Page 28 of Claiming His Baby At The Altar

The door was opened by a tiny, wizened old man who greeted them both as if they were his long-lost children. Not understanding a word he said, a bemused Flora followed Ramos’s lead and stepped inside. And then she gasped.

This must have been how the kids felt when they opened the wardrobe door into Narnia.

The whole street must have been knocked into one vast building to create this magnificent space.

Glass tables were strategically placed around an elaborate glass water fountain, all of which were underlit with burnished orange lights that cast the restaurant in a golden glow that managed to be opulent and showy without being gaudy. The trickling from the fountain perfectly complemented the low-level background music and hum of conversation. As they walked the quietly busy room to their table, their silhouettes cast shadows along the walls.

‘What is this place?’ she whispered.

‘The best kept secret in Barcelona,’ he murmured, leaning down to speak into the top of her hair.

With the warmth of his breath soaking through her skull, Flora gratefully took her seat.

Menus were placed before them with a flourish. There was the grand total of one item for each course displayed on it.

‘We have the performance to watch soon so are eating from the quick menu,’ Ramos explained. ‘It just tells us what we are going to be served with. If you like it here, we can make a night of it another time soon—they do a twelve-course tasting menu that changes daily and is always excellent.’

A bottle of white wine was brought to their table. Flora allowed the waiter to pour her only a small amount. She’d never been much of a drinker even before she found out she was pregnant. She took a small sip of it and then their first course of almond gazpacho was placed in front of them. It was so fresh and silky smooth she would have gladly buried her face in it. All too soon her bowl was empty and all that was left were tiny crumbs of the fluffy warm roll it had been served with.

Relaxing into the luxurious environment, she took another tiny sip of wine and said, ‘What you were saying about hiring a nanny... Knowing you, your mind is already made up...’

He grinned at her observation.

‘But I’m happy to go along with it on condition that I’m involved in the hiring process.’

‘That is as it should be. What kind of person do you have in mind?’

‘Just someone nice. And preferably young. Someone who could be a friend.’

His eyes narrowed a touch.

Uh oh. That meant he was thinking.

‘A word of advice,’ he said. ‘Whoever we choose, don’t get too close.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You will be their employer. Mixing business with pleasure is a recipe for disaster. Now that you are coming out into the world you will make friends. We have been invited to a party on Saturday night. You will meet people there. Many of my friends have young children—’

‘Do they?’ she asked, surprised. Ramos and Justin’s circle of friends had been kindred spirits to them, hedonistic party animals.

He obviously guessed what she was thinking for he drily said, ‘People do grow up, you know.’

‘Not everyone does. My father never has. He’s still the same pound shop playboy he’s always been.’

‘My father too...although he is more of a yacht shop playboy,’ he added with a wry smile as their next course of pork tenderloin was presented to them.

‘Am I ever going to meet him?’ she asked, cutting through her pork as easily as if slicing through butter.

‘When he finishes his latest holiday,’ Ramos said.

‘He’s been on holiday for five months?’

‘He has a new wife.’

‘Really? Since when?’

‘A few weeks after we married. She’s your age.’

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