Chapter Thirty-Eight
Brodie held Flora’s hand as he walked her home to the boathouse. The sky had taken on a dusky hue and everything around them was quiet aside from the hoot of an owl. Standing on the doorstep of the boathouse, Flora rested her hand on his chest and Brodie wrapped his arms around her.
‘I should go,’ he whispered eventually.
She nodded but neither of them moved to break apart.
He leaned in to kiss her, slower this time and it felt as though they were both inside their own special moment in time.
Brodie groaned, not wanting the night to end.
He rested his forehead against hers and looked deeply into her eyes.
‘To be continued?’ he said lightly, his voice full of hope.
‘Definitely.’ A soft smile spread across her face.
They pulled apart and he reluctantly said goodnight, promising to be back early in the morning to help her with the painting.
He walked away and turned; she was watching him from the doorstep.
It was no use. He had to kiss her one last time.
Running across, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
‘Goodnight, Flora. And sweet dreams,’ he said with a wink.
* * *
He couldn’t stop smiling as he walked back to his flat.
Running up the steps two at a time, he unlocked the door and walked over to the window, pushing it open to let the cool air fill the room.
He stood looking at the soft scattering of stars in the sky, thinking about Flora and wondering what she was doing now.
When he went to bed, he couldn’t sleep. No matter how many times he turned the pillow or tried to slow his breathing, Flora was there.
All he could see was her smile, hear her laugh and remember the way her blue eyes sparkled passionately when she talked about her work.
But most of all he kept reliving what it felt like to kiss her.
The next morning, Brodie bounced out of bed and went for a jog along the beach, feeling happiness radiate from inside out.
Although he did feel a pang of guilt when he saw Emmet opening up the sauna.
But he gave him a wave and Emmet grinned and waved back.
He hoped there would be no hard feelings when he found out he’d taken Flora on a date.
The loch was still, the morning quiet and he was alone with his thoughts as he ran.
He wondered what she was doing right now and whether she’d woken early and was thinking of him too.
Brodie ran for forty minutes and was dripping with sweat by the time he got back to his flat.
They’d agreed he would go round to the boathouse at nine, but he didn’t think he could wait until then.
Picking up his phone, he quickly sent her a text, glad they had swapped numbers last night.
I’m ready to paint now if you are? I can bring coffee. X
He added the kiss before he could change his mind and overthink it. He had a quick shower and pulled on some old clothes. He’d only sent the text ten minutes ago but she’d already replied and he couldn’t hide his smile when he read her message.
I’m up and already prepping. Come when you can. Coffee sounds great. Thanks xx
Brodie pushed the gate open and picked his way around the paving slabs, forgetting that the front door would have been the better option. But the back door was open and he gave it a gentle knock. ‘Flora,’ he called.
‘Come in,’ he heard her shout back. ‘I’m in the kitchen.’
He walked in and from the door could already see that there were dust sheets on the floor and worktops. ‘You’ve been busy,’ he said, putting the cardboard coffee cups on the table along with the bag of pastries he’d bought.
Flora looked across at him and their eyes met as she smiled uncertainly.
The moment lingered and now Brodie felt unsure as the reality of what had happened last night settled over him.
What if she regretted the kiss? Maybe she’d changed her mind, after sleeping on it.
He looked down at the floor. He didn’t regret it at all.
Not one bit. He wanted to tell her that but also didn’t want to come on too strong.
‘Coffee?’ he said, pointing at the cups.
She moved a little closer towards him, still smiling but hesitantly.
‘Are you okay?’ Brodie tried to sound relaxed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
‘Um, I’ve been thinking,’ she said.
His heart began to thud.
‘About last night . . .’
He nodded, feeling as though he’d been punched in the gut. This was it. She was ending it before it even began.
‘I don’t regret it,’ she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
He looked at her and the air in the room shifted as he felt relief wash over him. ‘Me neither.’
Flora smiled and moved to pick up her coffee. ‘Thanks for this. Right,’ she said, her voice sounding steadier and more relaxed. ‘Shall we get on with it?’
Brodie blinked, a little thrown by her sudden shift but also very relieved she was okay.
‘Come on then.’ He playfully nudged her.
‘Right, you’re the boss. What do you want me to do?
’ He knew exactly what he wanted to do to her as he looked at her standing there in an old pair of shorts and a baggy T-shirt.
Her hair was piled on top of her head and she looked as pretty as she did last night.
He thought she would look good in anything.
‘Okay, I’ve already washed down the walls and given the skirting a light sand and the window ledge too.’
He was impressed. ‘You were up early then?’
‘The sun woke me up,’ she said with a sly smile.
‘The sun,’ he teased. ‘Nothing else?’
She shook her head and grinned. ‘Nope.’ Then she knitted her brows together. ‘But Gran messaged me to say she is coming back tomorrow instead of Monday. So our time is limited.’
‘She’s cutting the trip short?’
She shrugged. ‘Yes, it sounds like the weather is awful there. They’re a bit fed up knowing it’s nice here.’
He rubbed his hands together. ‘Alright then, let me start taping the walls.’
She looked at him blankly and then hit her hand to her forehead. ‘I completely forgot about that. And the hardware shop won’t be open yet, will it?’
‘Just as well I’m here to help.’ He winked, grabbing his backpack from the floor and unzipping it. ‘I’ve got some in my bag of tricks . . . I wasn’t sure what you might need. I’ve even brought sandpaper but sounds like you’re ahead of me.’
She clapped her hands together in relief. ‘Brodie, you’re a lifesaver.’
He smirked as he looked at her. ‘If you say so.’
The hours vanished as they worked quietly, happy in each other’s company, each knowing exactly what they needed to do.
Brodie started with the ceiling while Flora concentrated on the walls.
As it was warm and they’d left the door and windows open, the paint dried quickly.
They stopped for a quick break at lunchtime, devouring cheese sandwiches that Flora made.
He watched as she smacked her lips together on finishing. ‘You really enjoyed that, didn’t you?’
‘It was divine.’ She grinned.
He reached over to gently rub away a tiny crumb on her chin. She ended up holding onto his hand and kissing his thumb, then tentatively pulled him towards her.
‘I love you,’ called Scrumpy from the conservatory.
Brodie burst out laughing. ‘We’ve got company then. I did think they were being very quiet.’
‘Yes, they’re quite the experts with their timing.
’ She laughed and shook her head. ‘I kept them in their house today as I didn’t want them to be flying about and land in the paint pot.
Can you believe I stood there actually explaining that to them?
Mind you, they watched me as though they were taking in every single word. ’
‘They’re such wee characters,’ said Brodie.
‘That’s one way to describe them.’ Flora rolled her eyes. ‘I can think of plenty of other things to call them.’
‘Are you okay?’ called Scrumpy.
‘I’ll maybe let them out now but come through and close the door so they don’t cause havoc with the paint.’
Brodie strolled into the conservatory. ‘Hello, boys.’
‘Brodie is scorching hot,’ said Sidney.
‘I think it’s Flora who is hot,’ he whispered.
‘Brodie is scorching hot,’ said Scrumpy.
Flora stood in the doorway eyeing him with amusement, then closed it behind her. ‘Seriously, are you really teaching them, again, to tell everyone that you’re hot?’
He grinned. ‘You’ve got me. That’s what I do. I teach parrots to tell everyone that I am scorching hot.’
Her eyes twinkled with amusement. ‘I thought as much. Though, to be fair, you’re not that bad looking.’
‘Oh, Flora,’ he teased as he walked towards her. ‘Flattery will get you everywhere.’
‘Flora is hot,’ announced Sidney.
Flora curved an eyebrow and suppressed a smile as she dodged out of his reach and walked back into the kitchen. ‘Let’s get back to it, Brodie, and make sure you close that door behind you. There is work still to be done. And if you focus now, that means we can have a bit of a break later.’
He flashed her a cocky smile as he shut the door, noticing the parrots had settled themselves on the window ledge. ‘You’re on.’