving through the ground floor, he collected piles of dirty crockery and took them to the kitchen. By the amount, he wondered if Eveline also operated a café. As he lifted a chipped plate from the kitchen table, it knocked into a paper which slid off the book she’d hidden earlier. He read the back.
In the tiny picturesque village of Bluebell Bay, schoolteacher Daisy Spring is preparing for the most magical time of the year – Christmas. Her spare time is filled with rescuing hedgehogs, but her heart is set on one thing: saving an ancient wood from being transformed into a shopping centre by property developer Wolf Redwood. Wolf, however, is a scrooge who despises Christmas and is determined to bulldoze the wood, including the hedgehog sanctuary.
When Daisy sets out to convince Wolf to change his mind, she never expects to fall for him. But as the festive season approaches, the magic of Christmas begins to work its spell, and soon Daisy and Wolf find themselves drawn to each other, and to the wonder and joy of the season. ‘Christmas Sparkles and Homely Hedgehogs at the Tiny Village School on Bluebell Bay’ is a heartwarming love story that will have you believing in the magic of Christmas and the power of love.
Inside the flyleaf were Eveline’s initials. So, this was the sort of book she liked to read? Jack puffed out his cheeks. Further proof that her happy ending did not lie with someone like him. He replaced it carefully under the newspaper and looked for the dishwasher.
There wasn’t one.
Running his hands through his hair, he bit back a growl of frustration. Was this his life?No, dickhead, it’s Eveline’s. Now get on and help her.
He went to the huge and archaic sink in front of the window and wrenched open the copper tap. It made an ominous shriek before a thin trickle of water dribbled out into a stained plastic bowl.
Jesus Christ, this place is a dump.His mind returned to his chic apartment in Monaco overlooking the sparkling sea. But this time Eveline was there, standing on the balcony with the warm breeze catching the ends of her hair. Closing his eyes, he imagined standing behind her, running his fingers down the outside of her arms. Kissing her neck and making her shiver.
The rectory phone rang, jolting him back to a house in Somerset that was more museum than home. The noise was offensively loud, but before he could get to it, there was a beep and an answer phone message sounded.
‘Hello, you’ve reached the rectory and Eveline Shaw. I’m not in right now, so please leave a message after the tone with your name and number and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.’
The machine squealed, and the caller hung up.
Jack started on the dishes, staring blankly through the grimy window to a small area of lawn bordered by a yew hedge. In the middle was a rotary washing line, and to one side was a stand holding bird feeders. Birds fought and chattered as they pecked at the seeds and fat balls, oblivious to him.
‘Oh my goodness, thank you so much!’ Eveline entered the kitchen, her eyes flicking to the paper, which was hiding her book. She pulled a face. ‘I can’t help but feel incredibly guilty about you doing all of this.’
Seriously?He smiled. ‘Please don’t. It’s the least I can do. And anyway,’ he nodded towards the birds, ‘I’m watching a nature documentary. It’s very relaxing.’
The tension left her face. ‘They’re pretty feisty. I’ve added as many feeders as the stand can hold, but they’ll still fight each other, even though there’s plenty to go around.’
Like most humans… He glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘We’ve still got time to do more of your list. If you give me a recipe and show me where the ingredients are, I can make a cake. I think it’s safer that I bake than answer your emails and write to the Bishop.’
Eveline laughed. ‘True, but you’re taking the credit for it.’
‘Are you saying that in case I burn it?’
