Page 108 of For Love or Money
Al still wasn’t awake when she came out of the shower, and she got dressed quietly and went downstairs. The house was very quiet as she made her way through the kitchen and out onto the terrace. Some puddles of water and an overturned lounger were the only signs of last night’s storm, a sheen of water across the terrace already drying in the morning sun. The sky was clear and calm.
She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Scott coming into the kitchen carrying a body board.
‘Some night last night!’ he said, grinning at her.
‘What?’ Lesley blushed. How could he know?
‘The storm.’ He nodded towards the terrace. ‘Didn’t you hear it?’
‘Oh. Yeah, it was something else. Where is everyone?’
‘They’ve gone down to the beach for the day. You two seemed to be having a lie in, so we thought we’d leave you to it.’
‘Right. Al’s still asleep.’
‘I came back for this.’ He indicated the board. ‘I was just going to leave you a note, but now you’re up. Join us when you’re ready, if you feel like it.’
Lesley nodded. ‘We will.’
‘We’ll be at Opéra Plage.’
When Scott left, Lesley was very aware that it was just her and Al in the house. Doubts started to creep in as she busied herself in the kitchen, feeling fidgety and on edge as she checked the contents of the cupboards and found supplies. Someone had been to the bakery, and they’d left croissants and ficelles. She was nervous about facing Al this morning. She hated the morning-after awkwardness and dreaded him acting all shifty and distant. And trapped in this house, with nowhere for him to run, it was even more awkward. Damn holiday shagging! What had they been thinking? No, what hadshebeen thinking? She’d started it, so she had no one but herself to blame. She wished he’d just get up so they could get the whole thing over with. He probably hadn’t really expected her to take him up on his offer to attend to her needs. She had to make it clear she knew that’s all it was and that she wasn’t reading more into it.
She decided to make scrambled eggs to occupy herself. She was just whipping the eggs in a bowl when she heard Al come into the kitchen behind her.
‘Good morning.’ He sounded very cheerful and breezy.
‘Hi.’ She turned to smile at him briefly. He looked crisp and fresh, his hair still damp at the ends from the shower, and she felt a wave of longing.
‘Did you sleep well?’ she asked, turning back to her eggs.
She heard him cross the kitchen and suddenly he was right behind her, his arms wrapping around her.
‘Mmm, fantastic.’ He pulled her back against him and dropped a kiss onto her bare shoulder that made Lesley shiver.
Okay, this was weird. He was acting all ... normal. Like he was perfectly okay with what had happened between them – not even a little bit freaked out or remorseful.
‘Ooh, are you making scrambled eggs?’ he asked, spying the bowl on the worktop. He rested his chin on her shoulder.
‘Yeah, would you like some?’
‘Love some.’ He turned her around in his arms and dropped a kiss on her mouth. ‘You do that and I’ll get the coffee on.’ He released her and started busying himself with the coffee machine. ‘Where is everyone?’ he asked, as if he’d only just noticed they were alone.
‘They’ve all gone to the beach. They said to join them later if we want to.’
‘So we have the house to ourselves? Great!’
Lesley wasn’t quite sure what to make of this chirpy morning-after Al. He was being so normal and friendly, acting as if they were really a couple. He seemed so cheerful and relaxed as they got breakfast ready together – as if he was really happy about last night. He casually rested a hand on her back as he reached behind her to get down plates, and she started to wonder if this was his way of dealing with it and pretending it hadn’t happened. When the food was ready, they took it out to the terrace.
‘Alone at last!’ Al said when they were seated across from each other at the patio table.
Lesley couldn’t take it any longer. If things were going to be weird between them she wanted them to get weird now, so they could get it over with and move on.
‘You seem very cheerful this morning,’ she said by way of an opener.
‘I am.’ Al grinned at her. ‘Why wouldn’t I be? I had a great sleep, it’s a beautiful morning.’ He waved his knife at the sky. ‘These eggs are great. I’m having breakfast with a beautiful woman. All’s right with the world.’
‘Thanks, but – look, I think we should talk about last night. Just clear the air, you know, about ... what happened.’
