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‘I might have. Let’s have a go on the dodgems next.’
‘Good grief,’ she heard him mutter, but he followed her willingly enough, and he even did the steering while she sat in the seat next to him, issuing squealed instructions when she spotted another dodgem car on a collision course with theirs.
‘Can we stop now?’ Daniel pleaded as they climbed down the steps from the ride. ‘I don’t think my nerves can stand a go on anything else.’
‘Just one more. Please?’ She peered at him from under her lashes, giving him puppy dog eyes. She wanted to go on the big wheel, and she knew he’d love it once he got to the top and saw the view.
‘Just one more,’ he agreed, then blanched when she pointed to the giant wheel, with its swinging metal seats dangling high above the park. ‘Is it safe?’
‘Perfectly,’ she said. ‘It wouldn’t be allowed to operate if it wasn’t.’
‘You hear of accidents…’ he began darkly. ‘I’d hate it if anything happened to you.’
‘Aw, that’s so sweet.’ Seren smiled up at him, then paused when she saw the intensity on his face. He meant what he said, and it gave her a lovely warm feeling inside.
Impulsively, she flung her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to hers. Her questing mouth found his warm lips and for a few delicious moments the noise, sights and smells of the Winter Wonderland faded, and the only thing she was aware of was the taste of him and the heat of his kiss.
Someone bumping into her jostled her back to the present and she reluctantly dragged herself away, and she even resisted the urge to snog him until he begged for mercy as they hung suspended goodness knows how many feet over the park when they ventured onto the big wheel.
She was right though, the view was astounding, and it was well worth the eye-watering price. As he watched the world below revolve and turn, Daniel slung an arm around her shoulders and she had the arresting thought that she never wanted this moment to end.
Hot on its heels was another thought, which made her pause anew – could Daniel be The One? He was everything she wanted in a man: kind, thoughtful, funny, attentive, and hot. Very, very hot. He wasn’t in the same league as Tobias (not many men she’d met were) but he was handsome in his own way. His good looks were subtler and more lasting, she thought. She had a feeling Tobias would burn bright for a while before fading like a dimming star, but that Daniel might get even better with age.
Blinking heck! She’d got it bad, hadn’t she? So to distract herself, she suggested they take a turn on the ice before getting something to eat.
Daniel, to her surprise, was a decent skater. After an initial wobble before he found his balance and remembered the moves, he glided around the arena, neither flashily fast nor snail-slow, and he even attempted a twirl with her.
Neither of them was Olympic standard but neither of them ended up on their backsides either, and Seren was feeling quite pleased with herself by the time they changed into their shoes and handed their skates back, her legs and ankles aching pleasantly after the unaccustomed exercise.
After purchasing some crepes, they wandered around the array of stalls whilst they ate, Seren eagerly absorbing the atmosphere and feeling incredibly happy to have Daniel at her side. They treated themselves to a mulled wine after they’d finished their snack, the warm spiced drink heating Seren from the inside (not that she needed it after the kiss with Daniel), and she decided that she’d never felt as Christmassy as she did now. The festive spirit was practically shining out of her and she was so happy she felt like climbing to the top of the helter skelter again and proclaiming it for all to hear.
What on earth had got into her?
Whatever it was, it was nice, and she vowed to enjoy it whilst it lasted and make the most of it. All too soon it would be tomorrow morning and she’d be back at work.
Which reminded her… ‘Look, there’s Santa’s grotto. Are you sure you don’t want to check it out? You could even offer to give them a hand if they’re busy,’ she teased.
‘Wash your mouth out,’ Daniel growled. ‘Anyway, why aren’t you and your ice cream van here? You could have made a killing.’
‘It’s not an ice cream van; it’s a travelling gift shop, I’ll have you know,’ she pointed out loftily. ‘I wish I could have a pitch here, but I’m working on the days they have spaces.’
‘That’s a shame. Maybe next year.’
Seren didn’t want to think about next year. She was having enough trouble thinking about this one. To be honest, she found it difficult to think at all with Daniel by her side, because the only thing in her head was him. He filled her mind and her senses, and she’d never felt this way about any man before. It was new and exciting, and just a little scary.
‘I wouldn’t have taken you for a baker,’ Seren said to Daniel the following evening. He knew he was probably being overkeen but he hadn’t wanted to wait for ages to see her again, so he’d asked her if he could see her today. His disappointment when she’d told him that she had to work was acute, but she’d said she’d be finished by four o’clock, so would that do?
Would it ever! He’d leapt at the chance. He had been hoping they could have done something or gone somewhere during the day, but even if he only saw her for a couple of hours after she’d finished her shift, it would be better than nothing.
Guessing that she might be tired, he’d offered to cook for her, instead of suggesting they go out, and maybe they could watch a film on TV afterwards – although he was hoping to do less watching and more cuddling.
Before he started on the meal, he was doing a spot of baking, which was why Seren was currently perched on a kitchen chair in his house, a bowl containing flour, sugar and butter on the table in front of her, and she was using her fingers to turn the mixture into the consistency of breadcrumbs.
Daniel kept sneaking glances at her as he worked and thinking how very right she looked in his kitchen. She didn’t just look at ease – she belonged there, as though she’d always been there. Which was odd considering he had zero attachment to the house he was renting. It was a place to sleep and to stash his stuff, that was all. His heart lay in the house he’d sold before he’d moved in with Gina. Actually, not the house – it was the garden that had meant the most to him. Over the years, as his love for gardening blossomed and grew, he’d put his heart and soul, his blood and sweat into turning it into a living advertisement for his business. It had hurt him deeply to give it up, and in hindsight he should never have done so. If he’d been thinking straight, he could have rented the house out, but he’d wanted to make a commitment, and in his mind selling his house had showed Gina that he was serious about making their relationship work. The next step would have been marriage, even though he’d realised not long after moving in with her that he didn’t love her as much or as deeply as he should have done. But he’d have persevered for Amelia’s sake and because he genuinely had feelings for Gina.
But she’d cheated and he’d found out and—
Why was he thinking about the past when the present and hopefully the future was sitting in his kitchen, with a look of intense concentration on her pretty face and rubbing the shortbread mixture with all her might as though her life depended on it?
