‘Well it sounds as if you’ve both pulled off quite a miracle.’ Ruan smiled thoughtfully as he gazed into his wine.
‘Does that mean you’re thinking of letting her back into the hotel?’ Cat asked watching her father and trying to gauge his reaction to this news.
Ruan looked up from his plate and smiled. ‘Not yet,’ he said, ‘it’s early days still, but we’re definitely heading in the right direction.’
Chapter Nine
This morning Cat and Jodie were having their usual weekly coffee meet in The Copper Kettle. As they chatted she told her about Debbie’s unfortunate accident and the events that had seen Luke staying overnight at the hotel.
‘So you like him now?’ Jodie was delighted. ‘I’m so pleased. I knew it was only a matter of time. Honestly, there’s absolutely nothing to dislike about Luke. He’s a really decent guy.’
‘I realise that now,’ Cat agreed. ‘Unfortunately, for some reason, we clashed right from the first moment we met. But last Saturday I saw a completely different side to him. I found him really easy to talk to. We shared a bottle of wine and chatted for well over an hour,’ she added. ‘I had no idea he’d been through so much, especially with Evie.’
‘Awful woman.’ Jodie wrinkled her nose with distaste. ‘Came in my shop once, picked everything over and then walked out. Didn’t make any effort to speak. Too grand, I suppose.’
‘Luke sent flowers too. A thank you from him and Debbie.’
‘Have you seen anything of him since?’
‘No, I doubt we’ll run into each other again. Carrenporth may be small but it’s easy to go for weeks without seeing someone, but …’ Cat ran a finger around the top of her cup ‘… at least I know now if I do run into him I’ll get a wave and a friendly smile. Now enough about me, are you ready for your road trip?’
‘It’s hardly that. More like a whistle-stop tour. Appointments in Oxford and London, followed by an exhibition in Manchester. I’ll be back in a week, hopefully with some positive news.’
‘Well I know coffee is a poor substitute, but in the absence of alcohol here’s wishing you great success.’ Cat raised her cup. ‘Although I know they’ll be falling over themselves to buy your designs.’
Later, after they’d said their goodbyes, Cat began to walk back to the car park. Reaching the High Street, she noticed someone up ahead, lugging a plastic carrier filled with groceries. Unsure, she stopped for a moment, but there was no mistaking the breadth of those shoulders or the unruly brown hair, which curled untidily around his collar. She was about to call out when, without warning, he disappeared into one of the many side lanes that ran at right angles to the street. Desperate not to lose sight of him, she hurried to catch up.
The narrow alley he had disappeared into turned sharp right, opening out into a narrow walkway bordered by a low wall. It fronted a row of terraced cottages, a mixture of whitewashed walls and Cornish slate. The view over the harbour was spectacular. Cradling the bag against his chest with one arm, she saw him reach into the back pocket of his jeans as he stood outside one of the front doors. Producing a key, he inserted it into the lock. When it refused to open he pushed at the door with his shoulder and Cat saw the bag tilt. She ran towards him, reaching out to seize the carrier as it began to slip from his grasp. Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion. Cat managed to grab the bag as the weight of Luke’s body against the door caused it to spring open, propelling them both into the narrow hallway. She felt his arms come around her, shielding her from the impact as he hit the wall. Everything stilled. Cat felt the play of hard masculine muscle protecting her and inhaled the woody fragrance of his aftershave as he held her there. It left her with a strange, tingly feeling. Aware of his warm breath against her forehead she realised how close his mouth must be to hers. All she needed was to raise her head and …
Breathing deeply she carefully moved away from temptation, her eyes fixed on the groceries sandwiched between them. The small beige box lodged on top had now slid to a dangerous point right at the edge of the carrier. In one swift movement she grabbed the eggs, slotting them safely between a pack of bacon and a slab of cheese.
‘Well caught. Where did you spring from, Cat Trevelyan?’ He grinned, obviously pleased to see her, as they untangled themselves and he took charge of the bag.
‘Oh, I saw you in the High Street. Just wanted to come and say hi and thank you for the flowers,’ she said with a shrug, dismissing what had happened a moment ago as a natural reaction to the incident.
‘You’re welcome,’ he called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the back of the cottage. ‘And thank you for your prompt intervention just now. Fancy a coffee?’
‘Oh, yes, thanks, I’d love one.’ Although she had spent the last hour with Jodie in The Copper Kettle drinking cappuccino, it seemed rude to refuse his hospitality. Following him into the kitchen she watched as he filled the kettle.
There was a small patio at the rear of the cottage and they settled themselves side by side on a bench, drinking coffee and eating shortbread from a packet he’d found in the cupboard. Cat listened as he talked of his plans now he had returned home. An overhaul of the heating system, new bathroom and kitchen.
‘Lots of painting,’ he added. ‘I’ve already started on the main bedroom.’
‘Why aren’t you staying with Gareth?’ she asked. ‘This is so different from Clyffe House and surely, well, you still must have memories here and not all of them good.’
‘There’s nothing here to remind me of my childhood,’ he told her. ‘After my mother died Gareth cleared the house out and gave it a complete makeover. For a while it became a holiday let.As for Clyffe House, I was never happy there. As I told you, Evie kept me out of sight when visitors arrived. She never wanted me around. Anyway,’ he turned to her with a mischievous grin, ‘I’m a big boy now, I can look after myself. This place is easy to manage and my culinary skills aren’t bad; in fact I cook a mean moussaka.’
‘Is that an invitation?’ Whatever made her say that? The words had somehow slipped out. She’d been enjoying his company and the challenge was a tease, nothing more.
‘Would you like it to be?’ All at once his face became serious and once more she found herself caught in the pull of those expressive grey eyes. A heartbeat, then two, and she found her voice again.
‘Oh, well … yes, if you’re offering.’ It was clear this was something he wanted to do and she hadn’t the heart to refuse him.
‘I am.’ Luke drew a deep breath and seemed to be waiting for her response.
‘Right.’ She found herself struggling for words, not sure how to move the conversation on.
‘Look, if you don’t want to, I don’t mind,’ he said, obviously interpreting her silence as reluctance rather than confusion. ‘I know you’ve probably got better things to do.’
