‘For me?’ he asked surprised.
‘Yes. I bought some at the bakery this morning and I thought you might like one. And I bought myself coffee, so it seemed rude not to bring one for you, too.’
‘That’s very kind of you. I missed breakfast this morning.’ He wolfed the pastry down in such quick hungry bites, Anna wondered if he’d had dinner the previous night.
Within an hour she was absorbed in the work and all thoughts of her difficult weekend and where Leo had got to last night had been swept away. For the time being. Thank goodness she only had five more sleeps at the apartment before she could move out.
ChapterSeven
‘Damn!’
Leo heard the expletive from the other side of his bedroom door and immediately poked his head out. For the last twenty minutes he’d been trying to ignore the obvious sounds of Anna moving out but his conscience was pricking him. He ought to offer to help.
She’d left him a note in the kitchen on Monday, telling him she’d be moving out this weekend, which had eased the pressure on him. He’d stayed out as much as possible this week so she could have the flat to herself, but drinking on your own, pretending to watch football and scrolling through your phone soon got tedious. Also, he was knackered. Roll on this evening when he could actually enjoy a quiet night in.
A more strident swear word came from her bedroom, bringing him back to the present.
‘You okay?’ he asked, stepping into the hallway to find Anna hopping about on one foot, her arms bearing a pile of wooden posts, clearly trying to carry too much. The sunshine coming through the skylight caught the coppery lights in her hair, reminding him of the first time he’d seen her, slightly hesitant, in the doorway of the bar where they’d first worked. She’d been like a shy doe emerging from the forest.
‘Dropped the bedhead on my foot,’ she ground out.
‘Is the taxi here?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why didn’t you ask him to help?’
‘His English isn’t that good.’
‘Would you like a hand?’
‘No, I’ve got this.’
Pointing out that she clearly hadn’t would only put her back up but, damn it, why couldn’t she accept some help for once? ‘Don’t be daft, Anna. I really don’t mind helping you.’
She sighed as if his reasonableness was a pain in the neck. He almost smiled at her resigned expression when she grudgingly said, ‘Thanks. There’s not too much. Mainly the bed ,which I’ve dismantled.’
‘I’d have helped you with that.’ He bit back his exasperation. She’d always been so independent and determined to do everything without leaning on anyone else.
‘I’m perfectly capable of wielding a screwdriver,’ she said, arching an eyebrow, a quick dart of amusement flashing in her eyes. It was as if now she was leaving, she could afford to be herself again instead of holding herself so stiffly apart.
‘You don’t need to remind me,’ he said with a quick laugh. ‘You’re never going to let me live that shelf down, are you?’
‘That was a shelf?’ she asked, her eyes widening in amusement.
They both burst out laughing.
‘It wasn’t that bad,’ he said.
She sniggered. ‘Leo, it was the most temporary shelf in the history of shelves. It didn’t even last twenty-four hours.’
The bedroom shelf he’d put up while she was out one morning had been his attempt to impress her, because she was so very capable at everything around the house. Admittedly there was a slight slant to it but, pleased with his work, he’d placed a vase on it containing a pink rose, to welcome her home. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, the whole thing had collapsed with an almighty crash which had jerked them both awake, hearts racing with fright. After that, they’d rolled about laughing before falling into each other’s arms, their bodies softening into each other.
For a moment they looked at each other as the memory, like the tumblers of a safe, clicked into place. Leo’s lips quirked. It had been an unhurried, gentle interlude, if he remembered rightly, her warm body welcoming his in the dark, cocooned beneath the covers. For a moment he could almost feel that warmth, the slow slide… His pulse tripped a little and then that familiar sensation of panic placed its cold fingers on his heart.
‘If you’re going to help, you can start by bringing that.’ Pursing her lips, she pointed to the roll of bed slats and a bag of pillows and bedding in the centre of her bedroom.
‘No problem,’ he said, trying not to let his sudden fear show. He couldn’t go back there. Those memories were too painful.
