Page 26 of A Second Chance in Seabury
‘Oh no,’ said Hannah, shaking her head, though it was against every single instinct she possessed. ‘I can’t let you do that.’
‘Oh yes, he can,’ said David, coming to his son’s defence. ‘Otherwise, we’ll be dining on gooey chocolate cake for months. Sarah might be a baking genius, but I don’t think our waistbands would survive!’
‘Okay. Well… you know… seeing as it’s a public service, I’d love a bit!’ Hannah grinned at him. ‘Thank you. For the cake, and for letting me gate-crash this evening. It’s been so much fun.’
‘It’s been our pleasure,’ said Jason. ‘Right, Dad?’
David nodded, getting to his feet. ‘Can we walk you home? After all, it’s not exactly out of our way!’
‘Oh… thanks, I’d like that,’ said Hannah, suddenly feeling shy. Maybe it was just the two glasses of wine talking, but the idea of a moonlit amble with David Eaves felt full of possibility… if it wasn’t for the fact that she’d be playing piggy-in-the-middle between him and his son!
‘Sarah, what about you?’ said David, raising an eyebrow. ‘Are you heading back up to the lighthouse, or would you like to kip in the spare room again?’
‘That would be great,’ she said, grinning at him. ‘I’d love to stay. I think there’s a late-night Snakes and Ladders tournament with our names on it!’
‘Party animals,’ he chuckled.
‘We know how to live out on the ragged edge, right, Sarah?’ laughed Jason.
‘Amen to that!’ said Sarah with a grin. ‘I’ll go and give Hattie a hand to pack up the rest of the cake. I’m sure she’s got enough going on in the kitchen without us lot causing extra havoc.’
‘Good plan,’ said Jason. ‘I’ll come too. I want to thank her for the meal, anyway. We’ll catch you guys up?’
David nodded, then held out a hand towards Hannah. ‘Shall we?’
Hannah paused for a long moment, and then, with a shy smile, she took his arm and let him lead her out of the dining room.
CHAPTER 12
Hannah wrapped her arms around herself. She adored her new dress - it made her feel confident and comfortable… and maybe even beautiful. Unfortunately, it didn’t offer much protection against the chilly breeze blowing off the sea.
‘Here.’
Hannah turned, only to find David had stripped off his jacket and was holding it out for her.
‘But you’ll freeze!’ she said, eyeing the cotton shirt covering his surprisingly solid body. She rubbed her arms in a vain attempt to stop a shiver from running through her.
‘The walk will keep me warm,’ he said with a smile. ‘Besides, I’ve got another layer under this, but you…’
He trailed off, his eyes travelling over her dress.
This time there was no stopping the delicious shiver that ran down her spine… and it had nothing to do with the cold night air.
‘I knew that dress would suit you,’ said David, his eyes finally meeting hers again. He frowned and cleared his throat. ‘Sorry. That sounds so creepy!’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ laughed Hannah, relenting at last and slipping her arms into the waiting warmth of his jacket. ‘But… how did you know?’
‘It’s the same colour as the top you were wearing when I saw you last time you were in town,’ he said with a little shrug. ‘It’s like the colour of the maple leaves. I remember thinking…’ he trailed off and cleared his throat again. ‘Well, it just really suits you.’
‘Thanks,’ said Hannah, glad that darkness had descended on the little town while they’d been stuffing their faces inside Pebble Street. She didn’t know if it was the jacket or David’s words, but she was already warming up nicely!
She snuggled further into the collar. It smelled sweet… like cinnamon and honey. Suddenly, Hannah had the almost irresistible urge to bury her face in David’s neck.
‘You know, I’ve been meaning to apologise,’ she blurted, turning away to stop herself from doing something insane.
‘What on earth for?’ said David, falling onto step beside her as she began to stride along.
‘For how I behaved last time I was in town,’ she said.
