Page 35 of A Wish For Jo
Jo giggled. 'Yes, they do! Like an upmarket gentleman's outfitter, or something. Does sir need his crotch adjusting?'
'Perhaps sir needs to become better acquainted with his feet before he attempts to squeeze his girth into a fitted waistcoat,' added Harvey. He didn't know where this was going, but hearing Jo's laughter meant the world to him. Laughter had been absent from his life for so long, but now…
‘We’ve gone off track. All your fault, you naughty man.' Jo composed herself, dabbing at her cheeks with the linen napkin. 'I was about to tell you about my toilet fetish. No, I don't have a thing about loo brushes, so don't give me that look. I just like it when bars or restaurants get imaginative. Instead of ladies and gents, they come up with alternatives.'
'Like "For Those Who Stand" and "For Those Who Sit"?' said Harvey, as Alfonso painstakingly uncorked the wine bottle. 'Although you might need to be careful with pronouncing the latter.'
Jo looked puzzled for a second, then burst out laughing again. 'Exactly! I once saw a "Ladles and Jellyspoons" in a cute café on holiday, and my all-time favourite was "Sausage" and “Eggs", in a pretty upmarket restaurant down south.'
'Glad we're not having a full Scottish breakfast, then.’ Harvey nodded to Alfonso, who poured a tasting measure. 'Would you like to sample the wine, Jo?'
Jo swirled the wine around and took a quick sniff, then plunged her nose deeper into the glass and inhaled again.Impressive, thought Harvey. Mind you, Lindsey called him a wine philistine, and maintained that he wouldn't recognise a rare vintage if it bit him on the arse. 'Lovely. Thank you.'
Alfonso filled their glasses, stepping discreetly away when Harvey asked for a few more minutes to choose their food. 'So, did the toilet signs here pass muster?’ he asked.
Jo grinned. 'Not bad. Ghouls and Gals, which fits with the theme.'
'I take umbrage at being called a ghoul,' said Harvey, raising his glass to Jo. 'Mind you, you haven't seen me at 5 am after a rough night between the sheets.'Oh, bugger and bollocks.Why had he alluded to the bedroom?
Luckily, Jo didn't pick up on the comment, or chose to ignore it. She took a sip of wine and ran an elegant finger down the entrées section of the menu. ‘We’d better get ordering before Alfonso thinks we're only here for the booze. What do you fancy, Harvey?'
Oh, what a leading question. Harvey could hardly say, 'You. I fancy you!’, even though he did. Besides, the verb didn't do his feelings justice. Jo, whether she realised it or not, had pierced a hole in the armour he'd consciously donned after Lindsey's death. Like it or not, this woman had seriously got under his skin.
'What about sharing some nibbles first, then choosing mains?' Jo's face glowed in the flickering candlelight, her fitted top accentuating her shoulders and the tantalising hollow at the base of her neck. It had a name, but Harvey couldn't recall what it was. He just wanted to touch it, smell it, kiss it—
Harvey barely listened as Jo reeled off the order to Alfonso, who made all the right noises as he jotted it down. 'Good choice. Ah, you cannot go wrong with the pistachio and feta dip. And some artisan bread on the side? Of course.'
With a little nudging from Jo, Harvey had gone for Parmesan-stuffed chicken supreme as his main. She'd opted for the cider-braised lamb shoulder with all the trimmings. Quite honestly, though, Harvey could have chowed down on a doormat and not noticed. Being here, with Jo, felt so right. Scarily so, considering he'd doubted he would ever find real happiness again.
'Mmm, this is delicious. Have a taste.' Jo waggled a forkful of lamb at Harvey and he willingly accepted the juicy morsel. He nodded his agreement, all the time gazing at Jo. He no longer saw any similarity to Lindsey, at least not in the physical sense. Jo was Jo, and his heart did a little tattoo of joy as she returned his gaze with undisguised longing. Or did she just want a bite of his chicken?
The rest of the meal passed in a companionable haze, with a side order of sexual tension. Harvey barely tasted the food, his mind galloping ahead to the end of the evening. Would they kiss again? He sincerely hoped so. Would they go any further this time? He'd be a total liar if he denied that it had crossed his mind. Not that Harvey wanted to jinx things between them. He'd be more than happy to share a kiss or two, or three. He wanted things to work out, not fall apart before they'd really got going.
After sharing an apricot drizzle cake and indulging in a digestif each, Jo and Harvey squabbled over the bill.
'I'm paying. End of. It was my idea to come here, so my credit card's going on the plate.'
'Let me pay half. Or at least cover the wine and grappa.'
Harvey swatted away Jo's fistful of cash. 'You can make me a coffee back at yours if you like. Unless you'd like to get to bed straight away.'
Remove foot from mouth and pray to be struck by a lightning bolt.Yet again, he'd mentioned the bedroom, and revealed himself to be a horny old sod with a one-track mind.
'I might do.' Jo slid into her coat, held by Alfonso. Harvey shrugged on his own, unsure which suggestion had received the tentative thumbs up.
Forty-five minutes and a breathless, kiss-filled train ride later, he had his answer.
CHAPTER36
'Not such an old fart now.'Jo sighed and snuggled down under the duvet. If only Aaliyah could see her now… Well, maybe not in her current state of wanton nakedness. Jo had no doubt her make-up was smeared across the pillowcase (luckily dark blue), and she dreaded to picture her hair.
Next to her, Harvey stirred. He emitted a kitten-like snore and turned over, his right arm draped over Jo's middle. She wriggled closer, until their bodies were perfectly aligned. Ooh, lovely heat coming from his leg and torso! It certainly beat her childhood hot-water bottle with its fleecy tartan cover.
Tempted as she was to wake Harvey for a rematch, Jo let him sleep. The worry lines on his forehead had softened, as if someone had given them a once-over with a steam iron during the night. He looked like a man without a care in the world, not the grumpy old sod she'd first met. Jo touched his cheek, a fairy-breath caress, and glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table.
Shit, it was already eight o’clock! She needed to get up, get dressed and get home to repair her damaged face and hair. Stupidly, she hadn't primed Aaliyah to deal with the café opening. Heck, she hadn't known how the evening would pan out… Except she had. Deep down, she'd known they'd end up in bed together. The attraction between them was palpable, the kisses they'd shared last night and before deliciously tender and sweet.
Jo reluctantly slid out from under the duvet, taking care not to disturb Harvey. She tiptoed around the room, gathering up her clothes and underwear. She picked up Harvey's too, stifling a giggle at his Superman boxer shorts. She hadn't noticed them last night; they’d both been in such a hurry to undress. Jo folded his clothes and placed them on a wicker chair in the corner.
