Page 43 of A Colourful Country Escape
He reached a hand across the table and placed it on hers, which seemed to be shaking. What was that – anger? Nerves? Or just that late spring chill?
‘It’s OK. I owe you for various dubious takeaways, which you keep thrusting upon me against my will. The least you can do is let me repay you with a cheap and cheerful pizza.’
He had a point, although to her these prices were definitely not cheap. But whatever had just been bubbling up inside her had genuinely put her off her food. It was weird, and slightly irritating.
‘Want to share my Hawaiian? All that pineapple might be a bit too crazy for me anyway. I’ll probably need your help.’ He gave her an annoyingly sweet frown of apology, and she found herself nodding.
She did feel a bit guilty for getting narky. It wasn’t strictly his fault he had a better bank balance. Although, maybe she would speak to him about giving some away to those seals. They really could do with more help.
But first, she should have a word with herself. What was wrong with her today? It wasn’t like her to be so topsy-turvy. The main task on her agenda was to convince Ben to let her tag along to the paint conference. She had no idea why she kept poking the hornets’ nest that was Ben’s sorry dating situation. Was it that the sooner he shacked up in his marriage of convenience, the sooner she’d feel safe from that irksome internal fidget she couldn’t quite place? Because if they were going to spend the weekend in the same hotel, there would be a lot less confusion if she knew he was tied up with someone else.
A single swan floating along the water pulled her back to the present.
‘Grace,’ she heard herself saying. Grace was perfect for him. Wasn’t she? If those two got together, Ben would surely inherit his kingdom, and the employees of Nutgrass Hall would live happily ever after. And Lexie would be safe from a danger that, however unlikely it had once seemed, was now troubling the edges of her subconscious.
The danger that if she didn’t tread with caution, she might stumble heart first into the nightmarish world of money and pretentious bad manners. Again.
Chapter 22
When the waiter had disappeared and Lexie had spent enough time pretending to be fascinated by a swan, Ben made tentative steps back to their conversation.
‘So. It would cheer you up if I went on a date with Grace?’
Would it? Or was she just using lovely Grace as a human shield to protect her soul from whatever she’d started to feel when Ben had walked into that ballroom? Lexie sighed. ‘This isn’t about me.’
He was doing that twitchy smile again.
‘What?’ said Lexie. ‘You need to find a rich and vaguely interesting wife before you turn into a pumpkin. Grace is an incredible catch. Maybe the sooner you sort your life out, the sooner your mother will get off your back. And mine. She clearly sees my presence as some kind of threat to her master plan, although goodness knows why. Let’s just say she’s not exactly my bestie.’
Ben’s face lit up with a smile. ‘I said you were shrewd. But don’t take it personally. Mum’s never been one for besties. She’s not motivated by friendship.’
You mean she’s not very nice, Lexie thought. But she decided against saying that, second glass of wine or otherwise.
‘She’s not been quite herself lately.’ He exhaled strongly and seemed to gather his thoughts. ‘She took it hard when Dad died. I think maybe she … blamed herself, for various reasons. For a while she tried to cling on to Cory and me so tightly we thought our heads would explode. Then by some miracle she fell for her new man, Carlito, and things changed. She moved out and bought herself a little pad ten miles away. Can you imagine.’
The part Lexie still couldn’t picture was the stern Mrs Carrington-Noble cavorting around with a hot young Spanish guy. She wondered if he’d passed her strict financial tick-list.
‘Of course she never fully let go,’ Ben continued. ‘She still owns the place.’
And parades around her creepy peacocks, fills it with funeral flowers and turns up at intervals to spring-clean other people’s lives from the driveway, thought Lexie, trying not to grimace.
‘But lately, she’s been acting strangely. First this insistence to get the business off her hands and to ensure I marry someone rich to inherit it. Then her behaviour towards you and your camper van. It’s all rather … ’
Outrageous? Offensive? Stark raving mad?
‘Clingy,’ Lexie settled on, impressed at her own diplomacy.
‘She did seem to approve of Grace.’ He rubbed his jaw, which was always so impressively smooth. ‘And the money adds up.’
‘Of course. I mean, what else is there?’ Lexie tried to hide the sarcasm from her voice. ‘And will you be happy if the bank balance is a match?’
There was a splashing in the water as two ducks flapped to safety, trying to avoid a yacht that was gliding towards them along the river. The proud vessel seemed out of place against the pretty painted canal boats moored along the water’s edge.
‘Money is my only saving grace, Lexie. We can’t all be naturally flamboyant.’
Flamboyant.Hmm. Did he just mean trashy?
But the pizza arrived like a great steaming barricade between them, and Ben was saved by the pineapple. Maybe they would always belong at opposite sides of the table, but it was fun to watch him trying to tuck in with his hands when she knew he was desperate to pick up his knife and fork.
