Page 50 of Artful Deceit
“Yeah.” A muscle twitched in her cheek, and he could’ve sworn she looked guilty. “I just have a bunch of fresh ingredients I need to use up. From now on, Sally won’t deliver so much, but she had berries and herbs that she didn’t want to go to waste.”
He stretched his neck and looked thoughtful. “How long is this going to take?”
“A couple of hours at least.”
“Should I help you?”
“That’s about the most half-hearted offer I’ve ever heard.”
His lips pulled into a smile. “Sorry. I’m kind of done in.”
“Go home and sleep,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I can stay and help if you want.”
“It’s fine.”
“I can go for a nap for a couple of hours and then we can do something.”
“That won’t happen, and we both know it.”
“I’ll set an alarm. Or you can just come and wake me up when you’re finished here…” Now that was an appealing plan. Waking from a nap would be a lot easier if she crawled into bed with him.
She didn’t look at him, and he could’ve sworn she was searching for an excuse.
“Let’s do something tomorrow instead,” she said quietly.
He moved closer, a hand slipping around her waist. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She leaned her head back, snuggling into his chest. “I’m tired as well, and I just think I’ll be wiped out by the time I’m finished here.”
He brought his other arm around her, pinning her to his chest and inhaling the citrusy scent of her shampoo. “You can talk to me, you know?” he whispered against her forehead.
Her voice was a barely audible squeak. “What?”
“I feel as though you have a lot on your mind. I don’t know if it’s the stuff with Maria, or if it’s me leaving, but I think you’d feel better if you talked instead of bottling it up.”
“I’m not,” she said, but her brittle voice gave it away as a lie.
“Okay,” he said, pressing a kiss to her hairline. “But if there’s something bothering you, I always have time to listen.” He loosened his grip, but she clutched at his arms, holding him in place.
Only for a moment, then she inhaled dramatically and moved away.
“If you don’t leave me to get on with this, I’ll never finish.” She gave him a peck, then turned away, focusing on her work.
He lingered for a moment, watching her fold blackberries into the ice cream.
Then he forced himself to leave, hoping she found whatever comfort she needed in her ice cream making.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The harbour was gettingbusy when Lily ventured down there bright and early, keeping an eye out for Saffron. She’d kept things chatty when she’d messaged her the previous evening – commenting on how lovely it had been to meet her and wishing her well, before casually asking what time she’d be leaving.
Seeing her arrive at the harbour, Lily pulled her cap down to keep her face in shadow. Saffron dragged two tattered suitcases on wheels. Which meant she’d lied to Len about needing an upgrade. Apparently, she’d needed more space in her luggage.
A man in chinos and a polo shirt approached and gave her a warm hug before taking the larger of the cases down the harbour steps for her.
There was no rush, Lily coached herself. They wouldn’t set sail immediately. She could hang back for a few minutes at least.
