Page 52 of New Year, New Guy
‘You’d better catch up with lover boy before he frets over you all day.’ Henry’s booming laughter didn’t embarrass her, because she didn’t care any longer who knew of her feelings for Hunter McQueen.
* * *
‘What have I done to deserve this?’ Laura sniffed appreciatively at the steaming roast chicken dinner set out on her candlelit dining table. He’d filled a yellow plastic bucket withice and turned it into a makeshift chiller for an expensive bottle of champagne. Hunter watched her good humour fade as she put everything together. ‘Oh you’ve booked your ticket back to America, haven’t you?’
They didn’t do lies these days. When she returned from work he’d shared her frustration over Kiki’s refusal to publicly condemn Mike but in the end agreed there was nothing more to be done. Her ex-husband’s arrogance would trip him up soon enough. When she told him about her conversation with Henry he squashed a fleeting moment of jealousy, never wanting to head down the possessive route where she was concerned.
‘Yeah. I’m sorry.’
‘When?’
‘Saturday. I would’ve delayed until Sunday so I could tell Johnny about Daniel face to face, but it would’ve cost a lot extra, and work’s pilin’ up back home. Rory’s doin’ a great job but I can’t expect him to carry me any longer.’ Laura buried her head in his chest. ‘While you’re working over the next few days I’ve got meetings set up with a few builders doing reclamation work here in the south-west.’
‘Why?’
‘I thought I’d check out Daniel’s idea.’
‘Maybe I’ll fall in love with Tennessee.’ A slash of heat warmed her cheeks. ‘Oh, are we . . .?’
‘Goin’ too fast?’ Hunter grinned. ‘At our advanced ages we can’t afford to waste too much time.’
‘You keep telling me we’re not past it yet.’
He stifled her protest with a lingering kiss. ‘I’m teasing you. I thought you got my sense of humour these days? Tell me we don’t have to go back to the white flag wavin’ thing again?’ He pointed to the food cooling on the table. ‘Let’s dig in while it’s still fit to eat.’ Hunter nuzzled her neck. ‘I wanna make the most of every minute.’
‘You’re right. Pour me a drink and feed me then we’ll discuss dates for my trip.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Nothing was going to spoil his last few days here. Reality would intrude soon enough.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
‘Wow, you’ve had quite a week and here was me thinking I’d be the one with the best stories to tell.’ Polly raised her glass to Laura. ‘When my sister decides to do something she doesn’t waste any time. I thought you’d stay at Derriford until they gave you a gold retirement watch.’
Everything burst out of her the minute the happy couple walked through the door. After saying a tearful goodbye to Hunter at the bus station yesterday she’d wallowed in misery for a few hours before giving herself a stiff talking to.
‘Would you mind very much if I moved . . . to wherever it might be?’
‘Mind?’ Polly grasped her hand. ‘I’d miss you like anything but seeing you this happy . . . it means the world to me.’
Laura’s throat tightened.
‘After that bastard messed you around I thought you’d never smile again, and now you’re full of all these amazing plans and it’s fab.’
‘Uh, do I smell something burning?’ Johnny frowned.
‘Oh damn!’ Laura raced into the kitchen and flung open the oven door. She fanned the smoke with a tea towel before grabbing the tray of cremated garlic bread and tossing it in the sink. Luckily the lasagne she’d attempted to reheat was still on the borderline between golden brown and burned.
There’d been no question of attempting the traditional Sunday roast with her limited skills so Hunter suggested the three of them ate the leftovers from the dinner he’d cooked on Friday night.
Add a bag of salad and frozen garlic bread. You can’t go wrong.
Plainly that had been wishful thinking on his part.
‘Don’t worry it’s not as if we need the extra calories.’ Johnny patted his stomach. ‘We’ve spent the week eating non-stop . . . at least when we weren’t—’
‘—TMI!’ Laura declared. ‘I’m a new fan of sharing more with those people I’m close to but some things are waaay too much, and the gory details of your honeymoon fit in that category.’
‘I was talking about scuba diving and exploring the island.’ His glittering eyes belied his words and two bright hot circles appeared on Polly’s cheeks. ‘How about I open the wine and you dish up? Then I want all the details on Danny Pearce. Hunter’s email didn’t go into specifics.’
