Gus assisted Daffy with her coat before pulling on his. “The garden carts. Golf carts really, but the groundskeepers use them for their work. I’ll come to your room at seven. We’ll take it down our staircase.” He arched his brow, smiling. He couldn’t help it. They had a secret staircase. “To the garage. But if you really want to help, the wedding ball is giving me fits. The planner emailed the final menu options this afternoon. It has everything on it from squid to tater tots. Now I ask you.” Gus followed Daffy to the door. “Good night, Ernst.”
“Royalness. Until.”
“Squid? Tater tots? You’re joking.” Daffy tied on her scarf and stepped off the curb, crossing Wells Line.
Gus followed only to have her stop suddenly, whirl around to say something, and land in his arms. There they were face-to-face, their breath intermingling. A subtle tilt of his head, and his lips would touch hers.
“Daffy—”
“Gus, I—” She rested her hands on his chest. “What did you mean when you said—”
Just then her phone rang. Worst luck. A loud obnoxious jingle that pierced the night and killed the moment.
“It’s Ella.” Daffy stepped away and started up the lane. “Hello? So you’re there? Everyone? Good, good. No, I’m too tired…for lunch… I have something to do in the morning.”
Hands in his anorak pockets, Gus walked Wells Line a good five feet from Daffy. The waves of yearning for her were frustrating. Tempting his heart. As if he was daring himself to trust her.
But there was nothing honorable in flirting with an engaged woman. Thomas was a very fine fellow, offering her more than Gus could at the moment. He only had friendship to give, nothing more.
When she hung up with her sister, they walked Centre in silence. The air was thin and crisp, seasoned with a fresh chill.
“Everyone made it?” he said after a moment.
“Yes. I’ll see them for lunch. Ella went by my place for ski gear and saw a box of my old things Mum found in the garage and dropped by my place. She was laughing at my worn, stuffed toys.”
“Siblings,” Gus said with a small laugh. “One time John and I—”
Daffy’s phone beckoned with a text. “Thomas,” she said, tucking her phone in her pocket. “I’ll reply when we get to Hadsby. You were saying? You and John…”
“Daff, do you mind me asking? You’re not going to the lodge? To be with Thomas?”
“No.” She kicked through a lingering drift of snow. “I’ve been there, done that. Not hopping in bed with a chap until I’m sure. Until it’s right.”
“Okay. Respect. But he’s your fiancé. Sounds like he’s right to me. Is he okay with—”
“He didn’t really have a choice, Gus. My decision. Which apparently didn’t keep him from proposing.”
“There you go. The whole cow and milk thing worked for you.”
She stared at him through the muted street light, then laughed. “Did you just call me a cow?”
“No… I mean…yes, I suppose I did.” He shook his head, daring to laugh with her. “But what I meant was, you set the boundaries, did it your way. If Thomas wanted you, he had to play on your pitch with your rules, not his own.”
“Yes, but I was also terrified of being hurt again. The chap I dated at uni was supposed to propose the day we graduated. Instead he broke it off, and a month later moved in with someone else. I now know that I dodged a bullet, but at the time I was devastated.”
“Your whole world crumbled. I know the feeling.”
“I suppose you do. More than I.”
While it seemed no one had endured a humiliation at his level, heartbreak was still heartbreak. Painful and dark, froth with doubts and questions about everything from worthiness to kissing skills.
Daffy reminded him he wasn’t love’s only walking wounded.
“So Thomas must wait.”
“Thomas must wait.” A soft silence lingered between them until Daffy spoke again. “Do you want me to look at the wedding ball menu for you? Though I’m not sure why. You’ve attended dozens of state dinners, royal balls, and garden parties. Just choose something similar. Choose whatyouand John love.”
“Choose what I love?” Gus stopped under the corner street lamp and peered down at her. “What if I can’t have what I love? Like hamburgers and French fries?” He retrieved his American accent.
