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‘I’m glad I’ve got you on your own,’ he said. ‘I wanted to apologise.’
‘Apologise? For what?’
‘I should have been keeping a better eye on the jetty. I could see that the boat was about to swing out again and I should have warned you. Or at least been there to grab you.’
‘If anyone should have kept a better eye on things, it was me, not you. It’s typical of me to do something like this that would mess up the entire holiday.’
‘Hey, the holiday is nowhere near messed up. Think of it this way: you get to be waited on the entire time. And sure, you’re going to have to miss out on the hike, but did you feel how hot it was out there today? If I’d realised that slipping over would get me out of charging over rocks and scrub in the scorching heat, I probably would’ve beaten you to it.’
Even though she knew he was saying this to make her feel better, Holly couldn’t help but laugh.
‘If it’s possible, I’d really like to apologise properly,’ he carried on. ‘Perhaps I could take you out for dinner?’
‘Honestly, there is nothing to feel bad about. Besides, we’re all eating together, aren’t we?’
‘Then maybe it would have to be after the holiday. Maybe you could meet me in London, or I could come to the Cotswolds, if that’s easier?’
‘Now that really is going too far. I mean, you’d have to drive for hours. You wouldn’t want to do that just to take me to dinner and apologise.’
‘Well, maybe it’s not about the apology at all; maybe it’s just that I want to take you to dinner.’ He was looking straight at her. Staring, almost.
Holly opened her mouth to object, only to realise what he had said, or more importantly, what he meant.
‘You’re asking me out?’ she said, feeling the need for confirmation.
‘I am. Is that all right?’
Despite the cool of the evening air, she could feel her cheeks growing hotter than they had done all day.
‘I don’t know, I mean… I think so. I’m not sure.’
‘I’ve obviously caught you by surprise.’ Evan pushed himself off the seat and stood up. ‘Look, I better join the others before they notice I’m missing but perhaps, later on this trip, I might ask you again? When you’re a little less surprised.’
Holly nodded, keeping her mouth tightly closed.
‘Okay. I’ll catch you later then,’ he said before turning around and walking away.
First, Holly found out she could waterski, and now she was getting asked out by a multimillionaire. It was fair to say this holiday was not going the way she expected.
* * *
‘My God, this might be the comfiest bed I’ve ever slept on,’ Caroline said as she slid in under the sheet beside Holly. ‘I might never wake up again.’ She leaned over and flicked off the light switch, rolling back to face Holly. ‘So, you and Evan, you were talking for a long time.’
‘Were we?’ Holly tried to sound as casual as possible. Any other time, she would have filled in Caroline and Jamie straight away. But this wasn’t any other time. This was Jamie’s hen do. And the last thing Holly wanted was to make things awkward. If she mentioned anything about Evan asking her out, they would all be waiting for that moment when they finally hooked up and, when it didn’t happen, they’d all be disappointed.
‘You know you were,’ Caroline said. ‘What were you talking about?’
‘Nothing much. Just my ankle, that’s all. We really weren’t talking that long.’
‘If you say so.’
Sometimes it was great having friends who could read your every mood; other times, it was just frustrating. Still, Holly wasn’t giving in.
‘You don’t mind if I listen to a soothing sleep track, do you?’ Caroline said as she flicked off the light. ‘The kids can’t sleep without it on, which now means I can’t sleep without it on either. Trust me, with this bed, and my whale music, you’re going to have the best night's sleep you’ve had in months.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ she replied.
As it turned out, Holly did not have the best night’s sleep. Having been woken at random hours in the night for the last eight months, she’d assumed she could sleep through nearly anything, though it turned out that was not the case.
