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‘Sorry, Jen. Got to go.’
‘Millie—’
‘Don’t worry. I’m absolutely fine. In fact, I’m better than fine. I love you, Jen. Send my hugs and kisses to the girls and tell them I’ll see them on Christmas Eve.’
‘I will but—’
‘Bye.’
She severed the connection with her bewildered sister, excitement rushing through her veins. She had no idea whether Zach had heard her conversation with Jen, unsure if she wanted him to have heard or not, but she was certain of one thing; that whatever label she chose to put on her relationship with Zach, whenever she was in his company he made her spirits soar and her self-esteem burgeon.
She smiled at him, taking in the sprinkle of debris that dotted his hair after his workshop rescue heroics, and made her way down the stairs, pausing on the bottom step so she could look directly at him. In that moment, she decided there was no time like the present to throw caution to the wind and tell Zach how she felt about him, despite their uncertain future.
‘Zach…’
‘Millie…’
She stared into the dark brown eyes, ringed with lashes the colour of liquorice, that had accompanied her dreams ever since she’d returned from St Lucia.
‘Are you okay?’ Zach asked.
For a few seconds she was unable to respond. Wisps of Zach’s breath tickled seductively at her cheeks as he took a step closer, the determination evident in his expression. She savoured the swirl of pleasure that spiralled through her veins, breathless with anticipation of finally being wrapped into his arms, safe from falling roofs and the wider world.
A shiver of intense desire shot southwards and her heartbeat hammered out a medley of delight as Zach’s lips hovered within inches of hers. This time she knew he had no intention of backing off like he had done when they’d had dinner at his lodge, that at last the director of her destiny had answered her fervent request to give her a break!
‘Never better. Zach, I want to—’
‘Millie? Zach? Please tell me that wasn’t an explosion I heard coming from Tim’s workshop! I specifically asked him not to set foot in the damn place until this afternoon’s viewing is over and Rupert and Sven have left!’
Millie took a quick step away from Zach, embarrassed to be discovered in such a compromising stance in Claudia’s hallway. Unfortunately, she had forgotten she was standing on the bottom step, and she stumbled forwards into Zach’s arms. She almost swooned when he drew her close to his chest, enjoying the sensation of her body moulding perfectly into his, thrilled at the speed of his heartbeat through his sweater.
‘Sorry, Claudia, but you’re spot on,’ said Zach, his arm lingering on Millie’s shoulder as they tipped their chins upwards in unison to watch Claudia jog down the stairs towards them, her expression a mixture of anxiety and irritation. ‘There’s been a small incident in the workshop, nothing too serious, and Tim’s fine. But you might want to add another new roof to your To Do list.’
‘Well, I’m glad he’s okay. But I need to have a word with him about concealing the damage until Rupert has been. Do you think we should… What’s the matter? Why are you looking at me like that?’
‘Erm…’ began Millie.
‘Why don’t we go through to the kitchen and grab some coffee,’ Zach suggested, tossing a quick glance in the direction of the library door behind which Tim, Rupert and Sven were sequestered.
‘Zach? Oh, God no! Rupert’s already here, isn’t he?’
‘Yes.’
‘And… oh, please don’t tell me that Sven Andersen is with him?’
‘I’m afraid he is.’
‘And I suppose they had a front row seat at the Tim Croft Crazy Circus?’
‘We all did,’ Leo laughed, appearing at the kitchen door with Gina, Mike and Marianne, a glint of mischief in his eyes. ‘Had I known this kind of show was on offer right here, I might have thought twice about the entertainment I have planned for later on this evening in Oxford. You should charge extra, Claudia.’ Leo continued to chuckle, but when he noticed the look on Claudia’s face he swiftly cleared his throat and continued ‘Anyway, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be making tracks. Don’t want to miss the ice-creams!’
Millie watched them disappear through the boot room door into the courtyard and then joined Zach and Claudia at the kitchen table. Despite having spent the majority of the day resting in her bedroom, Millie still thought Claudia looked exhausted, with a tinge of green around her gills. She watched her take a sip of the coffee Zach had handed to her and screw up her nose in disgust.
‘Yuk. I think there’s something wrong with this batch of coffee. It tastes like liquid tar.’
Millie glanced at Zach who shrugged his shoulders, took a gulp of his own, and gave Millie a slight shake of head.
‘Okay. Let’s get this over with,’ said Claudia. ‘Where are Rupert and Sven hiding?’
