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“Thanks very much. I’ll have to see how this next report goes though, so don’t put yourself out for me.”
“Ok, sure, no problem, see you later,” I say, walking away before I remember the bloody cupcakes.
I turn back with a hey, Gerwyn, and he leans back out of the doorway with a yeah?
“I got some of those cupcakes from Briar’s for us. They’re downstairs if you fancy one. Caramel creams. Super yummy.”
His smile returns. “Thanks, Cass. That’s really nice of you.”
“No pressure, though,” I say, holding my hands up. “If you’re busy, you’re busy, but they’ll be ready and waiting whenever you fancy a sugar hit.”
I’m at the top of the stairs when he calls out to me with a hey, Cass in return. The warmth is back in his voice, and the relief feels amazing.
“What are you making for dinner?” he asks. “One of Ant’s speciality recipes?”
“Yeah. I’m going for pepper and kale spicy noodles. Do you want some?”
He shoots a glance back to the office before he answers, so I guess he really is up against it.
“I can bring some up for you if you’re too busy to join me?” I offer, but he shakes his head with another smile.
“No, thank you. I’ll come down. I really appreciate it.”
There’s a bounce in my step as I arrive back at the kitchen, hoping I do Ant’s recipe justice. I’m not exactly a master chef, but it looks like it’s going ok.
The peppers and kale are simmering nicely, and the noodles are almost ready by the time Gerwyn arrives at the breakfast bar. He’s in a dark blue shirt today, and it makes his blue eyes even lighter against the dark of his hair. It makes me smile as I think back to Janie’s vampire but not request. I can imagine her looking at the picture of Gerwyn in the Halloween costume with surprise on her face, and hope that one day she’ll get to see him like that for herself. I’d be grinning like crazy to see him kissing Janie’s neck the way he was kissing Jo’s on that photo.
“Ta da,” I say and present the caramel dream cupcakes in their box.
He nods in approval. “They look absolutely bloody divine. Thank you.”
I only hope he approves of my dinner attempt even a fraction as much, so here goes…
I dish up the noodles and take my seat next to him. I hang back on eating mine like I’m in a cooking competition, desperate to hear the judge’s verdict as he gives me a thank you very much and dives right in. He wraps his first load of noodles around his fork, and I’m staring like an idiot, desperate to please.
His nod and yum feel like a victory. Yes, I nailed it, and thank fuck for that, since I don’t feel like I’m nailing all that much at the moment.
“So, how about you? Good day?” he asks as I finish my first mouthful.
“Yeah, thanks. Busy. Not as busy as yours from the looks, though.”
“Meetings and deadlines,” he says.
“I can imagine. Making the move from Berlin to Malvern can’t be easy.”
“No. But it’ll be worth it. Life over here will definitely make it worth the shitload of travel in the meantime.”
He smiles. “I haven’t had such a fun pizza night in ages. It was great.”
Hearing how much fun he had with me last night gives me the confidence to suggest a fresh idea. I spin on my stool to face him with a huge grin.
“Are you done with work tonight? I was thinking we could watch a movie.”
He looks like he’s considering it, and I silently hope he says yes. I’d be so grateful for another evening of fun and laughter, rather than images of Lee worming their way into my skull at every opportunity.
Gerwyn’s still weighing it up when he answers.
“Maybe I could hold back on some deadlines.”
“It’s no problem if you’re too busy…”
“What movie were you thinking, any ideas?”
I give him my usual choice. “Dirty Dancing?”
With that he slaps his hands on the counter with a smirk.
“Well, that’s sealed it. Damn it. How can I resist?”
“Yeah? You’ll watch it with me?”
He nods. “Reporting can wait until the morning. How am I supposed to turn down an offer like that?”
I do a ridiculous hand clap before tucking in to finish my noodles, buzzing at the thought of us having another fun night together rather than me holing up on my own and feeling like a guilty unprofessional bitch.
Gerwyn opens a bottle of red wine and we take a glass each, and I watch him as he relaxes, unwinding from the day. He lets out a big sigh when we’re done with our food.
“Cupcakes with the movie?” he asks.
“Most definitely.”
He smirks as he clears our plates up. “Get Patrick and Jennifer ready to roll and I’ll bring the desserts through with cream.”
