‘I’ll text Ro and see if he wants to come over. Maybe it’ll help keep his mind off it this evening.’
‘Thanks, Ash, that might help.’ He stooped down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ‘Better dash – I’m going to try and do a little Christmas shopping before I have a nap this afternoon.’
After James had gone, Ash contacted Ro as she’d promised, checked on her nan again – and got told off for fussing – then took Simon for a quick walk around the block.
The sky was bright and clear, and the ground slippery in places with the thick frost that hadn’t yet thawed from last night. All the houses looked like they were asleep now, with their lights switched off, black wires like cobwebs draped over them. Ash needed to get her mind to focus. She was at home for the day, which meant apart from needing to look after Nan she should concentrate on Beth’s wedding dress. She had one week to get it done and all the pattern pieces were ready after working on it yesterday at Olivier’s.
She knocked on his door before she headed back home, and he opened it wearing a soft-looking T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and some dark blue jeans. The waft of something heavenly came from inside the house; sweet and nutty. ‘Ashleigh, how is your grandmere doing?’
‘She’s okay, thanks. James dropped by and checked her over and it’s nothing serious, thank God. She just needs to rest.’ She bit her lip and wondered why she felt all shy again. Yesterday they’d been rolling around on the very hallway he was standing barefoot on, giggling and nearly kissing. Surely she needn’t feel awkward?
‘Would you like to come in?’
‘I can’t. I’m sorry. I want to stay close by to keep an eye on her. I just need my pattern stuff that I brought over yesterday, if that’s okay?’
‘Of course. I’ll drop it all off.’ He looked over his shoulder towards his kitchen and grinned. ‘And some of this batch of chocolat I’m making for the Pavilion.’
‘Well, if you insist.’ She smiled back.
She took Simon back home and found that her smile hadn’t even faded by the time Olivier knocked on her door, with her bag and paper and a tub with a slab of caramel-coloured chocolate inside. ‘I’d invite you in,’ she said as she took everything, his hands brushing hers and sending electricity skimming over her skin. ‘But I really need to make some progress with Beth’s wedding dress and…’ She blushed as she set everything down by the door, but said it anyway. ‘I think having you here might distract me.’
He gave a guileless smile. ‘But we worked so well yesterday at my house?’
‘That was before.’
‘Before?’
‘Before you asked me out on a date.’ She gave him a little push on his chest and he rocked back gently on his heels, then took her hand.
‘And you said “yes”.’
She nodded as he stroked his thumb over the backs of her fingers, and she struggled to think of what to say next as her brain overloaded with the sensation of his skin against hers. ‘We’ll do it as soon as we can,’ she managed, sounding embarrassingly eager but he just smiled at her, and then raised his other hand and touched her cheek softly, his fingers warm and scented with cocoa and sugar.
‘Let me give you my number. Just send me a message if you’d like me to walk Simon or go to the shops for you.’
‘I can’t just bang on the wall?’ she joked.
‘You can if you like. It might disturb your grandmere though.’
‘True. Thank you. That’s really kind.’ She moved away from his touch reluctantly and grabbed her phone to tap in his number, before she remembered. ‘Oh, I already have it don’t I? Unless it changed.’
‘From that time we met at the club and I gave it to you?’ It was the first time they’d mentioned it to each other since he’d come back this year and Ashleigh saw a mixture of emotion touch his hazel eyes. The heat, she could recognise that in herself, but also a touch of confusion or hurt? Had she hurt him by not calling him? He stepped back off her porch. ‘No, it never changed, Ashleigh. I’ll see you soon.’
