Page 41 of A Recipe for Romance in Brambleton

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Lauren heard the shouts of victory and exasperation from the living room and wondered what she’d let herself in for. She slipped off her boots in the hallway and paused for Marc to do the same with his wellies.

‘I feel I ought to warn you, my youngest brother, Joel, is also staying for Christmas,’ Marc murmured, close enough to her ear that his breath made her neck tingle. ‘He can be… a lot.’

‘Now you tell me,’ Lauren murmured back. But nothing could take away from the pleasure she felt at being invited to join Marc’s Christmas celebrations. She was used to all kinds of people passing through the café; if it came to it, she could just treat Joel like a chatty customer.

‘Ready?’ Marc turned to her. He looked adorably uncertain. Lauren reached out and squeezed his hand. She sensed that he, too, was nervous. And she had an inkling why.

‘It’s all right,’ she said. ‘I know you’re cautious about giving too much away in front of the boys. Just friends, this afternoon?’

Marc nodded. ‘Is that okay?’ He blinked a couple of times. ‘I don’t want them to think… They’re so young…’

Lauren touched his cheek with her other hand. ‘Just friends,’ she repeated. She was shocked at how much she wanted to kiss him again, but she had to respect his boundaries where the twins were concerned.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered. They breathed together for a moment or two, and then Marc pulled back so they could see each other better. ‘Brace yourself!’

Lauren followed after him, and she couldn’t help the smile that spread over her features when she saw Liam and Luca contorted on the Twister mat, with Noah stretching over them, trying valiantly to reach the furthermost red circle with his left foot. Bella, cross-legged on the floor, was in charge of the spinner, and Joel was laughing his head off on the sofa.

‘Give it up, bro!’ Joel called, raising his glass to his lips. ‘They’ve beaten you twice already.’

‘Never surrender,’ Noah grunted, finally landing his foot on a red circle. He managed to hold it for three seconds before his legs gave out and he crashed with an ‘oof!’ onto the mat.

‘We win!’ Liam and Luca chorused.

‘What, you’re tag-teaming? No fair!’ Noah panted. He rolled off the mat, and Lauren watched him slide towards Bella and steal a kiss before hoisting himself onto the sofa. ‘Must be your dad’s turn now.’

‘Nah, I reckon it’s Uncle Joel’s.’ Marc grinned at Lauren briefly. ‘But before you take to the mat, Joel, come and meet Lauren, my, er, friend from the café.’

Lauren noticed Joel’s quirked eyebrow at Marc’s introduction, but – determined not to give anything away in front of the boys – she smiled at Marc’s brother as he stood up and loped across the living room. ‘It’s nice to meet you.’

‘You too.’ Joel gave her an appraising glance. ‘I didn’t realise Marc had made any new “friends” since he’s been living here.’

Marc’s warning look ensured that Joel didn’t push it, though. They were all, clearly, mindful of the boys and their reactions.

‘Can I get you a drink, Lauren?’ Joel raised his nearly empty glass. ‘I could do with a top-up myself.’ He turned and winked at Luca, who was getting ready for another game on the Twister mat. ‘And anything to get me out of a match against the twins!’

‘Just a cup of tea would be great, please,’ Lauren replied.

‘Sure I can’t tempt you with something stronger? We’ve got enough booze in the house to survive an apocalypse.’ Joel gave her what she was sure was his best persuasive smile.

‘She said just tea, Joel.’ Marc’s voice, while still light, carried the hint of an admonishment. Joel got the message and headed off to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

‘Sorry,’ Marc muttered. ‘He likes to stir the pot.’

Lauren smiled. ‘It’s fine.’ She settled herself on the sofa and was soon enjoying a decent cuppa that Joel brought in, along with another glass of champagne for himself. The warmth of the Hathaway family was infectious, and it didn’t take long for her to relax. She was still extremely aware of Marc sitting close to her on her left, but, determined not to give anything away to the boys, she stopped herself from moving any closer to him. Noah kept glancing in their direction, clearly curious, but he, too, seemed to respect the need to keep things light in front of the children.

‘So Marc tells me you’re a businesswoman?’ Joel said, after a sip or two of champagne. ‘Will Starbucks and Costa be looking to their laurels, or Laurens?’

Lauren shook her head. ‘Not really. It’s a very small place.’

‘Small places grow,’ Joel replied. ‘Don’t limit your horizons.’

‘I’m sure Lauren doesn’t need business advice from you.’ Marc’s tone was light, but again, Lauren picked up on a warning. The three brothers looked at ease, on the surface, but she got the impression that there was more to their relationship than this happy Christmas afternoon would suggest. Intrigued, she looked Joel square in the eyes. ‘The café’s pretty tiny, but it suits me fine,’ she replied firmly. ‘Maybe you should come in for a coffee when we’re open again.’

‘Perhaps I will.’ Joel grinned at her.

He looked as though he was about to ask her more questions when Marc interrupted his flow. ‘I think it’s your turn on the mat, Joel.’