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It was Adam. What on earth did he want at this time? She answered the door. He was shivering in the night air.
‘I could see you were still up. I wondered if you wanted a hand? There’s nothing worse than coming down to a mess in the morning.’
‘Thank you. That’s kind.’ Nikki looked behind him. ‘Where’s Jess?’
He looked puzzled. ‘She went ages ago.’
‘Oh.’ She stood aside as he walked in. ‘I thought—’
She wasn’t going to say what she thought. Adam looked at her.
‘Oh God. Did everyone think we’d got off with each other?’ He laughed. ‘I was showing her Jill’s paintings.’
‘Oh. Right.’
‘Then we got a bit maudlin and were swapping notes. The widow and the widower. Did everyone get the wrong end of the stick?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Nikki, which was true. It was just her who’d assumed the worst.
He looked around the room.
‘So what can I do? Though to be honest, it looks like you’ve nailed it.’
‘I think I’ve nearly finished.’
‘Right, then. Let’s go and have a hot tub.’
‘What?’ She laughed. ‘At two o’clock in the morning?’
‘No better time. The sky’s cleared. The stars are all out. And it’s the perfect way to see off a hangover. Sweat it out.’ He grinned. ‘Come on. I’m going in even if you don’t. It’s really warm.’
‘OK. I’ll just get my costume.’ Did she sound a bit prim? She wasn’t sure of the protocol. Should she be leaping in naked, without a care in the world? But Adam seemed happy with her plan.
‘I’ll leave the front door open. Just walk through to the back,’ he told her.
Ten minutes later they were sitting opposite each other, immersed in luxuriously warm water, staring up at the night sky. The hot tub was made of cedar, set into decking made of the same wood, with tiny pin-prick lights mirroring the stars above. They chatted idly. About who was who at the party. And what a success it had been.
‘It must be hard, hosting on your own,’ Adam said. ‘I haven’t done it yet.’
‘The trick is to get people to do all the things you don’t like doing.’
‘Exploit them, you mean. Chain them to the kitchen and get them to make tacos.’
‘Oi!’ She flicked the surface of the water with her finger to wet him. ‘Honestly, though, I really appreciated it. Catering’s not my forte.’
‘So I’ve heard,’ he said.
‘What?’ She was indignant, then realised he was teasing her again. ‘I’m not rising to the bait.’
After ten more minutes, they decided to call it a night.
‘I’m getting prune fingers,’ said Adam.
‘You were right, though. It was the perfect end to the evening. I feel all relaxed and sleepy.’
‘Good.’
She clambered out of the tub and pulled on her fleecy robe. Next to her Adam was towelling his torso then pulling his sweatshirt back on. She turned away at the sight of his abs, stuffing her feet into her Crocs, very aware that yet again she wasn’t that enticing a prospect. They hurried back up the path, for the air was sharp out of the balmy warmth of the water. Somewhere nearby an owl hooted as they reached the doors at the back of the house and headed into the kitchen.
