He’d give her one more minute and then head home. After all, it was quite clear what she – beautiful, sparky, single – would have been doing out last night when he had knocked and why she was now taking her time answering the door on a Sunday morning. Why was he blundering in here? This was madness and he was an idiot.
Mind made up, he turned to go before he embarrassed himself – just as the latch scraped and the door opened. Great! Now for his idiocy to be shown publicly. He turned and smiled, bracing himself for feeling foolish. Yet the sight of her made him glad he had come over. This was ridiculous.
‘Oh, hello.’ She slowly opened the door, and gave him a weak-looking grin and a ‘How are you? How can I help?’
Neither were an invitation in, he noted, but this was no surprise when he had just worked out what he had worked out. But still she looked so adorable in that little shorts set, all wrapped up in a dinky little printed package with hair that was very definitely tousled. It may not be today but maybe, one day, he’d be able to wake up to that exact smile, with that exact hair and that exact pyjama set.
But he was getting a bit ahead of himself. How did he even have time to think all of this? He needed to answer, stop staring and answer quickly. Preferably in a way that didn’t make him look like a pervert or the serial killer he was panicking about being just a few minutes ago.
‘Hi, I hope it’s not too early but I thought I heard you up and um… thought I should return your plate.’ He proffered said article and watched as she scrunched her eyes up tight and then moved her hand out very slowly and deliberately to take it.
‘Um, thank you, I hope you liked it.’
‘Oh God yes, it was delicious. I just thought you had better have it back.’ Christ! He was a stammering idiot, she was definitely going to think the worst of him. Where was cool confident charming Matt? The Matt that women swooned at – he knew it happened. He needed him back right now.
‘OK, good, right then.’ She smiled again and started to close the door.
‘Oh, just a minute.’ Matt stopped her. ‘I was just wondering, um, if you were free later. Maybe? What do you think?’
Momentarily he saw her eyes blink, almost suspicious. Was this an odd thing to do? Weren’t people super friendly with their neighbours in rural villages? Then her eyes went back to the full Rosy beam he had experienced yesterday morning, and the smile returned to her face.
‘Oh OK, well, um… er, yes. I’m just doing regular Sunday stuff. I’d invite you in but… um … well… I can’t at the moment.’
‘Oh, that’s OK, I wasn’t expecting to come in…’Persevere, man!‘I was just wondering if you were free because, um… I could really do with some help.’
That should work, and it was true, he did. Did that make him manipulative? Possibly. Or maybe just his inner alpha male was returning, returning to rescue the situation and move things on. Yes, he’d stick with that.
‘Ah, um, yes, I can be, this afternoon. What do you need?’ Rosy answered, just the hint of pink in her cheeks. Which was a change from the green that had been sweeping across her face seconds earlier.
‘Well, I was going to impose on your good nature, maybe ask if you could show me around. I’m completely new and I could do with a guide. Even the lanes around here are a nonsensical warren if you’re not local. It was just an idea. It’s all so beautiful, and it seems daft that I don’t really know where anything is. I mean, I’ve found the main street obviously, but, well, a little bit of local knowledge could really help me out.’ He shrugged his shoulders and smiled in what he hoped was a winning way. ‘Maybe we could eat too? You could show me the best local Sunday lunch, if you like, my treat obviously,’ Matt continued. She was smiling so he may as well cement the deal if he was in with a chance.
Suddenly Rosy started to wobble. A very strange expression passed across her face and the pink flush had gone, replaced again by the green. Had he gone too far, turning it from neighbourly favour to lunch date?Don’t backtrack, man. Stand firm.
‘Um, Rosy, are you OK?’
‘Yes, fine,’ she replied in a woozy not-fine-at-all way. ‘Umm, come knock for me at about one-ish, look, now is difficult, I can’t um… really talk. But just before one should be fine, come back then.’
And then with no further explanation she shut the door in his face.
Chapter Seven
A couple of hours later and Rosy was feeling much better. She could hold herself upright without needing a friendly wall as support, she no longer felt as if she’d been at sea for a week and her head had diminished its pounding to a gentle knocking that she was choosing to ignore.
Now it was just a matter of wading through the piles of clothes that seemed to have fallen all over her floor in the last twenty minutes and popping some make-up on. Just a smidge; she didn’t want to look as if she were trying. This wasn’t a date, it was a neighbourly gesture.
Was she going to have to spend the whole time reminding herself he was taken? Or that becoming friendly with a man who lived next door and made her tummy lurch, her fingertips tingle, was against The Rule? No. Because she was a woman of staunch self-will and strong morals. And to prove it she’d limit herself to a pout of sweet honey lip gloss and a wave of mascara and then get her arse downstairs before he knocked.
A light tap on the door scuppered her plan. The man was certainly punctual. She glided down the stairs in film star mode. She did like film star mode. So much more glamorous than her teacher setting. She would make sure she asked about Perfect Hair fairly early on so she could draw a clear boundary line and then they could get on with being amiable and chummy. She could be a good neighbour and everyone would know where they stood. Perfect.
‘Hello, come on in.’ She smiled in her most platonic manner.
‘OK, thanks, sorry for disturbing you earlier.’
‘Oh, that’s fine, don’t worry about it.’ They continued to stand in the hallway smiling politely at each other. Little shy half-smiles. Feeling awkward, Rosy lavished lots of attention on Scramble, who was jumping up at her and yapping – he really was adorable – but as she felt Matt’s eyes on her she struggled to know what to do with her face. Oh, to have been born elegant!
‘Right, come on then. Show me the best roast in the county.’ Matt indicated the front door and broke their silence.
‘OK, but if I’m taking you out with me you’re going to have to practise your Cornish on the way.’
