‘Oh my. Oh, Rosy, that’s wonderful…’ Marion sounded like she might be hyperventilating, not a sound Rosy had heard her make before. ‘I’m so very pleased, we’ll celebrate properly next week, with the whole school, I can arrange something outstanding.’
‘Honestly, Marion, there is no need. Maybe we can just take the main people who’ve helped out to dinner.’
‘Well, we’ll see… really, Richard, stop it!’
‘OK, I’m going to go. But, Marion, thank you so much, it couldn’t have been done without you. Ooh, that’s the door, I really am going to go. Thank you, thank you, thank you!’
Tumbling down the stairs, she bowled towards her front door with all the energy of Scramble. What a day! Not only did she have the best news ever, but baring her soul was no longer chock full of fear, instead an opportunity to start afresh. It was all a bit surreal.
Wrenching the door open she stood there grinning a welcome, her chest expanding and deflating like a Tudor heroine.
‘Wow, hello, those gloves suit that dress beautifully!’
Typical, of course she would destroy the moment with rubber gloves and the smell of bleach!
‘Ha! I was doing some chores, but listen, I’ve just had a phone call.’ She was practically jumping up and down on the spot she was so excited. ‘The chief exec. of the Local Authority rang and we’ve done it, Matt, we’ve done it! We don’t have to move and I can’t th— aaahhhh!’
Matt had picked her up and was spinning her around with excitement, his grin as wide as could be. Her body pressed against his as he spun, or tried to – the tight hallway meant it wasn’t quite as successful as it was in the movies.
As he put her back down he smiled again and looked her straight in the eyes. ‘I knew you could do it, Rosy, I knew it. I don’t think there’s anything you couldn’t do if you put your mind to it.’
She smiled back, her head swimming as she stood there looking at him, just the two of them, no onlookers, definitely no children and surprisingly no Scramble, her tummy pooling with lust and her desire to talk about school suddenly taking second place. All she was thinking of now was pulling that T-shirt over his head, undoing that buckle on his belt and sinking against him as his arms encased her body and his lips bent to meet hers.
‘I’m so proud, I really am. Well done and hey, I’m so sorry that I’m later than planned. Trust me, it was the last thing I wanted. But I had to deliver Siobhan back to my sister and then stop on the way here. But it does mean I’m now free and yours and I have something to show you. Unless you want to go and celebrate this amazing news with your colleagues – we can do our thing another day, if you’d prefer?’
Rosy shook her head silently. She knew what she wanted. But she would need to clear the emotional baggage first, make sure Matt knew what he was getting into.
‘OK, in that case, keep your fingers crossed the rain holds off. Are you ready?’
Rosy nodded, still mute; she was more than ready and very keen on the something-to-show-her bit. She stared right into his eyes, sure that hers were flashing with lustful intent and watched his pupils dilate in response. Ooh, this was going to be good.
‘Come on then,’ he continued, ‘although you probably won’t need them.’ He nodded once more at the gloves, still somehow on her hands. ‘Unless it’s your thing, in which case I guess you should keep them on.’
Giggling, she peeled them off and then took the hand he held out for her and walked down the path. It would appear his plan differed slightly from hers; walking to the car was very different to being thrown over his shoulders in a fireman lift and carried up the stairs, but she was going to go with it. Trust. And a warm hand that was clasping hers with intent.
Chapter Forty-One
As Matt held open the car door for her, Rosy slid in and felt a warm bubble travel up through her, from her tummy all the way to the corners of her mouth.
‘Where are we going?’
‘Secret.’
‘Are we going to dinner?’
‘Not exactly, but there will be snacks. I figured I’d never top the supper at your house that night…’ He paused as he held her eyes – oh dear God, help her – before he turned forward again and started the ignition.
‘Will there be lots of people there?’
‘No, just us two. Is that OK?’
She nodded furiously and he turned once more, and lifting his hand to her face ran a finger down her cheek and across her jawbone. Electricity flushed through her, causing every little bit of her to tingle. This was really happening. She felt the air expel through her lips, far louder and with more force than she expected. She hoped he hadn’t heard that, but he just smiled in recognition (at least that’s what she thought it was) and turned back to focus on the road.
‘I thought tonight would just be about us, and we’ve got lots to discuss so I figured somewhere private was better. Buckle up, and we can get moving.’
A little deep breathing and she realized they had reached the end of the road. Not that Rosy was looking at the road at all, but was focusing on Matt’s profile, the outline of his ear, the marks on his skin caused by shaving, the crook of his nose, the crinkled laughter lines framing his eyes. His eyes which were on the road ahead. This was the perfect time. And once it was said, it was said, and they could get on with the fun stuff.
‘Matt, I’ve something to say.’
