Page 82 of A Colourful Country Escape
Every other stall seemed to be piled high with juicy oranges, winking at Lexie like forbidden fruit. Lexie’s mouth was dry, and yet she had a strange sensation that she needed to wait. That it was too early to give in to whatever it was that made her want to touch and taste everything.
And soon they were at the heart of the square, where people thronged and owners of makeshift eateries tried to tempt them to sample their menu. Lexie felt almost swayed by the current of people as Ben turned to face her with a questioning look. Would they eat now, or save themselves for later? But the thought of everything to come made her almost too jittery for food.
‘I can wait,’ she said, knowing full well that she would have to. Because the thing she desperately wanted was out of bounds until they were somewhere discreet. And when that moment finally came, she knew it would be worth it.
‘Then let me get you an orange juice before you melt,’ he replied.
But she already was. As he looked at her, waiting for her nod of agreement, she felt like the moment was almost perfect. If she could just reach up and kiss him, this memory would be complete. Men hurried around them, robed in billowing beige among the stalls of vivid colours. It was like this place was combining them both, on its own unique canvas. And tonight. Tonight would be the time when their colours would truly merge.
‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘That would be perfect.’ As he turned away from her, she tried not to imagine the luxurious feeling of two yearning souls becoming one.
Chapter 40
Lexie shimmied into her best black lace undies, wondering where she would be when she took them off. Not that their date would just be about that, of course. She was hoping for a heart-to-heart with Ben, to see where they stood. It felt almost implicit that something deeper would come of their relationship. Not that she was looking for promises of diamond rings, or anything crazy. And she knew she still had lurking skeletons to deal with. But what they had was surely something more than furtive fun. She didn’t want to be an appetiser before his main event, and, once they’d agreed that, she’d be on fire for whatever fun awaited.
Lexie sprayed her neck with perfume, letting the musky fragrance settle coolly on her skin. It wasn’t often that she bothered with her bottle of Black Opium, but she wanted to feel wildly decadent. Today had been a tease for each one of her senses and she wanted the heightened awareness to last. The trip was going well; her colour palette ideas were coming to fruition. She was remembering her creativity; how she loved to travel. And the closeness to Ben, even if some of it had to take place in her imagination, was a sheer delight.
She slipped into a long blue silk dress that Grace had insisted on swapping with her for a bunch of tatty thrift-shop junk. Lexie knew her friend was just trying to kit her out in great clothes for the trip, in a non-charity-case kind of way. Although Lexie’s savings were looking better now. Maybe she’d be treating herself soon enough.
The dress hugged where it touched and tickled against her skin. She swished around in front of the mirror, feeling like an almost-princess. Was that music playing outside? The hotel was gearing up for the evening and she thought she could hear pipe players out by the pool. With a tingle of excitement she pulled open her balcony door, keen to soak up everything the starry night had to offer.
As she smiled into the moonlight, the fresh evening air embracing her skin, she noticed Ben on his balcony across the other side of the water.
‘Hi!’ She waved frantically, although of course he couldn’t hear.
He seemed to see her, though. But why was he looking straight through her? Was he ignoring her? He was on his phone. He looked … annoyed? Disturbed? Definitely not pleased, anyway. She wondered who he was talking to. But she shouldn’t overthink it. They’d discuss it later; it was probably nothing.
Lexie retreated to her room but kept the door open in case Ben finished his call and tried to wave back. She busied herself with filling her handbag for the evening. Key, purse, make-up. But she couldn’t shake off the nervous feeling wriggling in her stomach. There’d been something cold in Ben’s look. Realisation, perhaps? Did he know something? Had he been speaking to his mother? God, that could be it. Who else would he speak to on holiday? It wasn’t like he had heaps of friends, and it was unlikely to be work at this time.
But why would his mother disturb him? And what would cause that look on his face? Had Mrs Carrington-Noble heard back from her police spy person? Did she know Lexie had no intention of matchmaking Ben and Cynthia, and was she dishing the dirt on Lexie’s past?
Oh God. She sank down onto the bed, her legs beginning to feel shaky. It would be just her luck for things to go wrong for her. Suddenly she felt ridiculous in her almost-princess dress. The fishtail swam around her ankles. Was it a sign she was out of her depth? She kicked her feet with agitation, as though trying to stay afloat.
Right. She grabbed her phone. She actually had no idea what was going on and she should try to find out. Maybe it was just self-doubt talking. She couldn’t let it eat at her before she even knew the facts.
Lexie craned her head to get a view of Ben’s balcony. He was gone. She would ring him. Easy.
Her heart was in her mouth as she pulled up his number and pressed call. That green light for go, when she didn’t know where she’d end up. But his mobile was engaged. Damn it. She swiped her screen, found Mrs Carrington-Noble’s number and did the same. It was ringing. There. Perhaps he hadn’t been talking to his mother at all. So, shit, what was she going to say? Should she … oh, too late.
‘Yes?’ The stern woman’s voice came down the line, and she did not seem happy.
‘Er, hi! Just thought I’d check in, and … ’ God, she was waffling. She was a bag of trembling nerves.
‘And what? Tell me the truth for once?’
‘No, I … Well, I mean, I always do anyway, but … ’
‘Cut the crap, Alexis. I know exactly what you are now. And so does Ben. He wants you out of our business and out of our lives as quickly as I do. You’re a liar.’
Was it the distance, or did Mrs Carrington-Noble sound different? Still angry but almost … at the end of her tether?
Lexie pulled at the neck of her dress, the heat suddenly suffocating. ‘But we already discussed the situation with my qualifications. You said it would be fine.’
‘I was willing to overlook it if you were going to encourage my son to form a union with Cynthia. But from what I hear from Ben, you’ve been busy trying to help yourself to him.’
He’d told tales on her? Why had he done that? What was he, twelve?
‘Ben and I are just … ’ But what were they, really? That was something she’d been hoping to talk over on their date. Over candlelight; beneath the stars. They were going to explore their relationship and … urgh. Had this stupid dream always been hopeless?
