Harry grabbed the stack of paperwork from the chair and dumped it in the middle of the table. ‘This.’ He sighed. ‘Liam’s given me a template for the business plan. I know he’d help me fill it in but I hate to drag him away from the hotel when he’s got his own business to worry about. I thought I’d have a stab at filling it in myself, but I can’t get what I want from here’ – he poked his temple with one finger – ‘on to here.’ He stabbed the plan on the top of the stack.
Kat tried to take the plan but he slapped his hand on top of it. ‘Don’t, it’s a mess.’
‘Don’t be silly.’ She snatched at the corner of the paperwork and yanked it out from under his palm. He watched in silence as she leafed through the mostly empty pages for a few minutes then set it down next to her plate. ‘I can help you sort this out. What else?’
Harry sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘You can sort it, just like that?’ She made it sound so easy.
She shrugged one shoulder in a nonchalant gesture. ‘Easy enough when you’re the admin queen.’ Her lips twitched and he couldn’t stop a corresponding smile at the reminder.
‘It’s not just the plan, though, it’s what comes afterwards. If the school went ahead, I’d hoped to persuade Ed to look after the bookings and bills. He’s already working part time to support his studies, so it’d just be swapping one thing for another, but you have a full-time job.’
‘Dad’s reduced my hours so I have two afternoons off a week and every weekend.’ She sat forward. ‘I’ll make you a deal. I’ll use my free time to help you put this all together and you consider taking me on as a proper business partner if you get the funding.’
‘Are you serious?’
Kat nodded. ‘Yes. I’m fed up at the coffee shop and I’ve already put my dad on notice to look for a replacement for me. My long-term dream is to become a writer, but there’s no guarantee I can ever make a career of it. When I leave the coffee shop I’ll still have to do something to pay the bills. You need an administrator for the business, and who better to do that for you than the queen?’
‘You make it sound so easy.’ Too easy.
Kat shook her head. ‘It’ll be a lot of hard work, but I’m excited to be a part of it – if you’ll have me. This isn’t just me looking for an excuse to quit at the coffee shop, I promise. Ilovethe idea of the school, Harry, and your motives for setting it up are truly inspiring. I know what it’s like to grow up with few options. To be trapped in a dead-end job and feel like I’m going nowhere. We can make sure that fewer kids growing up here feel the same way.’ She offered him her hand. ‘What do you say?’
24
Kat thought for one terrible moment that Harry would ignore her outstretched hand.I’ve pushed too far, stuck my nose in where it wasn’t wanted.Harry had only needed someone to listen as he talked over what was bothering him and she’d steamrollered right in and tried to fix everything. It shouldn’t be possible to spiral in a couple of seconds but the words of apology were already forming on her lips when Harry reached out and grasped her hand. He shook it once, twice and then he was tugging her forward, up out of her seat and into his arms.
‘Bloody hell, Kitty, I really thought I was screwed then for a minute.’ He hugged her tight and his chest rippled against hers as he began to chuckle.
Relief washed through her as she hugged him back. ‘You don’t have to say yes,’ she assured him. ‘I won’t be offended if you’d rather find someone else, I just wanted you to know that there were other options.’
Harry loosened his hold enough to stare down at her. ‘Will you stop that?’ he admonished, his tone soft rather than scolding. ‘I need someone I can trust, someone who understands my vision, but you mustn’t be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Ifwe do this, we do it as partners, as equals. If you think of a good idea then I want you to say so.’
Kat nodded. ‘I’ll try.’ She took a deep breath. ‘No, I’ll do better than try. I promise that I’ll speak up when necessary.’
A beaming smile broke out, turning his already handsome face into something quite breathtaking. ‘We’re really going to do this?’
We. How could two letters feel like the most powerful word in the English language? Harry and her. A partnership. Working together to build a future they could both be proud of.
She nodded. ‘We are.’
His arms tightened around her again and Kat allowed herself to lean into him, to accept the affection and return it without hesitation. She remembered the last time he’d held her on the beach, the invitation in his kisses and the tempting possibility of something special between them. She remembered too how she’d shied away from it. The way she’d shied away from any intimacy that carried even a hint of developing into a relationship. Holiday flings had been her stock in trade. A few days of fun with a guaranteed expiration date. Nothing that might result in her getting hurt. This thing with Harry, though? It scared her because it mattered. Hemattered. The risk to both her heart and their friendship terrified her, but if she let her fears control her she’d be alone forever.
She wasn’t her mother and he wasn’t her father. Harry said he trusted her; didn’t she owe him the same?
‘Harry?’ She let her hands roam over his shoulders as she said his name, the firm muscles a thrill beneath her fingertips. He was so solid and strong and she wanted to put herself under the control of all that strength, to have him yield to her in return. Friends. Partners.Lovers.
When he pulled back this time, the laughter and exuberance in his eyes were gone, replaced by a questioning need, a heatshe wanted to warm the coldest, loneliest parts she’d never let anyone else touch before. Silence stretched between them, taut as a bow string and she knew it was up to her to break it. She needed to take this first step, be clear in what she wanted, in what she was asking from him. ‘I want you to kiss me, Harry.’
He swallowed so hard she could see the movement of it in his neck muscles. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. And then I want you to take me to bed.’
Harry laughed and slid his hands down her back to cup her lower body against his. ‘Oh, do you now?’
She could feel the heat rising on her cheeks, a combination of desire and a touch of embarrassment at how forward she was being. ‘You did say you wanted me to speak up if I thought of a good idea.’
He raised a hand to cup her cheek. ‘This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I like it.’ He leaned forward and their lips connected. When he finally drew back, they were both breathless. ‘I like it a lot,’ he murmured.
They made it down the hallway in a series of stumbling progressions. Neither one of them could bear to take more than a couple of steps before the need to kiss overwhelmed them. By the time they reached his bedroom door, Harry’s jumper was in a crumpled heap on the carpet and Kat was down to her bra, the top button of her jeans hanging open. ‘Not here,’ she murmured against his lips. ‘My room.’
