She nodded, almost dismissively, and turned to her … to Steve. ‘Want one?’
Steve gave her an apologetic grimace. ‘I’m on the beer, too. It’s not bad.’
‘Mmm,’ said Anna, and, if anything, she looked a little disapproving. As much to annoy her as by natural instinct, Leo immediately offered her one. ‘There are a couple of Pilsners in the fridge, if you’d like one. I’m looking forward to trying some of the local brews while we’re here. I was thinking about visiting BeerGeek tonight. Do you two fancy coming?’
Anna’s eyes brightened as a spark of enthusiasm lit up in them, and then she glanced at Steve and her mouth straightened – a little, but the change was enough to tell Leo that she’d seriously considered his idea for a moment.
‘No, mate,’ said Steve. ‘We’re going to be apart for the next few months, so we’d rather do something … just us.’
Anna nodded. ‘I’ve bought a few bits to cook with.’ She paused and Leo very nearly laughed as he saw her natural good manners warring with her desire to do the right thing by the boyfriend. ‘You could … er … join us, if you want.’ It was possibly the most grudging invitation he’d ever been given, and Leo could guarantee that his presence would be as welcome as a Siberian blast of winter in June.
‘You’re all right. I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it. I need to get a bed sorted.’ He picked up his phone and began to tap details into his Uber app.
‘How are you going to do that?’ There was a slight sneer in Steve’s voice.
‘Cab to Ikea. I ordered a load of stuff online, including one of their magic mattresses that come vacuum-packed. I need to go and pick it up.’
Feeling as if he’d had the last word, Leo stood up and took his beer and glass. ‘I’ll see you guys later.’
Downstairs he shut the door of his room and said out loud, ‘I don’t effing believe it.’
He was going to be living with Anna flipping Love for six months. What weird alignment of the stars had created this mess?
ChapterTwo
Anna closed the bathroom door and leaned against it. A fine sheen of clammy sweat had broken out across her walking-dead-hued forehead and her heart skittered all over the place, banging frantically against her ribcage like a frenzied bluebottle against glass. Even though Leo had left the apartment an hour ago to go to Ikea to ‘secure supplies’, the sensation of panic hadn’t subsided.
She took an inordinate amount of time unpacking her shopping and finding homes for everything in the kitchen. Thankfully, Steve, who’d returned to bed-building, hadn’t noticed her distraction.
Huffing out a sigh, she sank onto the toilet lid. Panic had made her pretend she didn’t know Leo. Why hadn’t she gaily greeted him as if he was an old friend? But if she had, there would have been too many explanations required and inevitable questions from Steve. How did she know Leo? Where did they meet? And she couldn’t control Leo’s answers. What if he’d told Steve the truth?
Steve was everything Leo wasn’t – reliable, solid and steady. He wouldn’t let her down, flirt with another woman or make her feel she’d never be enough. Mostly importantly, she knew Steve loved her. With yet another sigh, she rose wearily to her feet, chewing her lip. At least Leo hadn’t given her away. Could she trust him not to say anything in front of Steve before he left on Monday morning?
And when the hell had Leo developed an interest in beer? That was definitely new. And weird, she decided.
‘Hey, Anna. I could do with a hand here,’ called Steve.
‘Coming.’ Scowling at her reflection, she turned on the tap and splashed cold water onto her face. Nothing she could do now. Hopefully Leo would stay out of the way. Crossing her fingers, she uttered a quick prayer and hurried out to help Steve.
She knew he was being helpful and wanted to make sure she was settled before he left, but these days she found him a little overbearing. And now she was being a brat. He’d driven all the way across Europe for her, she reminded herself. When she’d first met him, she’d been so grateful for his attention. The local rugby hero. Everyone at home loved him and she’d been flattered that he’d taken an interest in her.
But, if she was brutally honest with herself, she now realised it had also been politic. Steve had slotted seamlessly in with her adopted family from day one, as if his presence made up for her shortcomings. He conferred upon her a status she hadn’t previously enjoyed, particularly among the rugby-mad male members of the family and her village peers.
Steve was 110 per cent reliable. He would never let her down. She could guarantee if he so much as looked at another woman, she’d be the first to know because he’d tell her. There was a lot to be said for reliability and honesty, especially when the head of your own family was a blatant flirt and philanderer. She shook her head. She was being silly and ungrateful. Maybe they’d both stopped making much effort – but wasn’t that what happened in long-term relationships?
Just as she was about to join Steve in what was to be her new bedroom, the intercom buzzed.
‘Hello,’ she said hesitantly.
‘Hello. Taxi. Ikea.’
‘Sorry?’
‘I have shopping. From Ikea.’
She opened the door and, hearing the rustling of bags coming up the stairwell, stepped forward and peered over the railings in time to see a man depositing several blue Ikea bags through a slim gap in the doorway in the hall at the bottom, right in front of the door.
‘Where’s Leo?’ she called down. The taxi driver looked blankly back at her.
