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‘What?’ Clara started to laugh, then wrinkled her nose. ‘She kept her sauce in her room?’
Joshua nodded solemnly. ‘Of course, it was hide or die in those halls. Anything you put in the cupboards in the kitchen disappeared. Literally, in an instant. We all thought some kind of hungry ghost lived there.’
‘But, in this case, the ghost was David?’
Joshua nodded. ‘He’d gone on ahead when we’d left the pub. By the time I got in, Alyssa was hitting him over the head with a cushion. He offered to give the roll back, but he’d put brown sauce on it, and she hated it.’
‘Where did he get brown sauce in the middle of the night if he hadn’t gone back to his room?’
‘Aha,’ said Joshua slowly. ‘We—I and a few of my fellow students—had a hiding place for essentials in one of the vents. We would never have left cooked bacon unguarded. As soon as you started cooking food in the kitchen people would appear from nowhere. It was definitely survival of the fittest.’
He pulled her down onto his knee, one hand resting on her leg. ‘You’ve been great today. I know it might have been hard—mixing with my friends and a whole bunch of people you didn’t know. But...’ he reached up and touched her cheek ‘...thank you. I appreciate it.’ He looked out across the crowded room. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve come to something like this and actually enjoyed myself.’
She breathed in slowly, taking a minute to say the right thing. ‘Why?’ she asked simply.
His eyes connected with hers. ‘Because I hadn’t found the right person to come with.’ The words made her heart melt. He couldn’t have said anything more perfect. She picked up a cupcake and held out her hand to him. ‘How about we take some of these things back as room service?’
He stood up and crossed over to the bar, coming back a few seconds later with a bottle of champagne and two champagne flutes. Clara had a little pile of cupcakes on the plate. ‘Ready?’ she asked.
‘Always.’ Her heart skipped a few beats as they made their way back to their room.
The service had turned down the bed, put some chocolates on the pillows and left the curtains open, showing a beautiful view of the gardens. At this time of night the gardens were lit by multicoloured lights that glowed on and off, giving the impression of a magical wonderland. Joshua put down the champagne on the table at the window and turned to take Clara in his arms.
‘How did you find it today?’ She could hear the tinge of anxiety in his voice.
‘I’ve had a great time,’ she reassured him. ‘Your friends have all been lovely.’
He swallowed and paused for a second. ‘A few of them asked me.’
‘Asked you what?’
‘Asked me if we were serious.’
She felt herself stiffen. Now it was her turn to swallow. ‘What did you say?’
In the dim lights his eyes fixed on hers. ‘I told them I’d like to be, but wasn’t sure what you wanted.’
Her breathing stuttered and skin prickled. The question. The conversation she’d been waiting for. ‘What about Scotland?’ she breathed.
His gaze lowered. ‘That’s up to you. I could never ask you to give up a home or job that you loved.’
Something plucked at her heartstrings. She remembered the first time she’d walked into Georgie’s flat and thought it resembled a show house instead of a home. Her place was much more low-key. Much more cosy.
Her voice trembled. ‘How do you feel about long-distance relationships?’
He tilted his head to one side—a movement that reminded Clara of his mother. ‘I think,’ he said steadily, ‘that it might be worth a try.’ A little flare of hope fired inside her belly. He was actually considering it.
‘London and Edinburgh aren’t that far apart. Four hours by train.’
He must have been checking. More hope.
‘And we could talk every day and video chat to catch up.’
His hand slid over the smooth silk of her dress. ‘But it’s not quite the same, is it?’
Her mouth dried. She knew exactly what he was saying. It wasn’t the same. It wasn’t the same as being able to climb a few flights of stairs and walk into his flat on a nightly basis. It wasn’t the same as seeing him every day at work. How would she feel with some distance between them?
She knew instantly that she didn’t want that. ‘It’s not the same,’ she whispered. ‘I can’t imagine not seeing you or Hannah on a daily basis.’
Her heart was sinking. Hannah was settled at school and Joshua was in charge of a department at one of the best hospitals in London. Any decision to be made had to be hers.
Part of her wished she’d tried to phone Ryan before tonight—to talk things through with him. To see what he would think if she told him she might not want to come back to Scotland at all. Would he be surprised? Angry? Or pleased for her?
Joshua reached up and stroked her cheek. ‘I can’t imagine not seeing you every day either.’ He let out a low laugh and shook his head. ‘I’ve been so worried about having this conversation with you.’
‘You have?’
He nodded. ‘We haven’t had a conversation about the future. I wasn’t even sure how you would react if I asked you about it. I was worried I had read this all wrong.’
She pressed her lips together and nodded too, laying her hand on his chest. ‘I’ve been worried too. Worried that you might think I was trying to insert myself into your lives—into a place I might not be wanted.’
‘Oh, you’re wanted,’ he said in a deep voice. ‘You have no idea how much you’re wanted.’
She moved her hands to his shoulders, trying to take her attention away from the fact that Joshua had started moving his fingers oh-so-lightly down her spine.
‘What about Hannah? What do we tell Hannah?’ She knew there was another part of this conversation, but it just didn’t feel like the right moment.
‘We tell Hannah the truth,’ he said firmly. ‘We tell her that we’re dating and, because your job was only agreed for a short time, we’re trying to find a way to make it work.’
Clara was still a little nervous. ‘How do you think she’ll react?’
He took a little time to answer. ‘You’ve seen her happy, you’ve seen her having a temper tantrum.’ Her stomach flipped because she’d seen other things with Hannah that she’d need to talk to him about. He gave her a smile that was half proud, half sad. ‘I have nothing else to compare her to, but I’m sure she’s in every way a normal five-year-old.’ He took a deep breath. ‘But I think she’s ready, Clara. I think she’s ready to have someone else in her life—’ he pulled her closer ‘—just like I am.’ He murmured the words against the skin of her cheek. ‘We love you, Clara. We want you in our lives.’
Her heart swelled in her chest. These were just the words she wanted to hear. The reassurance. The commitment. The perfect final piece of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place.
She answered from the bottom of her heart. ‘That’s what I want too.’
His fingers continued their sensuous dance down her spine and she let out a little giggle. ‘What are you doing to me, Joshua? You’re going to drive me crazy.’
He dipped her backwards. ‘Exactly my plan.’ His grip was firm, making her feel safe and secure.
‘I like your plans. And I liked you dancing. You know, letting loose a little. How about some more?’
He pulled her upwards and slid out his phone, filling the room with slow, sensual music. Perfect. She merged her body against his, their curves melding together, as if they were made to be this way.
As they moved in gentle steps, Joshua trailed kisses down her neck. She’d hoped this would be a special weekend. Now she knew the man who had stolen her heart felt the same way she did. Everything seemed to be aligning. Even though she’d need to sort out logistics about her house and her job, it all felt w
orth it.
Worth it to feel like this for a lifetime.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE NEXT FEW weeks kind of floated by. Clara looked online at other suitable job vacancies in London. The job swap had been unique. Most positions at her level were recruited for more than a year in advance and, unless someone pulled out at short notice, there might not be a vacancy.
She toyed with the idea of connecting with Georgie. She had no idea how things had worked out with her placement at the hospital in Edinburgh. Was there even a remote possibility that Georgie might like to continue there?
It seemed too ridiculous, so Clara put it out of her mind.
Joshua was charming at work, easy to be around, and most of the other members of staff had guessed that something was going on between them. Ron had given her a few raised eyebrows, then told her that he was delighted for them both.
