Page 98 of Winter With You

Luca felt an uplifting inside him like the way he felt when he watched a beautiful sunrise over the Hudson River. This could be his dream turning into reality. To have established himself here in the industry he loved. To be able to work unblighted by the ghosts of his father’s past. He let that feeling settle inside him and hoped. But there was something else he wanted now. It was more than the ambition that had driven him this far. It was what he had started with someone. And to admit that, even to himself, felt like the biggest step.

‘Mr Manning, do you not agree?’

It was only when Sybille spoke that he realised he hadn’t said anything, had just breathed and got lost in his own thoughts and left everyone hanging.

‘No,’ he said. ‘I mean, yes! Yes, I agree. Absolutely.’ He stretched a hand out to Errol. ‘Welcome to the team, man.’

Errol grinned and took hold of Luca’s hand before pulling him in for one of his infamous huge bear hugs complete with back-slapping. ‘Hugging’s OK, right?’

‘Yeah,’ Luca answered, struggling to breathe. ‘Just don’t do it with any of the clients.’

A dog barked and it broke apart the hug and everyone looked to the door. It was Mr Darcy, Phoebe and then there was Gabriella, the person whose aura had drawn his attention from the very start…

‘Good morning, Miss Felix,’ Sybille greeted.

‘Good morning,’ Phoebe and Gabriella replied at the very same time. And then they both giggled in a similar way and then that made them giggle again. Mr Darcy barked some more, jumping a bit on the leash in Phoebe’s hands.

‘Errol, it’s good to see you. How is everything?’ Gabriella asked, moving forward into the room.

‘Everything is swell,’ Errol replied. ‘Especially my ribs, but I’m not one to complain.’

‘So,’ Sybille started. ‘Shall Errol and I arrange coffee while you get started on the next event? A bookstore, I believe.’

‘It is,’ Gabriella said, nodding.

‘Phoebe, I have some biscuits for Mr Darcy,’ Sybille said.

‘Really?’ Phoebe said, pushing her glasses up her nose with her free hand and gripping Mr Darcy’s lead with the other.

‘We get biscuits here?’ Errol asked.

‘Dog biscuits, Errol,’ Sybille answered dryly.

With more barking and a bit more chatter, finally it was just Luca and Gabriella in the space. And there was something extra special about her today, something unwound and untethered.

‘What’s happened?’ he asked before he had even thought about it.

‘Is it that obvious that something has?’

He stepped closer to her, wanting to be nearer, to drink her in. ‘You look⁠—’

‘Tired?’

‘No.’

‘Unmoisturised?’

‘It’s not skin deep.’

‘Full of chocolate pancakes that I posted to Instagram? Because I am. And I did.’

He smiled. ‘I know what it is now.’

‘High on additives?’

‘Stop talking.’

‘Why? Am I too much?’