He hesitates. ‘I still have an interest in Dedication, but I work from here not Manchester. Betsy & Milo couldn’t be more different, but it has a similar buzz. That same potential to go exponential.’
I watch the bubbles rising in my glass. ‘As you’re the one who hangs out in boardrooms, I’ll take your word on that.’
He’s looking at me very intensely. ‘I know it’s all accidental, but we can’t ignore it. Anything this exceptional, we have to push it to see where it goes.’
I pull a face. ‘Like I said last time, you’re the expert.’
His face softens. ‘If we were walking on the beach and found a dinosaur’s egg hatching, we wouldn’t walk past and leave it. We’d take that baby dinosaur, and no matter how strange and unexpected it was, we’d care for it and help it grow.’
I’m right there with him. ‘And what would we do when it got bigger?’ I grin at him. ‘You’re so commercial, you’d sell it, wouldn’t you?’
He looks like he’s biting back his smile. ‘That might be one option, but we’d look at rehoming first.’
I’m feeling anxious. ‘Most rescues don’t take dangerous breeds. I’m not sure I’d want it to live in captivity– definitely not in a cage.’
He’s shaking his head. ‘It’s not real, Betsy! It was an analogy to explain why we should carry on.’
‘It also highlights how differently we approach everything in life.’ I give him time to take that in, then carry on. ‘Anyway, dinosaurs are huge. You really think Betsy & Milo will growthatgigantic?’
His smile breaks free. ‘I can’t make promises, but if we walk past that egg without stopping, we’ll never know.’ He laughs. ‘As for our differences, I don’t see that as a negative. This is yours as much as mine– I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.’
What a difference a day makes.
I lean forward and let him fill up my glass again. Then I sit back and look at him again too. The man I’m seeing here is generous and honest, funny and sensitive, open and vulnerable. So what the hell happened?
I’m only halfway down the bottle so it can’t all be down to the Prosecco goggles. It’s like the woman who’s walked through today all the way to the exclusive venue and the fancy sandwiches has lost the ability to think clearly. If that’s what swanning around in a flash car pretending to hang with the rich kids does, I can’t wait to get back to being the me I used to be.
One more thing. In my current state, if I were vertical rather than lounging, I might well be tempted to launch myself. Fully, unequivocally and without holding back. Which has to be the final proof that I have totally lost it, when that’s everything I’ve vowed I’d never do again.
I jump when Miles’s hand lands on my arm.
He looks concerned. ‘Are you okay? You’re not cold?’
I suppress my shiver and smile. ‘Sorry. What were you saying?’
He laughs. ‘So much for my big speech. I was about to say, as what we’ve found is so special, shall we go for it?’
‘Just to check– we’re talking about a handful of shops here? To the end of the summer.’ No idea why I need to verify.
The corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiles. ‘That’s the one, Betsy Bets. Maybe a van or two too, for roving sales. Are we in?’
This is the first I’ve heard about vehicles. That’s the thing about Miles. However far you go, he’s always one step further.
I open my mouth to say yes, but all that comes out is a squeak.
I gulp down my fizz and slam my hand down on the blanket. ‘Rugs. We must have rugs.In all our shops.How did we overlookthem? Everyone needs a picnic blanket.’
As I look at Miles his eyes are fixed on me. ‘Nice one, Betty B.Love you to the beach and back?’
As if I’d let him have the last word. I open my mouth and begin, ‘Life is better in flipflop…’
But before I can finish his face is there in front of me, so close I can see the individual lashes on his eyelids. For a second it’s as if the whole world stops and as I freeze in mid-air all I want to do is to slide my fingers around his head, pull him towards me and kiss the bejesus out of him.
Then, like a bolt out of nowhere, a flash of lucidity saves me. What the hell am I thinking? We’re working together, we’re house mates, I’m incapable of relationships, I had a dreadful experience with my last man, his mum is going to be baking with us in our kitchen. I come to my senses and the world starts turning again. I dive sideways into my rucksack, pull out a mirror and my barely-there lippy and start to put it on.
Fancying the arse off Miles Appleton has always been a mistake. I’ve always known it was the kind of hopeless mission that was doomed from inception for all the reasons. If I saw a glimmer of something in his eyes just now to suggest anything to the contrary, it was without a doubt gratitude that I’m doing what he wants with this business. If I’m moving into a whole new unfamiliar territory I need to keep my wits about me, especially when it comes to misreading signals– I need to quit while I’m ahead, starting with the unrequited lust.
It’s also ridiculous that my tummy is filled with a fluttering sensation. If this is what dill seeds do, I must remember to avoid them in future.
