She smiled, her heart racing. What if she didn’t like it? What if it wasn’t right? She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. A million more questions attacked her mind like mosquitoes.
“Ells, stop overthinking it and open the damn thing. It doesn’t have teeth!”
She started to pull at the paper, figuring it was jewellery. A velvet blue box with an old-fashioned clasp was revealed. She didn’t tell him he shouldn’t have or reproach him because that would’ve criticised his gesture and when she opened the box, she was glad he’d chosen what he had.
Two blue stones were set in white gold, surrounded by tiny diamond chips, making the prettiest stud earrings she’d seen. They were antique, she could tell, and she figured the stones were originally from the mines.
“They’re gorgeous,” she said. “They’re what I would’ve picked for myself. Thank you.” She leaned over to kiss him and then went to put them on. “I’ll give you yours. I figured the same thing about opening in front of your family.”
Sorrell picked up the gift from the side of the bed and passed it to him. The wrapping was a lot tidier than his had been, his smile suggesting that he’d noticed that too as he inspected it.
“There are a couple more things under the tree too—we had the same idea.” Nerves rankled through her. Her gift was a suggestive one, one that had taken some thought and consideration and a long conversation with Gwensi. She still was apprehensive about it, but the thought of being in Severton and not having Zack around wasn’t one she wanted to give time to.
He opened the paper and laughed. “The same wash bag and the toiletries I use. This is either a hint that I need a better personal hygiene routine or that you don’t mind me staying over.”
“Try the latter,” she said. “You still have eleven days to show me why this is more than just an itch being scratched.”
“Have I got time to scratch a different itch now,” he said. “My family will all be sleeping off the food for another hour. That gives us time…”
“How do you propose to scratch a different itch exactly? And where might that itch be?” she said, relief, excitement and something approaching calm folding over her.
“Let me show you,” he said, and then stood up to make sure the door was locked.
Chapter 29
The Second Day of Christmas
“Each bean has to be swallowed before you can lift the next to your mouth.”
Zack wondered, not for the first time, how the hell Jake had got them into this show. His cousin was sitting behind a long table in Scott’s bar, surrounded by a good fifty or more of the town’s residents, most of whom were dressed for the mud race, a traditional Boxing Day activity which this year would be more like a snow race.
“I can’t believe he’s doing this,” Scott said, dressed for the mud race too. “I can’t believe he’s managed to get two people out from Guinness so he could break a bloody world record. Only Jake.”
“Only Jake,” Zack echoed. Sorrell was sat with Rayah and Keren, watching what was happening at the table as Jake prepared to eat more than seventy-two beans in one minute using just a pair of chopsticks. He then would try to eat more than six donuts in three minutes without licking his lips, something that Zack knew for sure he could achieve, and then it was how many grapes he could fit in his mouth.
Three completely ridiculous world records. If Sorrell had any sense she would look at the state of what he was related to and get the hell out of his bedroom, because given what was in his genes, she should be worried for any future children they had.
And that thought made him stand upright. He wasn’t sure whether he was just a bit more than a fuck buddy for her while he was thinking about whether their kids would end up like Jake.
Maybe he should be sterilised.
The adjudicator listed out a load of rules, all of which Jake nodded at and smiled, totally unflappable. Then there was a countdown, the sound of a timer and Jake shifting chopsticks at the speed of light. The crowd counted, including the three women who were cheering Jake on loudly.
A huge round of applause broke out before the timer went off to signal the end of the minute. Jake jumped to his feet and punched the air, riling up the crowd some more.
“What went wrong with him?” Scott said. “He’s just not like the rest of us.”
“He’s like Dad,” Zack said. “Exactly like Dad. It’s the donuts next.”
“Then he’ll be sick. Or if he’s not sick after doing that, it’ll be after the mud race,” Scott said. “I wish he had a steady girlfriend. At least it wouldn’t be our job to clean him up then.”
They watched Jake delicately sip water as seven donuts were placed in front of him. This Zack knew would be no problem. The problem would be in about half an hour when Jake started the mud race that he was intent on doing.
A small hand touched his waist and he swept the owner of it into his arms. “Are you enjoying the Maynard show?” he said to Sorrell. “If this isn’t enough to put you off having anything to do with our family then I don’t know what is.”
She laughed, the most perfect sound, or so he thought. “He’s good fun. And he’s doing really well. Will he manage this?”
“Did he manage half a trifle last night?” Zack said.
