Page 75 of Tricks & Treats at The Cosy Cornish Bakery

‘Trust me,’ Ginger retorted. ‘I am nothing like Dana. Unless she slept with you as well?’ Without waiting for an answer, she went to tidy the kitchen. It didn’t need anything doing but she needed to be away from Josh and be busy. She emptied the abandoned cocoa into the sink and rinsed the mugs out. Standing at the window, she looked out on the black night full of stars and hoped Chloe was having better luck with Nik than she was with Josh. She loved him but couldn’t see a way back from what he’d just said. So he thought she was nothing better than some sort of groupie? Did he know how much trust she’d put in him? That she hadn’t slept with anyone since Ryan. ‘Look after me, universe,’ she murmured. ‘I need your guidance.’ She needed chamomile, too. Putting the kettle on to boil again, she turned back to him. The expression burning in his eyes robbed the breath from her body. She forgot all about tea.

‘Come back, and I’ll try to express myself better than I have up to now.’

‘That can only be an improvement.’

He finished his tea and, putting the mug on the floor, slid up the sofa. ‘Come back here. Come back to me.’ When she hesitated, he added, imploringly, ‘Please, Ginger. All of this. Everything I’ve done is for you.’

Despite the emotion churning inside, Ginger took her time, waiting for the kettle to boil, pouring water onto a teabag and eventually, when she felt ready, took her mug to the sofa. She sat in position on the edge again, careful not to make any kind of physical contact. ‘Start talking.’

Josh took a deep breath in. ‘Right, here goes. When you are as well-known as me it’s hard to form any kind of personal relationships. Or any kind of relationship full stop. In LA everyone’s on the make. You’re only popular if you can offer somebody something. And everyone wants something from you. An introduction to a director, or an audition, or an invite to the right parties that gets them in front of the right director or casting agent.’ He flicked her a glance. ‘You get the picture.’

Ginger nodded. It sounded awful. Fake and as about as far away from how she wanted to live as possible.

‘You can’t tell if people are being genuine, are chasing fame or simply getting themselves noticed. My circle of friends there is tiny: an actor I worked with, a scriptwriter called Finn, a couple of guys I train with.’

‘Dana?’

‘Dana’s an employee. Was an employee. I fired her.’

‘Oh.’

‘And I never slept with her. She’s not into sex. Says it’s a waste of energy.’ He shuddered. ‘And can you imagine? She’d probably grade you on a scale of one to ten and give you a three-page assessment on how to improve. You’re absolutely right. You’re not like her in any way. You have the advantage of being human.’

And with a heart that can be broken. ‘What point are you making?’ Ginger said aloud.

‘It’s a false world out there.’

‘In Tinsel Town?’

He sighed. ‘In Tinsel Town. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all bad. Full on energy to make projects happen, optimism, can do mind set and the money to back it all up. But it’s fake. I was lonely.’ He looked down and rubbed a hand over his chin, his stubble rasping. ‘I don’t mind admitting it. To the rest of the world, I had everything any man could want’ – he looked at her – ‘except someone genuine to share it with. Women would throw themselves at me but I never knew if they wanted me, Josh Foxall from an ordinary family in Stafford, or Joshua Ralph aka Captain Titan. I’ll leave it for you to decide who they all wanted.’ It was said on a bitter laugh. ‘It screws with your head after a while, and you lose the ability to judge who’s the real deal.’ He blew out a breath, making his cheeks bulge. ‘So, you go with the flow, treat it as one long game. Don’t get me wrong, as I don’t want to sound self-pitying, but the pros were astounding. Money, a Malibu beach house, dieticians, stylists, trainers. I rarely had to think for myself.’

‘Nice pros.’ Ginger couldn’t help the sarcasm.

‘Fair enough.’ He grinned weakly. ‘I can’t really complain, can I? But it’s all material stuff. I was missing the most important thing.’ He gave her another burning look. ‘And then I came here and met you. Right from the get-go you treated me as just another guy. A guest in your B&B. No fawning. No fake flattery. Humour. Conversation about real things. And I fell in love with you, Ginger. It was the last thing I was expecting to happen in Cornwall, but I fell and I fell hard. Almost straight away. I couldn’t keep away from you. I love how you’re embedded in your community, how sure of yourself and your place in the world you are, how seamlessly you run The Sanctuary, how capable you are. There are actors in LA who would blanch at your workload and then hire nineteen assistants. I think you should run the country.’

She snorted, astounded that he saw her that way. In her eyes she was just living her life. Doing what she did. And then his words hit. He was telling her he loved her. She refocused, her mouth dropping open.

‘I really love how loyal you are to your friends and how protective they are over you. If I had only a little of that love you have for your friends, I’d feel like a king.’ He reached up a hand and stroked away some loose hair. Ginger let him. ‘I know it’s only been a few weeks but I truly love you. But–’

But? But. There was a but? Ginger swallowed. Could she believe him?

‘You not responding to my email was killing me. Had me having all sorts of doubts. Jeez, I went to ring you a million times, but the time zone was wrong, or I’d be called into a meeting, or I’d collapse into bed. And I needed to speak to you. Was desperate to speak to you. But what I had to say couldn’t be put in a text. Oh, Ginger, I was pretty sure you liked me a little, but the doubts kept flooding in. Although I was almost one hundred per cent sure you were genuine, I had that horrible little voice in my head suggesting otherwise.’

Ginger thought she’d stopped breathing. She’d certainly lost the power of speech.

‘When, finally, all the shit was done in LA, I got on the first flight back to tell you. I had to find out your feelings one way or another. So that’s what I’m doing. Taking a chance. Probably making the biggest idiot of myself. Tell me how you feel.’ He shrugged. ‘If you don’t feel the same way, I’ll disappear but I’m hoping–’

‘I love you, too.’ It came out all in a rush.

Josh jolted upright. He took her hands in his. ‘Say that again,’ he demanded.

‘I love you. Have done almost from the start. Oh, you stupid man, of course I love you.’

Josh pulled her to him, lifting her onto him. And kissed the breath out of her.

CHAPTER 36

Ginger lay against him, spent. ‘We really should have gone upstairs,’ she murmured.