‘Right. So, is this when you tell me you’ve taken the hob from the caravan as well, so I can’t cook?’ He walked past her to the bedroom, leaving the door open.
‘Not yet. But, you know, if you have any crazy ideas about going back in that thing… So do you want me to bring you some up or not?’
‘Is this chilli vegetarian as well?’ He caught sight of her face and his laughter turned into a bout of coughing. ‘Sorry, I was kidding. Right now, I’d eat anything and would appreciate it. Thanks.’
‘You’re welcome.’ She couldn’t get used to having a conversation with Gil that was polite and him mostly naked. ‘You should get dressed before you catch a chill.’
‘Well, I would if I was alone.’ He raised a brow, and she backed out hastily before he did anything silly, like dropping that towel. ‘Unless…’
‘No thank you,’ she squeaked, catching her heel on that blasted rug, and nearly going over backwards.
‘Pippa, what did you think I meant?’ His eyes were dancing with laughter as he approached the door. ‘But, hey…’
‘Still a no.’ She charged down the stairs and into the kitchen beforeshedid anything silly, like shoving him onto the bed. A startled Lola leaped up and barked when Pippa burst in, apparently believing that she must be in mortal and immediate danger. Pippa patted her, trying to reassure both of them that she really wasn’t. At least not the kind that could easily be fought off by a sturdy dog.
Chapter Sixteen
By the time Pippa had heated up enough chilli for two and added it to a bowl with tacos and sour cream, Lola had leaped up in delight, letting her know that Gil had joined them. She turned, about to slide one bowl onto a tray.
‘Didn’t want to put you to any more trouble,’ he said, making a fuss of his dog, who was ecstatic to see him. ‘Thought I’d eat down here.’
‘With me?’ She threw an alarmed glance at the flimsy table; it was so small, it would be akin to eating on his lap. ‘Where?’
‘What about the sitting room, on our knees?’ He tilted his head to the door on his right. ‘But if you’d rather not…’
‘No, that’s okay.’ She’d have the space to avoid him in there and it wasn’t as though she could insist he eat in his bedroom. She pointed to the bowls. ‘Why don’t you take these through and I’ll bring drinks.’
She poured water for both of them and left his on a side table near the armchair he’d chosen beside the fireplace. She settled on the orange sofa; it was where she curled up most evenings. She was getting used to the house, surrounded by silence now that Harriet was out more often.
Her insistence on Gil moving back in had been an instinctive offer when she’d felt sorry for him. But it had changed her situation too, especially since she’d trashed the mattresses from the caravan to make sure he couldn’t return. They’d have to contend with sharing that bathroom and who was going to cook for whom. And then there was the matter of an estate agent and having a sitting tenant in place.
‘This is really good, thank you.’ Gil was tucking into the food with relish, and she wondered how he managed to produce a decent meal in the caravan when the facilities were so poor.
‘For a vegetarian dish?’
‘I wasn’t going to say that.’
‘Again.’ She held back her smile until he grinned. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Better. Thanks to you.’
‘That’s not what you said when you found out about the mattresses.’
‘I was pretty mad, but I can’t fault your execution of the plan.’ Lola was stretched out on a threadbare rug patchy with burn marks in front of the unlit fire. ‘Are you serious, about letting me stay in the house?’
‘Gil, it’s your home and you have an agreement,’ she said helplessly. ‘Legally I doubt I could make you move out even if I wanted you to.’
‘I’m not really used to someone looking out for me.’ His voice was very low, and her pulse jumped. As they ate she was thinking of the touch of his hands on her shoulders that day, wanting more. How she’d longed to lean into him and allow her senses to take over, to loosen some of the control she usually relied on.
‘Are you saying now you don’t want me to leave?’
‘I’m saying that I don’t want you to live in the caravan. Lola deserves better.’
‘Ouch.’ He clutched his heart. ‘All this is for Lola’s benefit?’
‘Absolutely.’ They shared a smile, Pippa the first to look away as she put her empty bowl on the floor. Gil was overtaken by a bout of sneezing which turned into a cough, and he leaned back, closing his eyes with a yawn.
‘Sorry.’
