Page 50 of Rescuing Rosie
‘Not proud,’ he said. ‘To be honest, I was kind of … ambushed?’
‘I get what you’re saying,’ Rosie said, barely suppressing a laugh. ‘But it was still horrible of you to blank her like that at dinner.’
‘Yeah, I should apologise for that.’
‘You should.’
It was time they stopped beating around the bush. Rosie took a sip of her tea and said, ‘Dale … I think I’m falling for your friend.’
His smile was happy-sad. He sat down on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees, staring ahead. ‘Someone else special said that to me, a long, long time ago.’
Rosie nodded, and swallowed, tears pricking her eyes. ‘Gemma. Ashley told me. I’m so sorry, Dale.’
His face creased with emotion, and he shut his eyes for a moment. Rosie reached out and put a hand over his.
He took a shaky breath in. ‘I miss her like fuck, Rosie. Me and Ant both do. It’s been a tough couple of years, but it’s probably time to think about moving on, for both of us. I need to stop making up for my loss by shagging every girl with a pulse, and Ant needs to stop making up for his by shagging absolutely no one at all.’
Rosie smiled. ‘I see.’
He sat up straight, his hands on his thighs, and gave her a long look. ‘You’ve known each other – what – two days? The pair of you are chalk and bloody cheese – chatty city girl, mountain man who hardly says a fuckin’ word. Should be a solid non-starter, but somehow …’
‘What has he said to you about me?’ Her heart was in her mouth.
‘Only that he can’t work out why he can’t stop thinking about you. Believe me, for Ant, we’re talking a breakthrough.’
Rosie’s gaze moved out of the window to the fells.
City girl, mountain man. Opposite ends of the country. Maybe it didn’t matter. She had a book to write, she could work remotely. And the Lakes, as she had discovered, were heavenly, if a little unpredictable, weatherwise.
Dale’s phone beeped, and he pulled it out of his jeans pocket. ‘Ashley says I need to take you down for your massage.’
Rosie pulled a face. ‘Don’t really want a massage. I want to go thank Ant for rescuing me.’
‘Rosie – in the few months since Ashley landed here from god knows where, I have learned it’s best to do as he says.’ He stood up. ‘Let’s go.’
Rosie answered ‘yes’ to all the questions about spending long periods at a desk, suffering from stress, and being tense, then closed her eyes and let the masseuse get to work on knots and tension points and aches Rosie hadn’t even been aware were there. The massage was followed by a facial that buffed the glow Dale’s words had ignited, but when Ashley told her what was next, Rosie insisted sand bath healing wasn’t for her.
Ashley tutted. ‘Your readers will be intrigued. And you should be open to new things.’
‘I have too many open places things might end up in,’ said Rosie, wrinkling her nose.Plus, I have other plans.
As she left the spa, clanking along on her crutches, revitalised and brimming with anticipation, she replayed Dale’s words in her head: …he can’t stop thinking about you.
‘These came for you earlier, along with your backpack,’ said Ashley, producing a bunch of red roses from behind the reception desk. ‘If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever,’ he said, waving a hand about poetically.
‘Oh, isn’t that lovely! Wordsworth?’
‘Tennyson.’
There was a get well card, which she opened with her heart in her mouth, before frowning in confusion at the messy scribbles inside. Peering closer, she read the crossed-out words:
Hope the ankle’s on the mend!Ant x
And then in different handwriting.Pathetic, try harder – Dale
And then:Hope the ankle’s feeling much better and I can visit you later? Ant xx
And then:Rosie – please put this poor idiot out of his misery. Dale xx
