‘Yes,’ she said, not wanting to talk about it.
‘I’m sorry about Steve, not coming, I mean. Sorry that I … I was a bit crass.’
‘It’s fine.’
He nudged her. ‘I know you, Anna Love. You always say it’s fine when it isn’t.’
‘Okay, it’s not fine but there’s nothing I can do about it now.’ Her throat was tight but something in Leo’s quiet support made her blurt it out. ‘He’d rather play rugby than come and see me.’
‘Bastard,’ said Leo so equably that she burst out laughing.
‘I know. I’m being a princess, aren’t I?’
‘God, no, Anna. Not at all. I was trying to slag him off … but in a nice way because … well, he is your boyfriend.’
With a sigh, Anna turned to him. ‘At this moment, feel free. I’m pissed off … more that I’m such a bloody pushover. And this is the beer talking, so don’t read too much into it. He’s normally very reliable. ’
Was it wrong to be talking to Leo like this? Disloyal? She wasn’t sure, but he was very good at listening and making her feel that perhaps she deserved a little better.
ChapterEleven
‘Ithink we should stop now,’ he said, putting down the sandpaper, ‘before my nails are wrecked. My fingers are worn to the bone. I think we need beer.’
‘Leo,’ said Anna with a laugh, which is what he’d been aiming for, ‘it’s half past three in the afternoon and we’ll be going to Jan and Michaela’s in a few hours.’
He smiled, unabashed. ‘But it’s five o’clock somewhere.’
‘I’ve only just got started,’ she said, gesturing to the wide expanse of table top that she was halfway through rubbing down.
‘We started at ten.’
‘And stopped for a two-hour lunch, when you dragged me to the coffee bar and a walk in the park.’ Both of which he’d done deliberately to stop her brooding. He could tell she was, because of the little furrowed line that kept appearing on her forehead, and it was back again. She’d barely said a word in the last hour. Shame Anna couldn’t see what a knobhead her boyfriend was. Fancy cancelling a trip two days before.
‘And now it’s beer o’clock.’ He grinned at her.
‘It’s not beer o’clock,’ she said shaking her head, laughing at him all the same.
‘All this sanding is making me thirsty.’ He turned pleading eyes on her. ‘And we need a new playlist.’
She laughed. ‘Don’t let me stop you. And it’s my turn to choose the music.’
He stuck his bottom lip out and battered his eyelashes at her. ‘It’s no fun drinking on my own.’
‘You’re bored, aren’t you?’ she asked.
‘Who, me?’ He clutched his dusty shirt.
‘I promise you the table is going to look fantastic when it’s done.’ She turned and surveyed the room. ‘This place could look really amazing. Tell you what, I’ll let you pick the next playlist.’
‘Deal,’ said Leo who was done with sanding for the day. He didn’t mind hard work but this was beyond tedious and they did need something more comfortable to sit on. It was starting to get too cold to sit outside, and the bistro chairs, which they’d now brought inside to sit on, really weren’t that comfortable, not even with the cushions they borrowed from Michaela.
He scrolled through Spotify and with a quick smile selected a dance anthems playlist. As the beat of ‘It’s My Life’ began to pump out through the Bluetooth speaker he’d set up, Anna’s head shot up.
‘Not fair!’ she said, her head already nodding to the beat.
He turned up the volume and watched as her body began to move in rhythmic little bounces.
‘Dance with me,’ he said, stepping into the empty space of the lounge floor.
