Chapter 29
It was a good job Jake would be coming to collect her later because the wine had been flowing freely all evening, which had helped to make the conversation and laughter flow more easily too, shaking her out of her earlier niggly mood.
Ordinarily, Isla wasn’t much of a drinker.
She enjoyed a glass of wine or two if she was going out, but this week had been one of total overindulgence.
Not that she regretted a single moment of it.
After all, if you couldn’t give in to the treats on offer at Christmas then when could you?
It had been such a glorious experience to be in Guy’s stunning home tonight, enjoying his attentiveness and hospitality. Something she could definitely get used to, given half the chance.
‘Right,’ he said, standing up to gather the plates. ‘I have some home-made mince pies for pudding with some vanilla Madagascan custard.’
‘I am impressed,’ she said, nodding her head eagerly.
‘Notably, they are home-made, but not by me, or in this home, but from the baker’s in town. I can’t imagine they will be anywhere nearly as delicious as those from the bakery of Isla and Diana, but I hope they’ll be an acceptable substitute.’
‘They sound perfect, although you should have mentioned it,’ Isla said, laughing. ‘I could have brought some along with me.’
He gave a grin as he went across to the oven and pulled out the mince pies which immediately filled the room with the scent of warm pastry, fruits and spices. He allowed them to cool for a few minutes before serving them in bowls and pouring rich, velvety custard over the top.
‘These are really very good,’ said Isla after she had eaten a couple of mouthfuls. The pastry was flaky and melted in the mouth, and the fruit filling was rich and flavoursome. ‘Excellent in fact, although don’t tell Diana,’ she said with a conspiratorial smile.
When she finished eating, she pushed her empty bowl to one side, knowing she couldn’t manage another morsel. ‘Thanks, Guy, you have amazing cheffing skills.’
‘Ah, you see, I am a man of many talents,’ he said self-mockingly.
‘So I am discovering!’
‘Come on, let’s retire to the sofas,’ he suggested.
‘It’s much more comfortable over there.’ He took her by the hand and led her across to one of the sofas where she sank down into the squashy cushions and Guy sat down beside her.
She was very impressed by Lottie, who had been so well behaved this evening and had now settled down in front of them, basking in the heat of the log burner.
If Ollie had been here then he would almost certainly have been up on the sofa, worming his way in between the pair of them, demanding belly rubs.
‘You know I meant what I said about us continuing to see each other if you go back to London?’
Isla shifted her body to look at Guy who, with one arm thrown casually over the back of the sofa, was looking relaxed, comfortable and oh-so attractive.
‘If…?’ she ventured. ‘It is where I live.’
‘Okay then. When you go back to London. I mean, it’s not a million miles away.
I’m sure we could make it work. Somehow.
If we wanted it to. If you wanted it to…
’ He paused, his gaze scanning her features intently, making her toes curl.
‘Do you, Isla? Do you want to see if we can make something of this?’
‘I think so,’ she answered non-committedly.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to continue seeing Guy.
She really liked him and enjoyed his company, but her head was telling her not to get carried away by the romance of the occasion.
It was Christmas and everything seemed heightened and magical at this time of year, but could their relationship be sustained if she was back in London giving her absolute all to a new and demanding job?
She sighed. If her head was warning her to be cautious then her body was working to another agenda entirely.
‘Well, okay, it’s not exactly the effusive response I was hoping for, but you know, it’s a start,’ he said with a bemused expression.
‘No!’ Now she felt bad. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to see you; it’s just that everything is up in the air at the moment with my job so I don’t even know where I’m going to be or what I’m going to be doing in the new year.’
‘Well, I’m sure we can find a way to stay in touch, and make some loose plans, if that works better, in the meantime. Do you reckon?’
She nodded, looking across at him with a meaningful smile.
He held out his arm by way of invitation and Isla didn’t need asking twice.
She shifted up closer to him, snuggling into his embrace, slipping her shoes off and tucking up her feet beneath her.
His arm wrapped around her and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Like something they’d done on many occasions before.
They stayed like that for several minutes, staring into the flames of the log burner, chatting easily, and all the time Guy ran his finger down up and down the length of her arm, igniting all her senses.
That light scent of his aftershave that had so enticed her seemed achingly familiar now, but annoyingly just out of reach still.
She turned to look up at him, reaching a hand to his face, eager to feel the strong contours of his jaw, their eyes locking together in understanding.
She wanted to experience his kisses again as she had in the shop doorway, so briefly and intensely, but filled with promise too, and she could remember her disappointment when they’d had to pull away to make a run for the taxi.
Now they were making up for lost time. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and hoisted her up so that her body was against his and their lips met together in a kiss that at first was gentle and tentative, as they both kept their eyes open, gauging each other’s reactions, until she could resist no longer.
Her eyelids fluttered closed and she gave into the intense pleasure his touch elicited under the barrage of his kisses.
She felt his hands explore the curves of her body, sending her desire even higher, and it was a revelation to discover feelings and longings that had lain dormant within her for far too long.
He pulled back to look at her, his face flushed with passion, his eyes awash with tenderness, and it lit up her whole being to see her own desire reflected in his expression. She cupped her hand around his face, wanting to consign that moment of his obvious longing into her memory.
While she could quite easily have stayed there all night, in his arms, feeling the pleasure of his skin pressed against hers, she knew that she would have to leave soon. Especially before things progressed any further.
‘Look, this has been so lovely,’ she told him, stretching out her legs and arms, her body feeling entirely relaxed now, ‘but I should probably message Jake to come and collect me. I have an early start in the morning.’
Guy’s disappointment was palpable.
‘Of course.’ There was that beguiling, amused smile on his face that she was becoming familiar with now, the one she wanted to see so much more of.
‘The pleasure has been all mine. Without coming on too strong, I need to say that I really like you, Isla. I’ve had a soft spot for you from that very first day that I met you.
I mean, you did come highly recommended by your mother. ’
Isla groaned and rolled her eyes. ‘Stop it!’ she said, giving him a playful dig in the ribs.
‘Really though, I like your integrity, your passion for your work, and everything bookish, the way you’re always sunny and genuinely helpful to people, your loyalty to Jon and Miriam, and the way your face lights up with that gorgeous smile whenever I speak to you.’
She cringed inwardly. Had she really been that obvious?
‘Oh, and did I mention how beautiful you are too?’
She felt her cheeks flushing with colour.
‘Thank you, that’s really kind of you, but stop it now, please,’ she said, laughing. She wasn’t used to so many compliments, delivered by such an attractive guy too.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way about anybody and I’m keen to… um… see where this takes us. I think we could have something special together.’
She nodded, appreciating his honesty. ‘I like you too, Guy,’ she said, realising it didn’t adequately express her feelings.
‘I find it easy being with you in a way that I’ve not always experienced with other guys.
You make me laugh and I enjoy talking to you.
Thank you for this evening; it’s been a lot of…
fun,’ she added, for want of something better to say.
She could have told him how she thought him incredibly attractive, how she admired his resilience from overcoming bitter disappointments when he was young and the way he had built a new and successful career, but she thought once she’d started singing his praises, she might never stop.
‘I really love this place.’ She looked around her again in awe.
‘And, most of all, I adore Lottie.’ She bent down to give the dog a fuss.
He gave a warm chuckle. ‘See, Lottie, I knew you would swing it for me. So… when will I see you again?’ he asked, his head tilting to observe her. ‘I’m not sure I can wait until after Christmas.’ He pursed his lips together in a way that made him difficult to resist.
‘Look, it’s early closing tomorrow for Christmas Eve and there’s a group of us meeting up at The White Hart afterwards for a Christmas drink; some of the other shopkeepers from the mews will be there and my brother Jake and his friends, and some of my old school friends too.
You’d be very welcome to join us if you’d like to? ’
‘If it means seeing you again, then definitely. Shall I come and collect you from the shop at three?’
‘That would be perfect!’
A lot of things had fallen into place for Isla tonight.
There had been a sprinkling of Christmas magic in the air.
All the talk of making the most of opportunities had resonated deeply within her, not because the ideas had only just occurred to her, or she had been influenced by Guy’s suggestions, but because she’d been mulling over all the possibilities in front of her for several days already.
Men like Guy didn’t come along very often so she’d be a fool not to see him again, especially when her reasons for not doing so were only superficial and logistical.
Then there was the small matter of protecting herself from a broken heart, but meeting someone new, whoever it might be, would mean opening up her soul and that would inevitably leave her vulnerable to hurt and heartbreak.
It was the price of looking for love, but surely it was a price worth paying if it meant you could reach the top of the rainbow.
Then there was a career opportunity that she needed to take full advantage of.
She wasn’t sure why she’d been dithering for so long when it represented everything she’d ever wanted from a job.
She should have made her intentions known sooner, but she was determined not to dally any longer.
Tomorrow, she would have that long overdue conversation.
Beside the beautiful glittering Christmas tree, Guy held open her coat and pulled it up over her shoulders, before turning her to face him, running his hands over her hair and the sides of her face tenderly.
Hearing the approach of Jake’s car, Isla couldn’t resist leaning in for one last hug to check that Guy’s kisses were every bit as delectable as she’d first thought them to be.
She stood on tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck, and she was relieved to discover that she wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
‘Thanks again, Guy, for everything, it’s been great.’
She turned to grab the handle of the door, giving one final glance over her shoulder, seeing his smiling face looking back at her and realising that she had so much to be excited about. Things were very definitely looking up.