‘I bet you wouldn’t say that to another man.’ She turned on him with a vengeance. ‘You’d call him take-charge and capable.’
‘Sorry. All I really meant was that you didn’t need to—’
‘Worry about you? It’s what friends do. I hope we’re that.’
‘Yeah. Yeah, we are.’ His head drooped and the tips of his ears turned pink. ‘About what happened at the shop — with Becky — it’s tricky.’ A sigh puffed out of him.
‘It would be. You don’t do simple. I’ve worked that out already.’
That brought out a semblance of a smile.
‘So, are you going to accept my offer or keep on being stubborn?’
She could tell it was on the tip of his tongue to argue. It certainly would be on hers if things had been the other way around. Neither of them liked the idea of accepting help unless they were absolutely forced to. Recognising the similarity between them made her uneasy.
‘I’ll accept your offer for tonight, and then we’ll see.’
She could tease him about sounding so grudging, but put herself in his shoes and let him keep the rest of his pride intact.
‘Okay. Number eight, Chapel Street, next stop.’
Now she could smile, but the terror that had consumed her when she’d seen him sprawled over the floor in Vernon Bull’s shop would linger a very long time.
Chapter Seven
‘Shall I pop over to the flat and pick up anything you might need?’ Tamara asked. ‘If you don’t mind me looking around—’
‘I’m hardly in a position to mind, am I?’ Gage regretted his sharp retort when Tamara coloured. ‘Sorry. Again. I could blame it on the leg, but—’
‘Natural grumpiness is more accurate?’
‘Afraid so.’ He wriggled his keys out and passed them over.
‘Fair enough. Are you happy sitting there until I get back?’
After they’d manoeuvred him out of the car and into her small semi-detached house, she had settled him in a comfortable chair by the window. Gage was knackered. His knee throbbed and all he longed to do was take another dose of pills and crash.
‘Or at least tolerate it for the time it’ll take me to run down to the village and back again?’ Tamara smirked.
Having his mind read this way didn’t sit well. ‘No problem.’
After the door closed behind her, Gage slumped down in the chair and closed his eyes. What a position he’d landed himself in. Being dragooned into sharing a house with the woman who frustrated and fascinated him in equal measure was a recipe for disaster.
‘I’m back.’
He jerked awake. It was disconcerting that his highly trained instincts appeared to have deserted him because he hadn’t heard Tamara return.
She flashed a smile and started taking the seat cushions off the sofa. ‘I’m afraid the mattress is thin and probably not very comfortable.’ She pulled out the metal frame and set the legs on the carpet.
‘This is luxury compared to some of the places I’ve bedded down over the years.’ That didn’t come across as the compliment he’d intended.
‘I’ll get some sheets and make up the bed. After I’ve shown you where to find the loo, I can unpack your things if you want and then leave you in peace.’
He drew on his last reserves of strength to thank her.
‘I’ve got to go back to work and help with the lunches, but I’ll be home about half two. I’ll be doing a bit of baking then, but I’ll try not to make too much noise. I’m working on another recipe to use in the pub over Christmas. Today it’s my take on a German strudel, but with dried cherries, marzipan and pistachios. You can try it out later. I’m working this evening, but I’ll be sure to leave something for your tea when I head out.’
His throat constricted. It’d been forever since anyone fussed over him and he didn’t know how to handle it.
