She began to laugh. ‘No, I don’t. I’ve still got the picture but it’s with all my other travel memories.’
‘What made him turn up now?’
‘Does it really matter?’ She sensed from the way he wouldn’t look at her that it did. ‘He proposed.’
‘Proposed?’ She didn’t miss his gaze drop to her left hand and back up again.
‘I said no.’
‘You said no.’
‘Are you going to repeat everything I say?’ He seemed to be taking it all in, but she couldn’t fall harder than she already had. She’d made an appointment to talk about the IVF and it wasn’t that far off. This was her plan, had been for some time, and it wasn’t fair to expect someone who was more or less a stranger to be by her side while she started a family. It wasn’t what it should be like at all.
He plucked a champagne flute from those grouped on a passing tray. Brianna was gripping onto it tightly in case anyone knocked into her. An overzealous dancer had already done that tonight with a tray filled with bottles of beer and if it wasn’t for Lucy’s quick reflex, there could’ve been smashed glass everywhere. ‘Here, enjoy.’
‘Where’s yours?’
‘I’ll grab another water in a minute.’
‘I noticed you weren’t drinking. Did you have a few at the pub last night?’
‘Not at all. I’ve got an appointment tomorrow and…er, I need a clear head.’ He took a swig from the bottle of water he grabbed from a side table. ‘We could have dinner at the pub tomorrow night if you like. My treat. Perhaps we could talk some more, properly.’
It sounded exactly what she wanted, but it wouldn’t be right. ‘There’s something I should tell you.’ She put out a hand, took his and led him to the front of the barn by the doors where there was a space between the revellers inside and the partygoers in the courtyard.
‘You sound very serious. I’d be worried if I didn’t know the Italian had gone.’
She smiled at his inability to use Dario’s actual name. And with a deep breath she said, ‘I am serious. I can’t be with you. I can’t come for dinner, I can’t date you.’
He put his hand against his chest. ‘Wow, that’s the fastest I’ve ever been turned down.’
‘I just want to be honest.’ She looked down at a few pieces of gravel that had been kicked onto the concrete floor of the barn. ‘I do like you, but it wouldn’t be fair.’
‘Are you still in love with him?’
‘No, I’m not in love withthe Italian.’ That got a smile. ‘It’s complicated.’
‘It always is,’ he said resignedly and when the music stopped ready for the bride and groom to cut the cake, they took their places and carried on as though everything was normal.
And they didn’t dance again, they didn’t find each other for the rest of the night. And Jade went home wondering whether she really knew what she was doing at all.
Chapter Fifteen
Linc closed his laptop in the spare bedroom at Tumbleweed House. He’d returned from his clinic appointment earlier this morning – the reason he hadn’t been drinking at the wedding last night – to find Harvey and Melissa just emerging from a lie-in so he had made them a cooked breakfast before leaving them to it and going upstairs to fire up his laptop and respond to questions from the latest blog post he’d written for the clinic. He felt a sense of finality that the appointments were done with, a feeling of freedom and a sense of accomplishment and pride too.
‘We’ll miss you when you’ve gone,’ said Melissa, who was barefoot in the kitchen as she washed up the breakfast dishes when Linc came back downstairs.
‘I won’t be far.’ He put his bag down on the floor and sat at the table. Winnie had a sniff of the bag, investigated, but finding nothing of interest, turned her attentions to him and let him fuss over her the way she loved, with a tickle behind the ears. ‘Perhaps I’ll stop by now and then and cook you breakfast.’
‘We may hold you to that.’ She pulled a face when she caught sight of the clock. ‘Although it was more of a brunch than a breakfast, we did oversleep somewhat.’
‘Well deserved, I’d say, after last night. Thanks again for renting the cottage to me,’ he added before she had a chance to ask him why he’d been up and about way before them this morning or why he’d left the ball far earlier than they had the night before.
She pulled off her rubber gloves and set them on the side. ‘Some say not to rent to friends or family but I disagree; it’s easier. If I have a good feeling about someone – which I do about you, by the way – then I’m happier for them to rent my place than have someone I don’t know.’
‘Are you attached to the cottage?’
She sat down at the table with him while he rolled up the towel to push into his bag. ‘I was once upon a time but now I’m back in the Cove, not so much. I’m making new memories right here. I did think about selling it once our tenants moved out but then you showed up. Who knows, if you love this new job at the school, perhaps I’ll end up selling to you.’
