‘Me!’
‘Yep. You.’ He tugged the napkin from her grasp and dropped it out of reach. Her breath caught at this new game, eyes locked on his bottomless brown ones, and she knew, then. That whatever they told each other about remaining friends and nurturing an affectionate relationship for the sake of her children and their families, they had blown it right out of the water with one single kiss eight months ago. That night in Australia, her desire and her feelings for him had hit her without warning, and whenever he was near, it was almost impossible to think of anything else. She wanted to repeat that kiss over and over. And he knew it. Every look, every touch on her body, told her he wanted the same.
Her finger trembled as she touched it to the corner of his mouth, heard his sharp intake of breath as she caught the teardrop. Without her napkin she had no alternative and her lips parted to lick the wine from her finger. His stare never left hers and Cassie didn’t think her pulse had ever pounded so hard in her life. The door behind them opened and she leant back so quickly her chair rocked as Sasha appeared.
She tried to absorb everything he was imparting about their first dessert course and the accompanying wine, but his words were a blur, her mind stuck on those last few moments alone with Raf.
‘Cass, there’s something you should know before Pippa finds out and lets it slip.’ Sasha had left, and Raf’s spoon was poised above a caramel and chocolate tart so delicate and beautifully presented she almost thought it would be a shame to eat it.
‘I had a drink with Allegra at the pub today. I was already there to meet with Kenny and the timing worked, that’s all.’ The playfulness from before had vanished and Cassie was poised for bad news. ‘I’ve made an offer on the house, and I heard this afternoon that it was accepted.’
‘Raf, that’s amazing,’ she exclaimed. ‘How brilliant, I’m so pleased for you.’ Whatever their own future held, it was a thrill to think of him remaining in the house she had come to think of as a home from home. ‘Have you told Flynn? I’m sure he’ll be over the moon to find out you’re staying.’
‘Not yet,’ he replied drily. ‘I wanted you to be the first to know.’
‘Well, that’s nice, thank you. Congratulations. Pippa will be delighted.’
‘Yeah. But how do you feel about it?’
‘Raf, much as I love the idea of you staying in Hartfell if it makes you happy, it doesn’t change anything for me or the children,’ she said quietly. ‘We have to go home at the end of summer. But maybe we can stay for the occasional holiday or weekend. Isla and Rory would love that. As friends.’
‘Is that what you think we are?’
Cassie didn’t have the chance to reply as their second dessert course appeared, followed by coffee and a tempting tray of perfect petit fours. Then Henry, the chef patron, arrived, and Raf assured him that the tasting menu had been superb, and he and his business partners were definitely interested in working with the hotel. She was pleased to have brought the two together and added her own suggestions to future plans. So there was no reason to feel sad that she wouldn’t be around to follow the partnership to its fruition and offer help in the future, when she would be back in London.
The intimacy of the conversation with Raf was lost when they were taken on a tour of the wine cellar and the spa. She wished she could immerse herself in the bubble pool and let the water do its work to smooth away all her worries over the future and how she felt about Raf. Their driver returned, and as the car took them home through the darkness, the silence was charged with an atmosphere she recognised. In so many ways, this evening had felt like a date, and she refused his suggestion of a drink in favour of escaping to her room. Something had shifted between them again, and she would confront her feelings once his birthday celebrations were over and she’d had more time to think.
Chapter Fifteen
Cassie was first up in the morning, and she took Flynn for a quick walk around the meadow. When she returned, Isla and Rory were preparing a surprise breakfast in bed for Raf. She fed Flynn as they made French toast with berries and yoghurt, and she nipped out to the garden and picked a rose to go in a vase on the tray. She doubted he’d ever been given flowers from his own home before, a thought which pleased her.
Isla and Rory insisted that she come upstairs too, and Rory knocked loudly on Raf’s door. He rearranged the pillows as he sat up and grinned as the teenagers launched merrily into ‘Happy Birthday’. His gaze met Cassie’s above their heads, and she was glad he reached for a T-shirt to cover the bare chest she had no wish to be distracted by right now. Flynn had followed them up as well, seeming to realise it was a special occasion, and he ambled over, nosing at Raf’s hand until it was on his head.
‘Thanks, guys, this is a very unexpected and welcome treat.’
‘You’re always doing nice things for us, so we wanted to do one for you.’ Isla settled the tray on his lap then clambered onto the end of the bed, facing him.
‘I love it, it’s much better than nice. And you’ve made me my favourite breakfast.’
Rory held out two gifts. ‘Happy birthday.’ He joined his sister, which left Cassie hovering awkwardly. ‘I know you’re opening presents tonight, but we wanted you to have ours now.’
‘Thank you.’ Raf accepted the gifts. ‘I’m intrigued. One of them sounds noisy.’
‘Mum, sit down.’ Isla patted the bed, and Cassie found a spot near the edge, curling her legs beneath her. ‘Aren’t you going to wish Raf happy birthday too?’
‘Oh, yeah.’ She laughed, as though it had simply slipped her mind. ‘Happy birthday.’
‘Thank you.’ Ordinarily they’d never used to celebrate anything without sharing a hug, a friendly kiss. But she wasn’t about to scramble over the bed and land in his lap in front of the children.
Isla and Rory were impatient for him to finish eating so he could open his gifts. Cassie had no idea what they’d chosen; they’d dipped into their own savings to buy them. She took the tray away once he’d emptied the bowl and he opened Isla’s gift first, unable to resist a loud chuckle when he found a pair of brown leather slippers and a pipe Isla pointed out was made of chocolate. He drew her close for a hug, telling her it was perfect now he had his own home and was badly in need of slippers to keep him comfy in his old age. Rory’s gift was a Lego set of a classic Land Rover, not dissimilar to the real one on the drive.
‘I hope we can build it together,’ Rory said earnestly.
Raf promised they could, and then it was Cassie’s turn. She handed him a small, gift-wrapped box. He took his time to unwrap it, and when he opened the box and lifted out the leather bracelet inside, she tried to bat away its significance.
‘I know you’ve already got bracelets.’ She pointed to his left wrist, as though he might’ve forgotten there were several wrapped around it. ‘But I saw this, and it felt right…’
He raised the two strands of dark brown leather held together with a silver bead ring to admire it and turned it over to read the words inscribed on the ring.
