Page 74 of Winter at Wishington Bay
‘Oh, I don’t think he—’
‘He definitely was.’ Nate’s voice was soft but didn’t invite argument.
I looked up.
‘Billy’s lovely but… he’s not for me.’
Nate let out a breath and for a moment it looked as though he was about to say something but just then Flora came back through, now bundled up. Efficiently, she hurried us out of the shop, and towards the pub to find George. As we walked, Flora tucked her arm round Nate’s. He tilted his other elbow, the hand stuffed in the pocket, so that I could do the same. I hesitated a moment before catching Flora’s eye. She gave the tiniest head shake and then nodded at Nate’s arm. I tucked my arm through and we went off in search of George and the big switch on.
21
‘So, this Victorian fayre thing? Worth a visit?’ Nate said, looking up from the laptop screen and stretching.
‘Definitely. If you can spare the time,’ I said, nodding at the keyboard as I wrestled the vacuum back into place in the cupboard under the stairs.
‘All work and no play makes Nate a dull boy,’ he said, as he came to stand beside me and leant in to the cupboard, rearranging the space a little in order to make it easier for me to replace the appliance. ‘At least so I was told.’
I looked up. ‘That’s not exactly what I said.’ I thought back to when I’d first met him. I remembered suggesting that he get out and see some of the area but that was it. Wasn’t it?
He shook his head, closing the door on the cupboard. ‘No, you didn’t. Not in so many words.’
I felt the hint of a blush.
‘Oh, I didn’t mean… I was… it obviously came out a bit wrong. It was just that I didn’t think…’ I stopped as I looked up again to see a wide smile on Nate’s face. Frankly, that smile was enough to make anyone stumble in their tracks, but right now, still close to him, able to smell the soap of his early morning shower, and feel the warmth of his inconveniently sexy body next to mine, my sensible, ordered thoughts weren’t flowing quite as easily as they ordinarily did.
‘What are you grinning for?’ Not that I was complaining, which was probably evident by the smile on my own face.
‘Well, for one thing, I’ve found it’s actually a lot more fun than being a miserable sod all day.’
‘I’m not going to argue with that.’
‘So you agree I was?’
‘That’s not what I said, and you know it,’ I replied, poking him in the chest.
‘Not in so many words.’
‘Not in any words,’ I laughed, giving him another prod.
He tilted his head down. ‘You have excessively bony fingers.’
I pulled my hand back. ‘I do not have bony fingers.’ I held my hand up. ‘I have regal, elegant hands.’
‘Regal?’
I shrugged. ‘Maybe.’ Actually, that was closer to the mark than he knew, but now wasn’t quite the time to divulge that information.
‘And I didn’t say they weren’t elegant. But they’re still bony.’
‘Perhaps you just need a bit more meat on you.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Was that the thinking behind you stocking the fridge and cupboards with irresistible food? My brother thinks I needed feeding up or something?’ He looked down and poked his tummy.
‘Oh, pfftt, there’s nothing there.’
‘There would be if it hadn’t been for this little mutt.’ Nate inclined his head to where Bryan was lying with his feet in the air, the paws moving rapidly as he chased something or someone in his dreams.
‘Hardly.’
