“Good, right?” Poppy said, as she layered slices of pork and fennel seed salami onto her sandwich.
“Sublime,” Max said after he’d swallowed another mouthful, before trying to hide his wince.
You’re talking to a beautiful woman, not writing your latest review. Talk like a normal person.
Poppy raised an eyebrow. “You’re a strange one. But I like that.”
Max felt oddly happy at her words, even though she was just saying that she liked that he was strange, not that she likedhim. He usually didn’t care about what other people thought of him, but he was finding that Poppy’s opinion mattered a whole lot more to him than other people’s.
He joined her in adding some salami to the remnants of his sandwich, and then some arugula. Unable to resist, he plucked some leaves from the little potted basil plant which bore a sign sayingPlease Eat Me!and sprinkled them over everything, before adding a light drizzle of the home-made mayo that theB&B had provided and slapping the other half of the baguette on top. The whole thing was so large that he could barely fit his mouth around it, but, well, he was up for the challenge.
Is there any better condiment than one that comes from a jar with a hand-written label and a cloth cover over the lid?he thought as he chewed his sandwich blissfully, bits of crunchy baguette crust bypassing his plate and falling onto the table with each bite. The mild spiciness of the arugula perfectly offset the softness of the bread and the silkiness of the spreads, the basil was so fresh and flavorful that he couldn’t really describe its taste as anything other thanthe color green, and the savoriness of the salami tied up the whole package with a neat little bow.
The two of them sat happily eating for the next few minutes, enjoying each other’s company without conversation, and Max took the time to decompress a little. As much as he was enjoying Poppy’s company, he definitely needed the peace and quiet.
And maybe Poppy was feeling the same way, given the sudden yawn that cracked her mouth open the moment she’d finished her sandwich.
“Excuse me,” she murmured, her eyelids starting to droop. “I’m sorry, but I think I’ve hit my limit.” She stood up, looking like she was going to doze off on her feet. “It was lovely to meet you.”
“You, too,” he said, surprised at how much he meant it. “I’ll clean up here – you just go back to your room.”
Her brow creased with concern. “Are you sure? Let me help a little.”
He waved her off. “No, I made most of this mess. And you look like you need the rest.”
“If you’re sure…” Poppy bit her lip, clearly reluctant to abandon the cleaning-up duties to him alone.
He nodded firmly. “Positive.”
Poppy smiled again, and his heart did a slow roll in his chest. “Thank you, Max. Seriously,” she said. “I think you’ve just saved my vacation.”
She looked a little surprised at herself – and certainly Max felt surprised – but he waved it off, knowing how easy it was to say things you didn’t mean when you were that tired.
“Maybe I’ll see you around?” she said, in a voice that sounded less confident than anything he’d heard from her all evening. And maybe it was… hopeful?
“I’m sure you will,” he said, trying to sound reassuring. There – that was a normal thing to say in this kind of situation, right?
She smiled. “Well, good night,” she said, turning for the door – but not, Max noticed with a smile, before she had picked up her boxes of cake.
“Good night,” he said, watching as she almost stumbled out of the room in her exhaustion.
The door closed behind her with a quietclick, and Max let out a long sigh, leaning back in his chair and looking at the ceiling.
His plans for this trip had been completely turned on their head… and he wasn’t sure that he minded.
Chapter 5
Wrapped up like a burrito in her layers of blankets, Poppy lay ensconced in the bed for several long, luxurious seconds while she went through the process of waking up and working out where she was.
Once her brain had booted up and recalled the previous day’s events, her eyes jerked open.
Was all of that really real?!
Well, the velvety purple quilt was definitely real, as were the countless pillows and cushions strewn all around her. So was the gauzy white fabric that hung from the top of what appeared to be a four-poster bed.
She sat up, loath to leave her comfy cocoon, but wanting to know more about the accommodation she’d stumbled her way into last night. Itfeltlike it was gorgeous, but she’d been so exhausted that she’d barely taken in anything she’d seen.
In any case, despite everything that had happened in the past few days, she felt completely refreshed, and ready to get out of the insanely comfortable bed and start her day. Poppy couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well.
