“I know. I’ve been an idiot. I’m sorry.”
“I think if we trusted each other more, we could have saved ourselves a lot of pain,” he said.
I lifted my hand to Ludo’s face, tucking an unruly curl behind his ear.
“You mean if I trusted you more,” I said.
“I didn’t exactly trust that your motives for being nice to me were pure. I was waiting for you to fail. I’m sorry for doing that.”
I forgave him and girded myself for a confession of my own.
“So… I originally apologised to you for our fight at Maxime’s because I was terrified you’d trash-talk me to every editor in the country.”
Ludo squawked like a parrot, ripped the pillow out from under me, and hit me with it.
“I knew you didn’t mean that apology!”
“I’m sorry!”
He was laughing, thank God, and I laughed too.
“In the end, we made a pretty good team,” he said.
“We did.” I looked up into Ludo’s eyes and lifted myself onto an elbow so I could kiss his soft, sweet lips.
Ludo’s phone pinged. How on earth did he have reception this far from the house? I’d be taking this up with Vodafone. To my astonishment, he checked the message.
“Father wants to know if you’re free for dinner at the house tomorrow evening.”
“Me?”
“Unless he meant to invite Stormzy and autocorrect changed it. I expect he’s going to offer you a job. There’s a vacancy on the politics team.”
“At theSentinel?” My pulse quickened.
“No, at Arabella McPhee’s Café. Yes, at theSentinel.” Ludo replaced his phone, took off his glasses, and plonked them down on the bedside table. “And when he offers it, you should take it. You’d be brilliant. And it’s what you’ve always wanted.”
He rested his head against the headboard, his stunning blue eyes shining like sapphires from behind his uncontrolled curls. He was beautiful—and I’d only just got him back.
“I know how you feel about that,” I said. “I’m not going to lose you again. The price is too high. Besides, I don’t want the job if I’m only being offered it because we’re together.”
Ludo put his forehead against mine and looked deep into my eyes.
“My father doesn’t give someone a job unless they deserve it. I told you that at Maxime’s.” His eyes sparkled.
“You wouldn’t mind working together?” I said.
“Sunny, it’s my job. I’m leaving.”
Ludo’s expression was absolutely sincere. I sat upright in disbelief.
“Why would you leave? You’re brilliant.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think lately. Politics isn’t for me. I want to write about something I actually care about.”
The penny dropped.
“You’re filling your uncle Ben’s old seat? Ludo, that’s perfect. I’m so happy for you.”
