Page 25 of Mistletoe and Mystery

Zach laughed, causing Binks’ ears to flicker during his snooze.

‘No way. You’ve met Chloe. She hates doing anything that might spoil her manicure. She did make a fabulous Caesar salad though, but there’s only so much lettuce a man can eat, so I used to cook during the week and we would eat out at the weekends. I bumped into her sister Louise last week in Berryford. Apparently, Chloe’s working in Dubai and is loving the single lifestyle over there.’

‘Luke and Donna’s baby is due in the new year, so his lifestyle is about to change beyond all recognition.’

She took refuge in her thoughts for a moment, wondering what it would be like to be expecting the arrival of a new member of the family, not only for Luke and Donna, but for Frankie who would be getting a new half-sister or brother. She hadn’t reached that stage in her life yet. However, she didn’t foresee her future without children, she just wanted to wait until she was with the right person. Then something else occurred to her and she spoke her thoughts out loud before engaging her brain.

‘Do Claudia and Tim not want a family? Stonelea Manor would be a fantastic place to raise children.’

She saw a flash of uncertainty whip across Zach’s face and wished she could have stuffed the question back in her mouth. Clearly this was another of those secrets that seemed to swirl around the manor, although she had to accept that this time it really was none of her business. However, Zach clearly knew the answer to her question, and she watched him wrestle with whether to disclose a confidence.

‘They’d love kids; but it just hasn’t happened for them.’

‘Oh.’

A spasm of sorrow lanced Millie’s heart as she struggled to formulate a suitable response but came up with nothing that wouldn’t sound trite or patronising. Fortunately, Zach had shelved his box full of witty quips and took pity on her.

‘Shall we take our drinks over to the sofa?’

Zach carried the wine bottle and their glasses to the coffee table and sunk down onto the rug, his toes pointing towards the fire whilst Binks snoozed happily in front of the hearth. Millie scooted between them, grateful for the change of seating arrangements and enjoying the feeling of complete calm and relaxation that descended as they sipped the wine and stared at the dancing flames.

‘So, did you always want to be a chef?’

‘Not always. My first choice was a princess, but there’s limited opportunities for that career path, so I plumped for the next thing on my wish list. How about you?’

‘I always loved the outdoors. Before we moved to London for Dad’s job, my brother and I would spend every night after school and every day in the holidays in the local fields building dens, climbing trees, damming streams, and seeking out the wildlife to photograph. Dad loved his new position as a partner in a large law firm, but Mum, Callum and I hated living in the capital.’

Zach paused to take a sip of his wine and it was several moments before he continued.

‘Of course, Mum was devastated when she found out about Dad’s affair with Gill, but coming back here to Berryford helped us all escape the worst of the fall-out. I love it here. I love the fact that it’s a community where people acknowledge each other when they pass in the street and rally round in times of need. I suppose the downside of that support is that when something upsetting happens to one of the residents, everyone feels it, even takes it personally.’

‘Is there no chance of the cookery school being saved?’

‘I think things have gone beyond that now – unless Claudia and Tim win the lottery.’

‘But surely the new owner will need someone to manage the grounds. I hardly think a busy Scandinavian celebrity millionaire would have time on his hands to mow the lawns and weed the flowerbeds.’

‘God, Millie, I’m not a gardener!’

‘Sorry, I—’

‘No, no, I’m sorry. I guess I’m more upset about what’s happened than I think. Sven Andersen has his own staff that have been vigorously vetted and can be trusted. It’s part of the deal that he doesn’t want to be lumbered with any of Stonelea’s current employees. And it’s not just me who’ll be losing their job, there’re two full-time gardeners, and Claudia employs a local cleaning company too, but I’m the only one who’ll be losing their home.’

‘Will you stay with your mum?’

‘No.’

‘Zach, I’m so….’

A sudden spasm of desire rippled down her spine as she felt Zach’s warm breath on her neck. Without her realising, he had moved closer, his lips millimetres from her earlobe and her imagination flew down the tunnel of pleasure, conjuring up a delicious contemplation of shared secrets. He studied her with such scorching intensity that her heart pounded out a symphony of exhilaration and the hairs on her forearms prickled with expectation.

She lowered her gaze to his lips, so close to hers, then back up to his eyes which mirrored the feelings she was experiencing, but also held a question. If she risked breathing, the moment would be broken so she inched forward, her anticipation building that at last they were about to revisit the wonderful kisses they had shared under the swaying palm trees in the Caribbean sunshine. To her surprise and utter disappointment, she saw a flicker of hesitation, a hint of uncertainty, stalk across Zach’s face, and he severed their connection, leaning forward to give Binks a brief pat before making his way to the kitchen and setting the kettle to boil.

The pendulum of emotions in Millie’s chest swung from the height of delight to the depths of despondency. What had just happened? If she had leaned forward another couple of inches she would be kissing Zach now and she knew there was nothing she would rather do. Could she have misread the signals? She didn’t think so. There was no mistaking the fizz of mutual attraction that had reverberated in the space between them. She was confused.

In an attempt to disguise her bewilderment, she pushed herself up from the rug and resettled herself on the wrinkled leather Chesterfield to watch Zach prepare their coffees with military precision. When he handed Millie her drink, he averted his eyes.

However, Millie was no longer the insecure victim she had been when Luke had ditched her. If Zach had taught her anything it was that honesty and openness were the most desirable qualities in the arena of relationships and she couldn’t contemplate leaving the lodge without understanding what had just happened between them and why.

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