Chapter Thirteen #2
Again Cassie was glad they had come to Hartfell, Raf’s disturbing presence somewhere behind her notwithstanding.
A quick glance revealed Pippa introducing him to yet more guests, and Cassie checked her phone, making sure there were no alerts from the teenagers at home.
She noticed a small bronze of a kingfisher perched on a stem, wondering if she might indulge if there was no red dot by the end of the evening.
Gil excused himself to find Pippa, and Dorothy announced she had seen quite enough animals rendered in metal and was returning to her real ones.
Eventually Raf fought his way to her side and Cassie was rapt when he bent his head, skimming her cheek with his mouth.
It was no more intimate than his greeting for Pippa earlier, and yet her breath still caught as warmth stole through her body.
Was she imagining his eyes lingering on her, the flare of yearning and pleasure in them?
Yet more people were arriving, and they were pressed together as guests moved through the throng.
A photographer was busy too, and she melted when she felt the touch of Raf’s hand on the small of her back as they faced the camera.
Her own smile was more distracted, one hip pressed against him.
The photographer moved on, and his hand remained on her back, implying a possessiveness she would have abhorred in anyone but him.
‘Do you want to get out of here?’ His suggestion and those low words skimming her ear sent her imagination into overdrive. ‘We could have a nightcap at home if you like?’
‘I can’t.’ He had made that sound so intimate, even though they sat on the terrace together most evenings while the kids did their own thing indoors. ‘I promised Jago I’d stay so he could show me his work.’
‘Ah.’ Raf’s hand slid from her back and he nodded slowly. ‘Then I should let you go.’
Cassie nodded dully. She wanted exactly the opposite, to leave right now with him and let the night and his company take them where it would.
‘Call me if you still need a lift home. Don’t walk back on your own.’
She accepted another glass of champagne as a waiter appeared, and Raf turned away.
It was almost impossible not to follow him with her eyes, her body still clamouring for more of his touch.
Gradually guests began to drift away, and she had no need to check if he had left; her senses knew it.
She went to view the kingfisher again and found it was still available.
She wasn’t sure if she wanted a permanent reminder of tonight and chose to sleep on it before deciding.
Jago was surrounded every time she looked, and when they did eventually catch up, he apologised and suggested meeting another time.
She agreed, sharing a goodbye when his taxi arrived.
She helped Pippa and Gil tidy up and they ran her home, so she didn’t have to call Raf.
He’d left a light on in the kitchen, the house silent, and she gave Flynn a cuddle before letting him into the garden.
He was happy to settle back in his bed, and she went upstairs to say good night to Isla and Rory.
From the sounds at the end of the corridor, Raf was in his music studio, and she had no wish to disturb him.
In the morning she discovered that he and Rory had already taken their bikes out.
Isla was heading to Home Farm, and she grabbed some fruit and snacks, stuffing them into a rucksack.
Over breakfast Cassie learnt that she and Harriet were getting Hero the foal used to being handled under Dorothy’s expert guidance and taking it in turns to ride her dapple-grey cob.
He was proving very steady and sensible, according to Pippa, who had watched one morning.
After her walk with Flynn, Cassie set up her laptop on the kitchen table.
During the week she’d had some thoughts about how she might help position the distillery’s brand, and she opened a browser.
She brought up a website for a hotel which had reopened under new management six months ago following a refurbishment.
The hotel was exquisite, exactly the type she was used to working with.
Set in landscaped gardens with a brand-new spa in the old stables, it offered high-end luxury and fine dining alongside home comforts.
She’d already noted a select few special events: themed evenings with carefully curated menus celebrating a local author, and a famed athlete, champagne tasting with a top brand, wellness weekends set around the spa, and intimate chef’s table dining experiences.
All perfect for what she had in mind. She sent a connection request to the managing director via her professional networking platform with a brief message introducing herself and the distillery, before following them on Instagram.
Lost in her work and checking out local lifestyle magazines, with Flynn in his basket nearby, she didn’t hear Raf and Rory return until they burst into the kitchen from the boot room.
Flynn leapt to his feet with a startled bark, before his tail began to wag and Rory rushed to greet him.
Cassie’s heart softened towards the wolfhound yet more as he nudged Rory to continue.
Rory grabbed something from the fridge and offered a last stroke before heading to his room.
Practicalities over how they might manage their own dog seemed less important when measured against Rory’s increased happiness.
He loved to help, making sure Flynn was fed and taking his turn to clear up after him in the garden.
Flynn was proving himself to be quiet and calm for the most part, as gentle as he could be for a dog his size.
He liked to approach when he wanted a cuddle, and she was aware it wasn’t only Rory who had fallen in love with him.
He was often at her side, padding through the house.
‘Morning. How are you getting on?’ Raf smiled and she was doing it again, thinking of his hand on her back last night. His gaze darkening with desire as he’d caught her eye across the gallery, the blaze igniting her skin as she’d waited for him to make his way to her side.
‘Yeah, really well, thanks.’ She looked at her laptop instead. ‘I’ve emailed a couple of magazine contacts and one of them is definitely interested in running a feature on the distillery. There is a catch, though.’
‘Let me guess.’ His back was to her as he found a glass and filled it with water from the fridge. Even in muddy Lycra, all sweaty and hot with messy hair, she still found it so difficult to ignore him. He turned and held up the glass questioningly.
‘No, thanks, already got one.’ Some ice wouldn’t go amiss, though.
‘They want to include me in the feature?’
‘Yep. Sorry.’ It was hardly surprising, with his background and looking the way he did. Another gin distillery might not be news, but Raf Jones taking an interest in one could be.
‘Hey, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault; it goes with the territory.’
‘So will you think about it and let me know? They suggested Christmas, so there isn’t much time to decide.
’ She imagined him lounging on a sofa, the house beautifully decorated and welcoming for the festive season, no tie, white shirt, formal jacket hooked over one shoulder.
She blinked rapidly. She was getting far too carried away with her own fantasy.
‘Why are you shaking your head? Don’t you want me to do it?’ He pulled out a chair, settling opposite her.
‘What?’ Cassie blushed furiously, and his mouth curling into a lazy smile told her he had seen. ‘No, of course not! I just wasn’t sure. You left that world behind a long time ago.’
‘Yeah, but I don’t mind the occasional shoot. If it’s for the good of the distillery brand, of course.’ His gaze on her was watchful, and it felt impossible to hide anything from him, even her own thoughts. ‘If my publicist promises to be there to hold my hand and deflect any awkward questions.’
‘Raf…’
‘What? That’s not an unreasonable request.’
‘No, but we both know I’m not really your publicist.’
‘For the summer you are.’
She could hardly refute that when it had been her idea. He grinned as he leant back, knowing he had won. ‘So last night was a success. Pippa looked thrilled and I spotted quite a few red dots.’
‘Yes, it was fun,’ Cassie said casually. ‘I love the peace and solitude here, but it was nice to go out for a change.’
‘Do you miss London?’ Raf rested an arm on the table, his other hand stroking Flynn, who was sitting nearby, huge head on Raf’s thigh.
‘Less every day,’ she told him honestly. ‘We miss our friends, but it really does feel as though the most important people in our lives are here now.’ She waited a beat. ‘What about you?’
‘Do I miss it?’ His mouth eased into that smile she knew so well, and heat curled in her stomach. ‘Barely. Mostly I’m there to see you.’
‘And the kids, obviously.’
‘Obviously.’
She knew how important Isla and Rory were to him, and yet his eyes were telling her it was more than that. Every day she sensed they were moving towards something else entirely. He reached across the table, his thumb skimming the fingers on her left hand.
‘You’re not wearing your wedding ring.’
‘No. I took it off last night.’ Cassie was unsurprised that he had noticed. Her finger looked so empty, and she’d felt almost naked, as though the ring was a barrier fending off the rest of the world. ‘It just seemed time.’
‘Does it change anything?’ Raf’s voice was so low that her head jerked up, wondering if she had misheard.
‘Like what?’
‘How you feel, moving forward.’
She knew what he was asking. Did she still feel married, attached to a relationship with his best friend which had endured twenty years. ‘It’s too soon to say. Probably not much different right now.’