‘It’s so wide. And long.’
‘Not the first time I’ve ’eard that.’ He caught her eye; his had an unexpected twinkle in it.
Did Mark Gardner just make a smutty joke?Ellie snorted in surprise. ‘Says you.’
‘Ha. No, I bought the garden next door a few years ago. It ’ad its trees and all that in it already, though there was a bit of work getting it to what it is now. Glad I did.’
‘It’s beautiful. They’re flats, then, next door?’
‘Yeah. More affordable. The tenants are nice, so I don’t mind if they wants to use the garden now an’ again. One of the women does yoga ’ere sometimes. Another one paints, on sunny days.’
Ellie found herself feeling suddenly and illogically jealous of the women who got to hang out in Mark’s garden, doing downward dog and painting the rhododendrons. Maybe Mark was some kind of local stud who had hordes of women on the go? She could believe it: it seemed highly unlikely that he wasn’t engaged or married or at least in a relationship. Perhaps he preferred to play the field. That would explain a lot.
‘That’s nice of you,’ she said, neutrally.
‘’T’aint nothin’.’ He shrugged. ‘So. You ready to make bread?’
‘I think so.’ Ellie finished her coffee. ‘But I hope you understand that I am useless at this kind of thing.’
‘Everyone’s got to start somewhere.’ He stood up, and picked up the tray. ‘After you.’
‘Let’s do it.’ Ellie’s stomach rumbled. ‘Oh. I might need to ransack your cupboards for a snack, or something.’
‘Yeah, I’ve seen you when you get hangry. I value my crockery.’
‘That was one time, and you caught the plate,’ she countered, grinning.
‘Still. They weren’t cheap. I’ll make you a sandwich.’ He gave her that same twinkle-in-the-eye look again, and she looked away, half embarrassed and half amused.WasMark Gardner flirting with her?
If he was, she kind of liked it.
