‘That was a very inspirational workshop,’ she’d said, almost whispering.
‘Thank you,’ Noah answered. ‘How long have you worked here?’
‘Since it opened.’
‘Do you enjoy it?’ His eyes were looking into hers with such intensity it made her nervous – in a good way.
‘I absolutely love it,’ she’d replied.
‘Given that you’re surrounded by books every day, have you ever thought of writing?’
‘After your workshop today, you’ve inspired me. I might just go home and begin writing straightaway. Don’t they say everyone has a book inside them?’
‘They sure do,’ he’d replied, with a warm smile that melted her heart. ‘Here, take this.’
Noah had fished around in the inside pocket of his jacket and handed her his business card.
‘My card. Just in case you need any help.’
‘With?’
‘Your writing,’ he’d said, still smiling.
‘Oh, yes, my writing. Thank you,’ replied Elle.
Without thinking, like it was the most natural thing in the world, she’d leaned in and kissed his cheek. Taking in his aroma and the scent from his aftershave, her stomach had given a little flip.
‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t mean to… I was just…’
He’d grinned. ‘Don’t apologise. And thank you for today. You’ve been a fantastic assistant.’ With their faces still only inches apart, Noah had leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. He’d then pulled back just a little and hovered there. Elle had looked at his lips, every inch of her willing him to lean in for a real kiss. Noah was still looking into her eyes, then his lips had moved slowly towards hers and he’d done exactly what she wanted – he’d kissed her, stealing what was left of her breath. The kiss had been perfect. Every inch of her body had erupted in goosebumps. He’d pulled away slowly. ‘I have to run now, but call me.’
‘I will,’ she replied.
It had only been one kiss – but that one kiss had electrified her heart in a way she’d never felt before.
Looking back now, Elle felt like she had dreamed the whole thing, but that business card was still pinned to the corkboard in her kitchen. She wondered if he ever thought about it too.
ChapterSix
‘Earth to Elle,’ Pippa said, interrupting Elle’s thoughts. ‘What are you thinking about?’ She narrowed her eyes.
Elle suddenly realised she’d been lost in her owns thoughts and didn’t have a clue what Aiden and Pippa had been talking about for the last five minutes or so.
‘I’m just telling Aiden it’s your birthday on Friday. What are your plans? We could do the pub again, maybe a nightclub? A posh meal? What do you think?’
‘It’s a tame one for me. Mum’s invited me round for tea,’ Elle said, smiling.
Immediately, Pippa objected. ‘A tame one? It’s your thirtieth birthday! There’s no such thing as tame. It only happens once. We need to party hard. I’ve already mentioned it to Isla, Felicity and Allie, not to mention Jinny, Julia and Eleni.’
Elle smiled at Pippa’s enthusiasm. ‘That is very kind of you but—’
‘I don’t want to hear any buts—’
‘On this occasion I have made plans but let’s do a couple of drinks on Saturday?’
Pippa looked disappointed. ‘A couple of drinks?’
The question hung in the air.
