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There was. He and Jon hadn’t even got to the point of discussing what had happened at Christmas three years ago. But this was a start. Jamie was beginning to see that it wasn’t just an isolated incident but that the resentment had been brewing for years.
Suddenly she stretched out her arms in an invitation that he took straight away. Her hug was comforting and yet sexy all at the same time, and everything he needed right now.
‘You can be a bit scary when you want to be.’
He heard her laugh against his chest. ‘I can be very scary. Don’t you forget it.’
‘No, ma’am.’
‘And I could really do with a cup of tea.’ Anna looked up at him, mischief in her eyes. ‘So you can leave the talking for another time and get on and make me one.’
* * *
Caroline’s idea of board games was a hit with everyone. The older twins, Jamie and Jon, each paired up with one of the younger ones and faced each other across the board with mock scowls. Jessica added a more ladylike note to the proceedings and sat next to Anna, discussing their next moves in a whisper behind her hand. Baby Joshua sat on his mother’s knee, keeping his strategies to himself but holding up his arms, babbling with glee along with everyone else, when someone made a killer move.
A family. One that was weathering a storm but who were all focussed on the same thing. Love had held them together, and maybe it would bring them safely home. For now, Anna was a part of that, but it wouldn’t last. She shouldn’t get too comfortable here, and she definitely shouldn’t think about the green eyes of baby Joshua or his uncle Jamie.
When Caroline packed Jon and all the children into her SUV and drove away, the house seemed suddenly quiet. The plan had been that Jamie would take her to the station so that she could go back to London tonight, but he walked straight past their coats, hanging in the hallway, and stood by the hearth in the sitting room, staring at the glowing coals.
‘It feels as if it’s been a long day.’ Anna was searching for something to say to break the silence.
‘Yes, it does.’
‘So what are you up to tomorrow?’
He looked up at her, smiling suddenly. ‘I have the Hastings Hustlers first thing tomorrow. We’re a multi-disciplinary team, but at the moment we’re concentrating on basketball.’
‘What else do you do?’
‘Anything that takes our fancy. We make a mean baseball team, and we play football as well. And tennis. A couple of the girls do gymnastics and we have a chess player too.’
‘And they’re all Hastings Hustlers?’
‘I got the sweatshirts. It seemed a shame to waste them.’ Jamie paused for a moment, letting the silence hang between them. ‘Would you like to come along? You could meet some of the kids and see something of what we do.’
‘I’d love to. Another time perhaps. I’m not sure I can get back down to Hastings for first thing tomorrow morning.’
‘You could stay over. You have jeans and trainers and that’s all you need to join in. My guest room has plaster on the walls, a proper carpet and all the furniture matches.’
That was a disappointment. Going to sleep in one of the characterful rooms that reflected Jamie’s taste would have been nice. But Anna suspected the real piece of information he’d been intending to convey was guest room.
‘And you get a team sweatshirt. But only if you play.’ He shot her a look that was beyond tempting.
‘What colour sweatshirt?’ Decorum dictated that she should pretend that the idea wasn’t one that demanded an immediate yes.
‘Red. Only I don’t think we have any of those at the moment. Orange, yellow, green, blue, black or violet.’
‘No indigo?’
He grinned. Jamie knew that her assent to the plan was only a matter of time. ‘Have you tried getting an indigo sweatshirt printed? Black was the closest they could do.’
‘Hmm. Violet might be nice. As long as it’s not really purple.’
‘You can decide for yourself. And I’ll stand you lunch afterwards. You can throw some things into the washing machine tonight and they’ll be clean for the morning.’
‘You know how to tempt a girl, don
’t you?’ This was suddenly so easy. Jamie had staked out the boundaries, and she knew exactly where she stood. A kiss didn’t mean that they couldn’t just be friends, however explosive it had felt at the time.
