Page 49 of A Very Crumbleton Christmas
‘Hardly!’ laughed Jack. ‘Just a couple of times… and one of them was Milly’s assistant.’
‘Jo?’ said Caroline.
‘That’s the one,’ said Jack. ‘I think she just wanted an excuse to ask me if the pair of us were seeing each other.’
Caroline snorted in amusement. ‘And how did you get out of that one?’
‘I told her… we hadn’t got to that bit of the story yet,’ said Jack, unable to take his eyes off her.
‘You did, huh?’ said Caroline. ‘Smooth. What’s that, a line from one of your films?’
‘Nope,’ said Jack, his voice going quiet. He took a step towards her and reached for her hand again. When she took it, he raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them before staring for a long moment at the yellow plastic ring. ‘Just me… being hopeful.’
Caroline held his eye for a long moment before looking away to stare out across the velvet darkness of the marshes.
‘So…’ she said, ‘when do you leave?’
‘What, tonight?’ said Jack.
Caroline shook her head, still not looking at him. ‘For New Zealand, I mean. When do you start filming?’
‘I don’t,’ said Jack.
Finally, it was time to tell her his news.
‘You don’t?’ she said.
‘I turned it down,’ he said.
Caroline turned to him so quickly that he’d be surprised if she hadn’t just cricked her neck.
‘What? But why?!’ she gasped, her eyes going wide.
‘I… erm…’
Because of you. Because I like you.
‘Because…’ Jack took a deep breath. ‘Because I like this story better… and I want to see where it goes.’
‘Aww, what a line!’ chuckled Caroline.
‘What?’ said Jack, starting to tug her towards him. ‘Too wooden for you?’
‘Nope,’ she said, glancing up at his ridiculous hat as he looped his arms around her waist. Then she met his eye with a smile that rendered him completely speechless. ‘Nope,’ she said again. ‘That was just about perfect! Hey – are you cold? You’re shaking!’
Jack simply shook his head. Then he wrapped her a little tighter in his arms and bent to kiss Caroline Cook under Crumbleton’s twinkling Christmas lights.
CHAPTER 17
CAROLINE
Caroline rolled over and yawned. Her eyes fluttered open, only to be greeted by silvery, early morning light. For a moment she was caught somewhere between the delicious dream she’d been having, and real life. In her dream, there had been carols and snowflakes, the sound of the sea and the most handsome dork-of-a-man she’d ever laid eyes on.
The distant sound of waves on a beach reached her ears, and a rush of tingling electricity ran through her from head to toe. Caroline grabbed the edges of the green and red festive duvet cover and tugged it up to her chin as she struggled to sit up.
The movement sent something tumbling off the pillows beside her. Reaching down, Caroline pulled out a little square package from the nest of bedding – along with a red envelope. It had already been torn open and emptied of its contents.
Turning it over, Caroline saw Jack’s name in swirling golden letters. It was crossed out with two dark pencil lines, and underneath it was a scruffy scrawl.
