Chapter Two
‘Raf! What a wonderful surprise.’ Pippa leapt up, but Rory had already taken off. He yanked open the gate and Cassie gulped when he flung himself on his godfather.
He stepped back once Pippa caught up and wrapped her brother in an embrace.
Gil handed Cassie a glass of wine and she thanked him before taking a hasty mouthful, trying to force her expression to convey everything her racing mind was not.
Once she would have welcomed Raf much like Pippa had, who was now leading him and the woman through the gate and towards the table.
The dogs bounded across, he reached down to make a fuss of them, and Cassie heard him trying to refuse whatever it was Pippa had just suggested.
‘Look, I didn’t want to bother you. It was a last-minute change of plan, that’s all. I got a lift up last night and stayed at the pub.’
‘But you could have come with us,’ Rory said earnestly, throwing Cassie a glance. She pursed her lips. At least the car had been too full for that. If necessary she’d have brought even more stuff to avoid making room for Raf.
‘Thanks, buddy.’ Raf dropped a hand on Rory’s shoulder as his eyes caught hers. She wondered if she was imagining an unspoken apology, the realisation that he’d shocked her by turning up out of the blue, and not alone. ‘Didn’t think of that.’
Cassie had known him for most of her life, and until six months ago she’d never thought about him in the way she did now.
How had she not noticed his eyes were the exact shade of melted milk chocolate?
And had he always had those cheekbones, that square jaw and husky hint of tomorrow in his voice?
The blond highlights from his band years were gone, his hair a textured crop with razored sides that made him appear leaner.
His natural nut brown was shot through with grey, matching a beard barely more than stubble.
When she was at university he’d modelled for a lark and some cash, turning it into a career, and age had brought a maturity that still occasionally earned him a place on the sexiest men alive lists.
He wore a small gold ring in each ear, and she fixed her gaze on one to avoid staring at his mouth and those full bow-shaped lips as every reluctant step brought him closer to where she sat.
‘But why didn’t you let us know you were coming? And where’s your car?’ Pippa was used to her brother’s changing plans, but this one appeared to have thrown her.
‘I’ve swapped it for something different. I’m picking it up later.’
‘Well, I insist you both stay for lunch,’ she said firmly, giving the woman another smile. ‘I’ll fetch more plates.’
‘Allegra’s just dropping me off, Pippa, we’re not stopping,’ Raf said quickly. ‘She gave me a lift to…’
‘Don’t be silly, we’ve got plenty of food. Jago’s due any minute, then we can eat. Won’t you introduce your friend, Raf?’ She looked at him expectantly, but the woman was quicker.
‘I’m Allegra Foxton, how wonderful to meet you all,’ she said happily. ‘I’ve heard so many amazing things, and it’s so kind of you to invite us to stay for lunch.’
Cassie took a second generous swig of wine as Raf ran warily through the introductions.
If she drank enough, hopefully everyone would assume the flush on her cheeks was alcohol-induced and not because of the man who dominated her thoughts way more than he should.
The girls waved hello from the tent and Rory changed his mind about eating with them.
Her heart cracked just a little more as he waited for Raf to choose a seat first in hopes of sitting beside him.
Gil got up to envelop Raf in a brotherly hug, and he shook hands with Allegra.
Pippa looked as though Christmas had come early, and Cassie shuffled up to make room as Pippa shot back to the house for more plates and glasses.
She stole another glance at Allegra as Raf pulled out a seat for her opposite Cassie, brushing away soft pink apple blossom from the cushion.
Pale skin was flawless on a delicate, heart-shaped face, surrounded by tumbling blonde hair colour blocked in subtle tones of ash, enhancing a beauty that was enchanting.
There was something both vulnerable and strong in such a face, and Allegra had the kind of tall, willowy figure Cassie would have once envied.
She didn’t miss the look Allegra threw him as she sat down, one she had seen so many times before.
He turned to Rory on his other side, playfully ruffling Rory’s hair and saying something which made him laugh.
It was time, and she needed to face the reality.
The secret feelings she harboured for Raf had no place in her heart, and his friendship was too precious to lose because she had a crush on him after one incredible kiss.
She would make herself get over this; she had to.
But why did he have to look so good? Those two gold rings glittering against suntanned skin, the muscled arms she remembered holding her that night.
He’d pulled a pair of aviator sunglasses down from his hair, and she couldn’t read his expression behind them.
‘Raf’s told me so much about you, Cassie.’ Allegra leant forward, her bare arm brushing his.
‘Oh?’ Cassie forced out a quick laugh. So Allegra must be the reason why he had called her twice this week, and it was her own fault for not picking up.
If she had, then at least she would have spared herself a new girlfriend being sprung on her like this.
She rarely drank these days, and the alcohol was already hitting her bloodstream, making her head swim.
‘I hope he said nice things.’ He’d better not have referred to her as an ‘old’ friend.
‘Oh, he was very kind.’ Allegra had perfected the ability to stare coyly from beneath thick lashes. ‘It’s so sweet, how he takes care of his old friends.’
And there it was. Somehow that made her feel like an elderly dependant who could barely totter from A to B.
Allegra probably hadn’t meant it unkindly; it wasn’t likely she perceived any threat around this table to whatever was going on between her and Raf.
Cassie thought her face might crack if she smiled any harder as Pippa deposited extra plates on the table.
The sound of another car had Pippa turning, and she hurried to welcome their latest guest. Cassie was only too thankful to shove her chair back and leap up, ready to be distracted by the new arrival.
Pippa greeted him with kisses on both cheeks and tucked her arm through his as she led him to the table.
‘Everyone, this is Jago Lynch. He’s the most wonderful artist, and one who I’m beyond thrilled to be welcoming to the gallery in the summer.
’ Pippa made the introductions and Cassie wondered if she had imagined his gaze lingering on her as they shook hands.
Her heart bumped. There had been no time to learn what Pippa had explained about her circumstances, and whether he knew she was a widow.
Jago had brought bottles of red and white wine, and Gil, whose eldest son ran a vineyard in Australia, was happily examining the red and searching for a corkscrew to open it.
Pippa suggested that Jago take the seat next to Cassie, and for once she didn’t mind her friend’s collusions because he provided a welcome diversion from Raf and Allegra, who was busy checking her phone.
Food was passed around and the girls were back, deciding to look in on Flo and her unborn foal in the stables.
Cassie’s appetite had vanished along with her composure, and she forced down some hummus and vegetables.
‘So I hear your work is much influenced by the natural world and our place within it,’ she said, turning a shoulder towards Jago. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue, she decided, like summer skies on a sunny day. So much nicer than brown. Less… dangerous.
‘I am, yes.’ His smile widened at her interest, crinkling laughter lines around his mouth. ‘Should I be flattered by your knowledge of my work, or have you been speaking with Pippa?’
‘Definitely Pippa,’ Cassie confessed, and she liked him even more when he laughed.
Hair tending to the sandy side of auburn was short on both sides, with the top swept back in a style which emphasised a narrow face and a neat beard more grey than auburn.
He’d removed a brown leather jacket, sliding it across the back of his chair, and the white shirt with jeans was a classic look.
‘So are you interested in sculpture?’
‘In theory, but the reality is I’ve never collected any. Should I?’ She tried not to cringe. That had definitely come out more flirtatiously than she’d intended. It must be the wine.
‘Of course I’m going to say yes.’ He raised a brow. ‘I hope you’ll come to my launch in July.’
‘That sounds lovely,’ she said. Was he speaking generally, hoping to entice a potential collector, or had he meant that to be a more personal invitation?
She was so out of practice, she probably wouldn’t even realise if Jago attempted to flirt with her.
‘I’ll have to check my calendar and our summer plans.
Pippa did mention it.’ Better not to commit either way.
She wasn’t a fan of making a fool of herself with strangers.
‘Great.’ One finger was circling the top of his glass. ‘Pippa tells me you’re a publicist for a very successful hotel group.’
‘Yes, I’m based at The Bennington in London. Do you know it?’
‘I do. I’ve had some very nice lunches there. Famous for their steak tartare, as I recall.’
Cassie began to relax as their conversation continued, comparing their parenting experiences and places they both knew in London. He liked to talk, and she didn’t mind letting him. But eventually Pippa turned the discussion back to Raf, and Cassie recognised the gleam in her friend’s eye.