Page 48 of So That Happened
He nodded and pointed to a small side street. ‘Let’s cut through here and find somewhere a bit quieter.’
He still had hold of her arm, but he didn’t feel like letting it go, so he looped his wrist through the curve of her elbow, keeping her close, but still free to move easily. It comforted him to hold her near him.
The end of the street opened out onto a small square with a long strip of sandy-coloured gravel running to one side, where a group of men were playing pétanque. They paused for a minute to watch the game and the men shouting and joshing each other as their balls landed miles from where they’d intended.
The convivial atmosphere heartened Connor. He was exactly where he wanted to be right now, which was a new experience. Usually, he was eager to move on quickly to the next place and begin something new, always thinking ahead, often not giving himself time to fully experience the moment he was in. The weight of duty he normally carried around had lifted for the time being; it was doing him good to slow down for a while.
His train of thought ground to a halt as a small hand landed on Josie’s shoulder, making her jump and tug sharply on his arm.
‘Excuse me, do I know you?’ an English voice asked.
They both turned to face a short, middle-aged woman with a badly sunburned face and a voluminous chest spilling over the top of her ill-fitting vest. Connor could tell by Josie’s expression that she was building herself up for the usual polite conversation about her sister and his hands twitched uncomfortably in sympathy. He should find a way to get them out of there quickly; he didn’t want some ignorant tourist ruining what was turning out to be a pleasant outing.
The woman wrinkled her nose as she scrutinised Josie, her beady eyes raking her face.
‘No, sorry, we’ve never met,’ Josie said patiently, clearly hoping the woman would fail to make the connection and walk away.
‘You look so familiar…’ the woman said slowly, her brow creased in confusion.
Josie flashed her a polite smile and went to turn away just as the woman’s eyes sparked with life and her brain caught up with her mouth.
‘I’ve got it! You look just like Maddie Marchpane fromSensational Science– except not quite as…’ She wrinkled her nose again disdainfully and wiggled her fingers in Josie’s face, eager to bestow her insensitive pearls of wisdom.
Connor took an instinctive step forward, anger flaring in his chest at her witlessness, aware that the look he was giving her was less than friendly. The woman’s gaze flicked to him and she stopped short, flapping a hand in front of her own face now, clearly backtracking on whichever tactless adjective she’d almost let slip.
Her face flushed red with embarrassment. ‘Um… not quite as blonde.’ She gave them a quavering smile. ‘I’m a huge fan of Maddie – her show is wonderful,’ she rushed on.
‘I’ll let her know you said so,’ Josie said kindly. ‘My sister’s always delighted to hear it when people enjoy the programme.’
The woman gave her a beaming smile in return, relief that she hadn’t offended Josie clear on her face. ‘How nice to have a famous sister. And one as popular as Maddie, too.’
‘Have a great holiday,’ Josie said firmly, moving away and pulling on Connor’s arm to suggest he came with her.
They’d walked to the end of the square before he trusted himself to speak, the irritation still bubbling like acid in his veins. ‘You’re one classy lady, Josie Marchpane.’
She looked at him and laughed out loud. ‘I thought she was going to pee her pants when you shot her that intimidating glare of yours.’
‘Well, maybe that’ll teach her to keep her pedestrian opinions to herself in the future,’ he said, scowling at the woman’s retreating back.
‘Have you ever thought of hiring yourself out as a bodyguard? You’d make a fortune just by glowering at people.’
He snorted in response. Usually, he didn’t get involved in other people’s conflicts, but he didn’t seem to be able to stop himself when it came to Josie. She brought out the warrior in him.
They passed by a small café with tables lined up on a raised terrace, the red checked tablecloths and vases of vivacious sunflowers cheerfully gaudy against the subtle sandy gold of the stone buildings surrounding them.
‘That looks like a good place. Fancy it?’ he asked, nodding behind them to an empty table.
‘Sure,’ she said, turning and heading back to where he’d pointed.
They made themselves comfortable and a waiter brought them menus and a basket of bread.
‘Hmm, there’s some peculiar-sounding meals here,’ Josie said, scanning the specials list she’d been handed.
‘You should try something new. You never know – you might find you like it,’ he said, throwing her a challenging smile.
‘You’re not going to try talking me into eating snails for a laugh, are you?’ she asked with a shiver, her eyes alive with mirth and her lips quirking into a bewitching grin.
He leaned forward in his chair, locking his gaze with hers and tipping his head conspiratorially. ‘I don’t think we need to be feeding you an aphrodisiac right now, Josie. Delicate parts of us might fall off if you get any hornier.’
