Page 32 of Yule Party on Sunflower Street

‘I’m good, thanks. But…’ She chewed at her bottom lip.

‘But?’ he asked.

‘My sister… she’s a warm and caring person and I think she likes you.’

‘Oh.’ He swallowed. ‘That’s nice.’

‘Nice?’ Sadie gave a small laugh. ‘You like her too, don’t you?’

Seth looked down at the floor. ‘Tara is a special person.’

‘Just… Please take care and don’t hurt her.’

He met Sadie’s eyes. ‘Of course not. I have no intention of hurting anyone, especially not Tara. Please don’t worry about that.’

‘Wonderful.’ Sadie exhaled slowly. ‘Now you two go and have a good time.’

‘We will,’ he said. ‘I mean, I hope we will.’

‘Get some lunch and do a bit of Christmas shopping while you’re there,’ Sadie said, a smile playing on her lips.

‘That’s a great idea,’ he said, as if he hadn’t already thought of it. ‘I’ll ask Tara where she’d like to eat.’

‘Great.’ Sadie winked.

‘What’s great?’ Tara asked, appearing back on the shop floor.

‘I was just saying to Seth that you could squeeze in a spot of Christmas shopping,’ Sadie said. ‘And he suggested grabbing some lunch.’

‘Ooh.’ Tara rubbed her hands together. ‘Lunch sounds good.’

‘Come on then,’ Seth said. ‘Let’s get going, then we can find somewhere to eat.’

They went to the door, and he opened it then gestured for Tara to go first. When he turned to close the door, Sadie was grinning at him from behind the counter, and he found himself grinning too.

Today was getting better and better by the minute.

16

TARA

Tara tried not to fidget as she sat in the passenger seat of Seth’s van. It was very clean and tidy, something she’d noticed when she first got in. It smelt like new leather and his cologne — a sophisticated blend of cedar and pepper that was quite delicious.

Seth drove them out of the village and then towards London. Tara tried to relax but she was conscious of the man next to her, of his long fingers as they changed gear and rested on the steering wheel, and of his muscular thighs encased in denim.

She glanced at him a few times, admiring his broad shoulders and square jaw, his clean-shaven skin and neat haircut. Not only was he handsome, he was also kind, something she hadn’t banked on when she’d first met him and he’d been so grumpy. He seemed keen to help her and Sadie out and that made him even more attractive. But the way she felt about him confused her because it had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to admit finding someone attractive. She’d been loyal in her relationship with Paul, even though she hadn’t loved him the way he’d deserved to be loved. But during that time, she’d shut herself down to other men, determined to be a good partner to the man who clearly cared about her. However, being with Seth made her realise that she found him attractive and it was good to feel that kind of a spark with someone. Really good.

In fact, she felt more alive than she had done in years. More excited about the future than she’d been since she was younger. Now, it felt like there were things to look forward to rather than simply endure.

‘Do you drive, Tara?’ he asked.

‘Yes, but I don’t enjoy it,’ she said. ‘I have to admit though that driving into London is not something I’m keen on at all.’

‘No, it’s not the best drive. It gets incredibly busy and then there’s so much to focus on. If you do it regularly, it’s not so bad, but if you don’t know the roads it can be a nightmare.’

‘You live in Guildford, right?’ she said.

‘I do. I grew up there and my parents still live there. I went to school there, went away to university, came back for work and now own a nice new-build flat there. My work takes me all around Surrey and into London, so Guildford is a good base.’