‘So let them do the work today. You’re the boss, right? Take the day off and hang out with me. Treat yourself.’
He considered this for a moment, feeling a throb of unease about not going in to work at such short notice. Though, if he thought about it, he’d not had a day off in five years, so it was probably overdue. Soli was right too – his staff were more than capable of getting on with what needed doing without him for one day.
‘Well, I suppose I could?—’
‘Great!’ She grinned at this and began tucking into her breakfast.
After they’d finished the delicious meal, Soli ordered him to go and sit in the garden and read the papers that she’d nipped out and bought earlier while she cleared up. She wouldn’t hear of him helping her, even though he pointed out he should be the one to do it since she’d cooked.
They spent a lovely morning looking out across the garden, reading and chatting about current affairs, which she seemed impressively clued up on – another by-product of working in the cafe, he supposed.
Just before lunchtime, Soli stood up and brushed down her skirt. ‘Right! It’s time for a walk on the heath, then lunch. I’ve already put together a picnic. You’ll need your swimming trunks, your trainers and your tennis racket,’ she called over her shoulder, as she walked away into the house.
He stared after her, dumbstruck, his body rushing with endorphins, as it occurred to him what she’d done. She’d planned the ‘perfect day’ he’d told her about for his birthday.
Heat pooled in his belly, and he was horrified to find his eyes had welled with tears.
No. No! He couldn’t allow himself to feel sentimental about this. She was just fulfilling some obligation she felt she had as his wife, that was all.
Still, a little voice told him, she hadn’t needed to do it, and from the glee he’d heard in her voice he suspected she was actually enjoying it.
* * *
A couple of hours later they were stretched out on picnic blankets, groaning happily after wolfing down the fabulous lunch she’d put together, which included slices of her amazing – and apparently legendary – chocolate fudge cake.
‘I can see why that’s so popular in your cafe,’ Xavier said, nodding towards the now empty container that had held the cake. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like it.’
‘An “orgasm in food form”, one of my friends calls it,’ she said with a grin.
There was a small pause, where they didn’t look at each other for a moment and pretended to watch a couple of squirrels running up a tree trunk instead.
Xavier cleared his throat, reminding himself what a bad idea it would be to act on the kinds of thoughts that had just popped into his head following that comment.
‘So, tell me what your perfect day would consist of,’ he said, attempting to circumnavigate the strange atmosphere now zinging between them.
Her brow furrowed as she appeared to think about this for a moment.
‘Well, if I could choose anything, I’d probably go for spending the day on a Mediterranean island. I’d eat lunch on the beach and go for a swim in the sea. Then I’d spend the evening having someone servicing my every need.’
‘That sounds good,’ he said, smiling at her and noticing how her cheeks had flushed an adorable shade of pink. ‘I think I could probably manage to enjoy a day like that too.’
‘Well, maybe we’ll do it for your next birthday,’ she quipped, her face falling as it obviously occurred to her that they wouldn’t be together for his next birthday. Their time, and their marriage, would be over by then.
‘When was the last time you had a holiday abroad?’ he asked hurriedly, attempting to sweep past the awkwardness.
‘Er…’ She thought about this for a second, looking relieved to have the conversational diversion.
‘I guess it was about four years ago, just before my dad died. We went to Brittany on the ferry. It was a great holiday. We were all really happy.’ He saw grief flash across her face and a sudden and acute instinct to make her happy again overwhelmed him.
‘You know, it’s probably been that long for me too. I’ve been so focused on building the business, I’ve not stopped to take a proper break.’ He dragged in a breath, throwing caution to the wind. ‘You know, I own a holiday property on Corsica. It’s just been renovated, and they’ve completed the fit-out early, so it’s just sitting empty at the moment. We could go and stay for a week.’ He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. ‘It would do us both good to get away.’ He smiled. ‘And there wouldn’t be any solicitors there, checking up on us.’
Her eyes had lit with excitement as he’d talked and as soon as he finished speaking, she blurted, ‘That would be amazing! I’ve always wanted to go there. It sounds like such a beautiful place.’
‘Okay, then,’ he said, satisfaction coursing through him at being able to bring back her smile. ‘I’ll arrange for us to go this Saturday. I’ll just need to let my colleagues know.’ He paused and smiled to himself. ‘They’re going to wonder what’s happened to me. I never take time off.’
‘I guess they’ll just assume you’re having a honeymoon with your new wife,’ she pointed out with a grin.
‘Yes, of course.’ He blinked, realising it was a detail he’d overlooked and feeling pleased it would still fit their story. That solidified it as a really good practical excuse to go.
