Sloan looked at her as she raised the mouthful. “It’s appreciated.” She took the bite and made a sound that matched the feeling. “God, this is…so good.”
Matty held her gaze for a moment, then looked away first, turning back to the dish.
“You didn’t have to do any of this,” Sloan said when she’d finished chewing.
Matty’s shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “I know.” She turned then, one hand braced on the sideboard behind her. “But your mum was settled. I had time. And...” She glanced round the kitchen, suddenly less sure of herself. “I don’t know. It felt nice making myself useful.”
Sloan looked at her for a long moment.
Matty had probably cleaned half the downstairs, cooked dinner, managed Gloria, and was now standing there acting as if none of it were worth remarking upon.
Domestic. Sweet.Dangerous.
From the lounge, Gloria shouted, “If that food’s getting cold while you two stare into space, I’ll be furious.”
Matty snorted and looked down.
Sloan felt heat rise up the back of her neck.
“I should take hers through,” Matty said, reaching for another plate.
“I’ll do it,” Sloan offered, standing at the same moment.
They moved at once and nearly collided.
Matty caught the edge of Sloan’s sleeve to steady her. Sloan’s hand landed briefly against Matty’s waist.
They both stopped.
It was nothing. Less than nothing.
But Sloan could feel Matty’s warmth through the thin cotton of her T-shirt. She could feel Matty’s fingers still lightly closed around her sleeve, and knew with humiliating clarity, the exact second Matty noticed where Sloan’s hand was.
Neither of them spoke.
Then Matty let go.
Sloan stepped back first. “Right,” she said, though she had no idea what she was saying ‘Right’ about.
Matty cleared her throat. “Right.”
From the lounge came Gloria’s voice again, shouting, “I’m old, not dead. But I’m starving.”
That broke it.
Matty laughed under her breath and reached for the plate. “I’ll take hers in before she reports us both to the authorities.”
Sloan watched her go, plate in hand, moving through the doorway into the lounge like she had always belonged there.
And that, more than the dinner, more than the cleaned surfaces or the jacket lifted from Sloan’s shoulders with easy hands, was the thing that unsettled her most.
Because for the first time in longer than she cared to think about, coming home had felt just that:Home.
Chapter fifteen
As the day came to a close, Sarah walked into the kitchen and found Matty sitting alone, her feet tucked up on the chair beneath her. She had a still-steaming mug of something warm cupped in both hands as she gazed off into the distance.
“Everything alright?” Sarah asked, opening the fridge and checking the contents of her shelf before pulling out a can of lager and cracking it open.
