‘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.
‘So what brings you here?’ Pippa glanced at Raf as she cleared plates while Gil topped up glasses. Cassie refused more wine. She’d had quite enough, and the hit had passed now. ‘We thought you weren’t coming up for another couple of weeks.’
A simple enough question, but one she knew was loaded. Pippa was trying to find out who Allegra really was and if she was potentially welcoming someone significant to their inner circle. Raf brought so few girlfriends home, and Cassie didn’t need Pippa to tell her how meaningful this apparently casual drop-in really was.
‘Something came up, I’ll explain later,’ he replied smoothly. He leant back, implying a relaxation Cassie couldn’t hope to achieve sitting opposite him.
‘We’ve been to see a house.’ Allegra charmingly thanked Gil for refilling her glass with water, seemingly unaware of the bomb she had just lobbed right into lunch.
‘A house?’ The stack of plates in Pippa’s hands rattled. ‘Seriously?’
We. Allegra had saidwe. Cassie’s pulse was pounding, her mind caught on that single word. All these months she had been working, mothering, checking in with her friends and family, getting on with life and trying to forget what had happened in Australia, and Raf had been, what? Developing a relationship so meaningful that he and Allegra had already been to see a house together, and not a single person in his family appeared to know.
‘An actual house?’ Pippa couldn’t seem to make sense of Allegra’s explanation either. She sat down so hurriedly that Maud, underneath the table, shot out of the way with a yelp. ‘But where? In Hartfell? For you? Or…?’
‘Just outside the village.’ Raf ran a hand across his jaw. ‘Look, before you all get carried away, nothing’s decided, yeah? I haven’t made up my mind yet.’
Cassie sensed him looking at her, and she was not about to give him her eyes. She couldn’t bear for him to read everything she was feeling in this moment. So this was the result of her self-imposed exile from his company. She’d refused to connect, believing that she could only properly protect herself by avoiding him. So why wouldn’t he exclude her, when it was the very thing she supposedly sought? She had no right to be hurt by his bringing someone else home six months after their stupid mistake.
‘Oh, but there isn’t much time to decide, Raf.’ Allegra turned wide indigo eyes on him, a hand briefly on his arm. ‘If you want to make an offer, you simply mustn’t hang around. Loads of people will be after it once it goes online.’
‘Is it the house I told you about, Raf?’ Gil had returned from the house with pudding, and he paused dividing cheesecake into generous slices. ‘The client whose wife passed away, and he wanted to move to be near his children?’
‘Gil!’ Pippa’s new expression was one of nonplussed amazement. ‘You knew about this?’
‘There wasn’t much to know.’ He shrugged. ‘Raf’s been spending more time here and we all knew he was thinking he might like a base eventually. It just came up when we were out cycling one day and happened to pass the house.’
Raf wanting a base in Hartfell was certainly news to Cassie. It was at least a comfort to realise that Pippa hadn’t known he had viewed a house either, and kept it from her.
‘Allegra’s the land agent who’s handling the sale,’ Raf said. ‘I got in touch after Gil mentioned it, and we went back for a second viewing this morning.’
‘Well, I think it’s wonderful, and I’m so pleased Raf brought you to lunch, Allegra.’ Pippa beamed at her. ‘You must tell us everything about the house. I’d love to see it sometime.’
‘Oh, it’s absolutely stunning! Such a perfect family home, and it’s so obvious they adored it.’ Allegra leant past Raf to speak to Pippa. ‘It’s definitely in need of an upgrade, and if it were up to me…’
