Page 33 of Teacakes & Tangos
He took my hand and squeezed. ‘I’m really happy to hear you say that, and of course we can take our time, but we need to get you to the hospital right now, okay?’
‘Okay.’
As we walked together to the car park, my emotions were all over the place. Was it wrong that Xander and I had confessed we liked each other, while Dad was still in hospital and I had no idea if he would ever wake from his coma?
Then I thought about what Dad would say if he knew I might have a chance at a new romance. No question about it: he’d be over the moon. He’d like Xander, I was sure of it.
Dad would definitely be urging me to go for it and be happy...
I sneaked a glance at Xander’s handsome profile. His lips were curved in a gentle smile, and a feeling of hope surged through me. After Les, I’d thought I’d be off men for a very long time. But it seemed as if Xander might be changing my mind.
There was no hurry, though. I definitely wasn’t about to rush headlong into another relationship. We could take our time getting to know each other, Xander and I – and then further down the line, maybe...
‘Anika?’ Hearing a shout behind me, I turned and Clara was hurrying after us.
‘Hi! I wanted to catch you before you left.’ She smiled and slapped her chest, out of breath and panting a little. ‘I was telling Xander here that we’d lined someone up to run the Little Duckling Café, but they’ve let us down at the final hour. So we’re going to have to advertise the job again.’
‘Oh. Right. That’s so annoying for you.’ I glanced at Xander. So that’s what they were talking about.
‘Anyway, Xander was telling me you’ve had quite a bit of experience in the catering industry, working in cafés and hotels?’
‘Er, yes.’ I looked at her in surprise. ‘Mostly at weekends while I was studying. I used to manage a little café in Guildford when the owner was on holiday.’
‘Right. Well, I just wanted to mention the job to you... in case you wanted to apply?’ She smiled ruefully. ‘Sorry, I don’t normally run around trying to recruit people in the street but it’s just that we’re a bit anxious to get someone else in as soon as possible. And you seem like you might be a good candidate for the job.’
‘Gosh. Right.’ I smiled at her. ‘Well, I’d love to work in your café. I... well, I love the whole vibe of your dance studio. It’s amazing.’
Clara’s eyes shone with pleasure. ‘Do you think so?’ She glanced back at the building. ‘It’s been my dream for years. I can’t quite believe we’ve finally made it happen.’ She looked back at me with a smile. ‘So I’ll send you the link and you can decide if you want to apply?’
‘That would be great.’
As Clara hurried back to greet more visitors, I smiled up at Xander. ‘Thank you for that.’
‘For what?’
‘For recommending me for the job.’
He shrugged. ‘I just thought the job seemed perfect for you right now.’
‘It does. I’ll apply as soon as I get back from the hospital.’ I grimaced as we walked along. ‘Mind you, knowing my luck these days, I’ll probably be pipped to the post as thesecond-bestcandidate.’
‘No, no. Be positive.’
‘Okay. I will.’
He nodded approvingly and as we walked into the car park, he gave me a twinkly-eyed smile that made my heart flutter in my chest.
We were surrounded by trees in this idyllic corner of the Brambleberry Manor Estate and birds were chirruping in the branches overhead. And as I breathed in the warm, honeyed scents of the countryside in high summer, and turned my face up to catch the cooling breeze, I had a feeling deep down that maybe everything would be all right, after all...
Clara
CHAPTER TWELVE
After all the worry and frantic hard work, the opening of Magic of Dance had been more glorious than I could ever have imagined.
I’d made a welcome speech in the morning when a good crowd had gathered and I’d introduced my wonderful Great-Aunt Freda, who’d been my inspiration all along. She’d talked a little about her much younger days, when she’d run away to New York and danced in shows there, which had been a dream come true for her. Freda had just celebrated her eighty-ninth birthday but she was still as sharp as a tack.
My lovely gran – Freda’s younger sister – was also there to support me, and the pair had spent a lovely day enjoying the dancing displays and chatting proudly to visitors about how I’d worked so hard to make Magic of Dance a reality.
