‘You’re so cocky, you know that.’
‘Yup but you love it.’
His confident throwaway response hit her unexpectedly hard. She had loved that about him, loved and feared it – and for a static-filled minute, despite being surrounded by other people, she stared at him and he stared back.
‘Mmm,’ she said, not knowing what to say. She picked up her fork and shoved a mouthful of the pastry into her mouth. He did the same.
‘Good, eh?’ said Agáta, oblivious to the tension between them.
‘Very good,’ said Leo through a mouthful of cream and choux. ‘A bit too good. I was discussing with Anna whether we could take a doggy bag home.’
‘It is a frequent question,’ replied Agáta with another of her boisterous laughs. ‘They have little boxes for this very reason. Next we will go for a cocktail made with traditional Czech Becherovka which was created for stomach problems, so it is an excellent digestif.’
After leaving the bakery, armed with boxes and bags as the café sold their own coffee, which Leo insisted on buying, as well as a cellophane-wrapped packet of gingerbread, they walked the short distance to Liquid Office, another well-designed modern space with a central bar lined with bar stools where they finished off the day with their signature Becherovka sour, made with gin, yuzu, bergamot and basil. Anna decided it was like an early taste of Christmas and immediately wondered what the festive season would bring. She hadn’t booked her flight home for Christmas, hadn’t given it that much thought. A very small part of her rather liked the idea of staying holed up in the apartment on her own with a pile of good books, the wood burner – she’d need to learn how to light the thing – and a cosy blanket. Christmas at her aunt and uncle’s was always so bloody competitive and active with games, pub quizzes, football and rugby. It was exhausting and the New Year’s Eve party at the rugby club had been the same for the last five years: very loud, with the same old faces, same conversations.
Doing something different for a change was very appealing, although she doubted very much she could persuade Steve to come over and spend Christmas here. He’d want to spend the festive season with her family, heading off for the annual Boxing Day football match. He fitted in perfectly with them; better than her, in fact. What would Leo be doing for Christmas? Would he stay here or head off somewhere exotic and glamorous with his family? She couldn’t imagine he’d want to stay here with her.
ChapterThirteen
Anna closed the door of the apartment and skipped down the stairs on her way to the airport. She was looking forward to seeing Steve. Looking forward to being special to someone. Seeing the way Jan and Michaela were with each other made her long for that feeling of being one of two.
‘Someone is in a hurry.’ Ludmila appeared in her doorway looking trim and immaculate in what Anna thought might be a Chanel suit.
‘I’m going to the airport to pick up my boyfriend.’
‘I hope he’s as handsome as the young man you’re living with. Now he is something. A good, kind, decent man. Always has a smile for me. Carried my shopping home for me the other day.’
‘Sounds like Leo,’ said Anna, with a bland smile. She really did not want to be talking about him.
‘Michaela tells me you used to be married.’
Thanks, Michaela. Anna stared at the older woman, a little nonplussed by the segue. ‘Yes, but it was a long time ago. We were very young. We’ve both changed since then.’ She definitely had. No longer young and idealistic about relationships.
Ludmila gave her a long, direct stare before she said, ‘People do change but their basic essence never does. He has good values. A kind heart. And joie de vivre, a zest for life.’
Anna nodded. She really didn’t want to discuss Leo’s virtues. She was well acquainted with them. That was why she’d married him in the first place. These days she set much greater store on steadiness and reliability. Joie de vivre was all very well but it didn’t provide much stability. In her view, you never quite knew where you were with it.
Annoyingly these thoughts continued to plague her all the way to the airport. It seemed she was never going to get Leo out of her head.
The smell of roses wafted under Anna’s nose from a gorgeous bouquet held by the man standing on her left, as they waited for people to come through the arrivals hall. It immediately reminded her of Leo. It was exactly the sort of thing he might do. When she glanced at the man and caught his eye, he flashed her a sheepish smile. She smiled back at him. Romance wasn’t dead. Anna wondered how long it had been since this man had seen the person he was waiting for. It made her heart warm a little as she watched him shift from foot to foot, unable to keep still. Pent-up excitement and anticipation were bursting out of him. For a moment she felt a touch of envy. This man must still be in the early throes of the relationship, when everything was bright and shiny. Then she told herself off. She was looking forward to seeing Steve and they’d have a nice weekend together. But it was true that theirs was a grown-up, mature relationship that had flattened out into a steady ship that weathered the ups and downs of life with calm continuity. Still, it was a good way to be.
The man suddenly tensed, his gaze fixed on a woman walking through the glass double doors, and she could almost feel the emotion fizzing out of him. It reminded her of how things had been with Leo when she’d first met him. He was like a firework bursting into her life and she’d been dazzled. Though look where that had got her. She’d been constantly uncertain, never sure if those feelings were genuine. Flashy acts of generosity or romance did not equate to solid dependability. Life with Steve was less blinding but she preferred the feeling of knowing exactly where she was with him. He loved her and if it was a quiet, undemonstrative love, it was no less worthwhile than that of someone who made extravagant gestures.
When she looked up, breaking away from her thoughts, there was Steve ambling forward towards her.
‘Hey,’ she said with a bright smile, pleased to see him at last.
‘Hey yourself.’ He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her briefly on the mouth. ‘Good to see you. Missed you. Bet you missed me, haven’t you?’ He winked at her and his hand dropped to squeeze her bottom.
‘Mmm,’ she said, smartly moving his hand to her waist. ‘What are you like?’
He nuzzled her ear. ‘You know what absence makes?’
She smiled at him just as he said, ‘Very blue balls. Can’t wait for a little me and you time.’
‘Is that all you think about?’ she teased.
‘Mostly,’ he said with a naughty smirk.
