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Why? he wondered as he made his way over to the table. Was it so inconceivable that he’d bring a friend to visit? Just because he hadn’t done it in the last few years? Why hadn’t he, actually? He supposed it hadn’t occurred to him. The women he spent time with all preferred a night at one of the hotels, the swankier the better, and since Hampton & Sons didn’t have anything under five stars except their newest acquisitions—in this case, the Royal Court, which had a measly four—it was easier just to check into the nearest one. And if he was meeting friends it was the local pub or the curry house. No need for them to trek all the way to the middle of nowhere in Wales. Besides, the cottage was his place. It was where he went when he needed to escape from the real world. There’d never been much point in bringing the real world with him.
Luce wasn’t the real world. This brief sojourn in the snow had nothing to do with reality. Once he’d taken her back to Cardiff the brief time bubble would be over and he’d forget all about her for another eight years, while he got on with his life and she refused to. Easy.
His phone rang as soon as he sat down. ‘Hampton.’
‘Other Hampton.’
Seb’s dry voice sounded out of place as Ben sat staring across at the Welsh mountains. Seb was urban and urbane. He was the city, and the company, and the polished wood of his office.
He’d definitely never invited Seb up to the cottage. Maybe he should.
‘What can I do for you today, oh, fearless leader?’
‘Stop calling me that, for a start.’
On the other end of the line Ben heard his brother shuffling papers before he continued.
‘I just got through reading your report from Chester.’
‘And?’
A pause. Never good.
Then Seb said, ‘When are you back in London?’
‘Tomorrow night was the plan. Might make it Friday—snow dependent.’
‘Can you stop by and see me on Friday? I know it’s Christmas Eve, and you’re supposed to be off the rest of the week...’
‘I can,’ Ben said. ‘But if there’s a problem with my report I’d rather you just tell me now.’
Another pause.
‘It’s not a problem, exactly.’
Seb didn’t sound annoyed, or let down, which Ben was pretty sure their father would have done. That was something.
‘Just an idea I want to talk through with you.’
Now, that was new. For the last six months Seb had been making the decisions and Ben had been making them happen. That was how they operated, and it worked well. But if Seb was willing to let him in, loosen his grip on the reins... Maybe he won’t turn into Dad after all.
‘Okay. So, how’s London coping without me?’
‘Never mind London,’ Seb said. ‘Tell me about this brunette from Chester. Did you actually take her to your cottage? The forbidden inner sanctum?’
It felt wrong to hear Luce described that way, and Ben regretted ever mentioning her to Seb. He clamped down on the surge of anger filling his chest, reminding himself that Seb was only talking about her the way Ben himself had, last time they’d spoken.
‘It’s not... She’s an old friend,’ Ben said, repeating the line he’d used with Johnny and wondering why it felt like such a lie. Because they’d never really been friends, he supposed. ‘I was driving her back to Cardiff and we detoured to the cottage because of the snow.’
‘Wow. You did actually take her to your fabled cottage? I was kidding about that part. She must be pretty important.’
‘More that I didn’t want to die in a snowy crash,’ Ben assured him. ‘Her train was cancelled, I was headed this way anyway, so I drove her. That’s all.’
‘Hmm.’
Ben didn’t think Seb needed to sound quite so disbelieving. ‘Yeah, well, I should get back to my host duties,’ he said, draining his coffee. ‘I’ll see you on Friday.’
It didn’t matter what Seb thought about Luce, he reminded himself as he stood and put on his coat. Because after today she’d be out of his life again.
Which was a good thing. Right?
Except if he wasn’t going to see her again... The thought of not having her, just once, burned at his heart. He needed to touch her, to feel her—hell, even just to hold her. The memory of her swaying into his arms the night before wasn’t fading. How could he not experience more than that?
But after turning her down the night before...? Ben wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to ask again. He’d head back to the cottage, they’d pack up the car and drive to Cardiff, and that would be it. He’d blown the only chance he’d get with Luce Myles.
