‘You’re winding me up,’ she said, scraping the final piece of steak through the glossy mushroom sauce after he told her he sometimes ventured all the way to Australia.
‘It’s true.’ He sipped his wine, his eyes only on her. She was sure they hadn’t flickered elsewhere since they’d sat down. ‘There’s skiing in Australia. I spent most of my time last year in Fall’s Creek, New South Wales, but I know they have other resorts too.’
Impressed, Lydia got him talking about different kinds of holidays and they found they’d been to many of the same places.
‘Why has it been so long since your last holiday?’ he asked.
‘Oh you know, new job, trying to pay a mortgage.’
He raised his glass. ‘Well cheers to more holidays for you after this one.’
‘I’ll raise my glass to that.’ And when they’d looked at each other longer than was comfortable, she disguised her unease by gulping the rest of her wine.
Jonathan insisted on picking up the bill for the meal even though Lydia had explained she’d be able to put a few things on expenses, and being the perfect gentleman he walked her to her room afterwards. Her heart pounding against her chest, she thanked him for dinner and when she’d partly opened the door, he kissed her, just once, very lightly on the lips.
‘It was lovely to spend the evening with you,’ he told her.
Did he feel the same current zapping between them?
‘You too.’ They were the only words she could manage before he turned and left the hotel and she fell into her room, wondering what they’d started.
