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‘Shelley!’
She wished he hadn’t. There were about twenty people milling around the place and they all looked round at once.
He came over and smiled down at her. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi.’
‘Nice of you to come.’
‘Nice of you to ask me.’
‘My, aren’t we being polite?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘We are making progress!’
‘Don’t speak too soon!’ she warned. ‘Normal warfare could be resumed at any time!’ But her voice lacked any kind of conviction and he smiled again.
‘I gather that not only is Ellie eating everything in sight but she’s actually started crawling?’
‘Yes, she’s better,’ said Shelley. ‘I took her out for a walk in her pushchair this morning.’
‘I know you did.’
‘How?’
‘I saw you.’
Her breath seemed to catch in her throat. ‘Did you?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘But I didn’t see you!’
‘I know you didn’t. You were far too busy bending to pick up Ellie’s teddy which she seemed hell-bent on hurling into the sea!’
She chuckled, and he looked surprised, but then she guessed it was a long time since he had heard her laugh quite so uninhibitedly. And suddenly she wanted more than anything to fling her arms round him in a great big hug, as she would any old friend from way back. She contented herself with studying him, instead.
He wore black jeans too, and a bright scarlet sweater. He saw her looking at it and raised his eyebrows. ‘Like it?’
‘Love it,’ she said lightly. ‘No one will miss you coming, that’s for sure!’
He laughed. ‘The host should always be clearly visible—that’s the second rule of parties.’
Now who had taught him that? she wondered. ‘And what’s the first rule?’
‘Oh, that’s easy.’ There was a pause before he said, very deliberately, ‘Only invite people you like.’
She gave him a wry look. ‘So you like me now, do you, Drew?’
His eyes were rueful. ‘I always did, Shelley—it might have been easier if I didn’t.’
‘Oh,’ she said faintly, going pink with pleasure but hoping that he wouldn’t notice in the dark. This was crazy! All their history and she was stricken with shyness—worse than anything she’d experienced the first time around! She held out the bag towards him.
‘What’s this?’ he asked, taking it.
‘These are the wooden remains of a wall cupboard I demolished when I was decorating.’
‘Not the one in the hall?’
‘That’s the one! I hated it, I’m afraid.’
‘No, I never liked it, either.’
Oh, the danger—the lazy and seductive danger of a shared past! Shelley quickly handed over the bottle. ‘And here’s some wine. I—’ She had been about to say that she hoped he liked red, when she remembered that he did. ‘Hope you like it.’
‘Thank you.’
‘And sparklers.’
‘Why, thank you, Shelley,’ he said gravely. ‘Your hair looks good, by the way.’
She shook it in denial. ‘It’s all over the place. It needs a cut.’
‘No, it doesn’t. I prefer it longer.’
Suddenly she found that she wanted to grow it down to her bottom!
‘Now come and get a drink and I’ll introduce you to anybody you don’t know.’
‘I won’t know anyone!’ she groaned.
‘Rubbish! You’ve met Jack, the doctor—he’s here with his wife. And Charlie from the shop. Plus, there are a couple of people you were at school with—’
She felt as though her nervousness would swallow her up. Maybe that was what made her drop her mask. ‘Drew, these people are your friends. They’ll hate me, resent me—’
‘What for?’ he asked, in surprise.
‘For running away the way I did—’
‘No, they won’t.’
‘I remember what it was like.’
‘And it’s ancient history, Shelley. People have moved on. Most people won’t even remember.’
‘And if they do?’
He shook his head. ‘It’s between you and me, kitten. Nobody else.’
She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the night air.
‘Or would you rather look round and see what I’ve done to the cottage?’ he asked suddenly.
Her heart crashed against her ribcage. ‘No—’ That sounded all wrong somehow. Slipping away with him when she’d only just arrived. ‘Not yet.’
‘What will you drink?’
‘Anything.’
‘Decisive kind of woman, are you?’ he teased.
