Page 49 of The Perfect Gift

25

Ed led Frankie along the busy road then ducked down the alley next to the cookery school. ‘Down here?’ she asked with a frown as they rounded the next corner and into the alley behind the row of shops and flats.

‘This is the only entrance to the flat,’ he told her as he set down the pile of bags and fumbled in his front pocket for his keys. He unlocked one half of the enormous gates that secured the yard and ushered her in. ‘That’s the back door to Prime Catch.’ He nodded to the frosted door on the left. ‘We need to go up here. Watch your step.’ Although there were non-slip strips on the treads, the metal stairs leading up to the flat entrance could still be tricky. He unlocked the door and let her in. ‘Here we are. Shoes off, if you don’t mind,’ he added quickly as he toed off his trainers and hung his coat up on one of the hooks. ‘Harry lived with Ma and Pa for a few years and now he’s worse than her when it comes to being house-proud.’

He moved out of the way and made room for her to leave her ankle boots on the mat next to his trainers. ‘This is nice,’ she said, admiration clear in her voice as she looked around her. ‘I wasn’t expecting it to be so big.’

‘Kitchen’s through there.’ Ed nodded in one direction then turned and walked the opposite way. ‘This is Harry and Kat’s room.’ He tapped the closed door as he passed it. ‘Bathroom here, that’s storage.’ He walked into the lounge with its big skylight window that bathed the room in sunshine.

‘Oh, wow, it’s really lovely.’ Frankie paused next to the pretty tree with blue and silver decorations standing in the corner. ‘This is so cute.’ She turned in a slow circle. ‘It’s bigger than my flat in London.’

‘Really?’

Frankie nodded. ‘It’s big enough just for me and I’m away as much as I’m there. There’s a really nice park and a Tube station within easy walking distances so I was prepared to sacrifice a bit of space for a better location.’ She sighed. ‘That park isn’t going to seem nearly so nice after having the luxury of the beach at the bottom of my garden.’ She laughed. ‘And having a garden itself, even if it’s been too cold to enjoy it much. I bet it’s gorgeous in the summer when everything’s in full bloom.’

‘It really is.’ Ed resisted the temptation to say she’d be able to see it for herself. There was no guarantee Matt would be able to get the cottage back and even if he did, there was no guarantee Frankie would set foot back in Halfmoon Quay after she left. And even less likelihood that Ed would be around if she did. No looking to the future, he reminded himself as he opened the door behind him. ‘Here’s the room I know you really want to see,’ he said with a grin as he pushed it wide to show her the bed he’d made sure to make neatly that morning, just in case.

Frankie paused at the threshold, still wearing her coat and holding her wreath. ‘Was all this just a plan to lure me into your bedroom?’ she demanded, suspiciously.

‘Of course.’ He took the wreath from her and placed it carefully on top of the dresser. Then held out his hand towards her.

‘I thought you wanted to go and show your support to Harry?’

‘I do, and we will. Just come and lie down with me for five minutes. I feel like I haven’t seen you all day.’ He sat on the edge of the bed, wincing as he stretched out his bad leg.

‘Are you okay?’ Frankie hurried over to stand next to him.

‘I’m fine, it just gets a bit sore when I’ve been on my feet a long time.’ He shuffled himself back until he could lean against his pillows and properly rest both legs on the bed. He patted the space beside him. ‘Five minutes and then we’ll go back down.’

‘Five minutes,’ Frankie agreed as she unzipped her coat and let it fall to the floor before clambering up beside him.

Ed pulled her into his arms and dropped a kiss on the top of her head as she snuggled in next to him. He didn’t want anything else from her at that moment, only peace and quiet to hold her, to enjoy her being there with him. He stretched the five minutes a little longer, but knew they’d have to go back. It wasn’t just that he wanted to call in on Harry, he’d promised Rick he’d do that fundraising too. With a sigh he sat up straighter and Frankie stirred with him.

‘I almost nodded off there for a minute,’ she said, giving her head a bit of a shake.

‘Are you okay? You can stay here and rest if you want?’ There was no need for her to return to the cold if she didn’t want to.

She smiled at him. ‘No, I’ll be fine once I get back in the fresh air.’

Ed watched her scramble off the bed and gather her coat then eased himself off more carefully. His leg was better for resting it a minute but still a bit stiff. He lifted down the wetsuit he’d hung on the front of the wardrobe and laid it out on the bed with a sigh. Dipping in the cold sea wasn’t going to do his leg much good either.

‘Is that for the splash-for-cash?’ Frankie said as he placed his waterproof robe next to the suit.

‘Yeah. It’s still going to be a bit of a shock to the system, though.’ He straightened his shoulders and told himself to stop sulking about it. ‘But it’s for a worthy cause so I’m happy to do it.’

‘I love how everyone is prepared to do their bit for the community,’ Frankie said as she put her arms around his waist. ‘And I think you’ll deserve a treat this evening.’

Ed grinned as he put his arms around her. ‘Really? What did you have in mind?’

‘Remember when I promised you the other day that I would share one of my bath bombs with you? I reckon a long, hot soak in the tub is just what you’ll need, don’t you?’

‘I certainly do.’ He pulled her close against his chest. ‘And will you scrub my back while you’re at it?’

‘Depends how much money you raise this afternoon. If you can get a hundred pounds added to your bucket then I’ll scrub your back and anything else you like while I’m at it.’

Ed laughed as he lowered his head and claimed a long, slow kiss from her. ‘Challenge accepted.’

* * *