by Maggie Fox
She met his gaze and knew instantly it was a mistake. Matt smiled his trademark lazy smile. She looked away.
Placing both his hands on the counter Matt slid them towards her own as he got to his feet. Faith pulled away.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be around tonight. You and Zane will have the cottage all to yourselves,” he said, his voice now quiet. “Zane specifically asked me to stay out of the way. So you can get up to all sorts of stuff if you like. I’ll let myself out so you can finish up in here.”
Ten minutes later Faith collapsed onto the sofa in her apartment above the café. It had been a long day, and her feet, legs and back ached. Just five minutes’ rest and recuperation, then she would start getting ready for her date.
Though she hadn’t particularly wanted to see Matt, she had to admit that for him to turn up at the café when it was quiet had been the sensible thing to do. It gave them both the chance to clear the air. She was still struggling with him being in her life again. Did that sound right? Was he in her life again? Yes, he was – if only via his connection with Zane. That made things difficult. Her ex-boyfriend and her current boyfriend were sharing a roof as well as a business. Not ideal.
Current boyfriend. Is that what Zane was? Things were certainly looking that way. They were both busy people, but had managed to find time to squeeze in dates whenever they could.
She was looking forward to dinner tonight. Not because she was under any illusion that a fabulous meal would be on the cards; no, she was just looking forward to seeing Zane.
There had been an instant attraction between them. She hadn’t experienced that for longer than she cared to remember. OK, at first she’d labelled him – dismissed him, almost – as another extreme sports enthusiast with a death-wish. Another version of Aaron. But since then, she’d got to know him, and she knew she’d misjudged him. He was nothing like Aaron (or Matt, as she now had to call him). He was kind, he was thoughtful, he had a great sense of humour and he was extremely good company. Of course, he was handsome as well, in a rugged, sexily practical kind of way. Although she’d had to disguise her sharp intake of breath with a cough when she’d seen him standing on her doorstep in his suit the night they’d had dinner at the Royal, she knew the time he most made her heart beat faster was when she saw him dressed casually in jeans and jumper, or walking gear with trail boots.
And with his face unshaven... She had a thing about stubble, and on Zane it looked especially sexy. Stubble made him look so good that she had to distract herself with thoughts of café paperwork, to keep her mind and her hands under control. Already things were at the stage where she didn’t care where she went with Zane. It could be the cash-and-carry, dinner at the Royal, or a picnic and walk on the hills. It didn’t matter – she just enjoyed being with him.
Faith had told Zane she’d walk up to the cottage when he’d invited her for dinner tonight. Parking at that end of the village with its terraced cottages all crammed onto the steepening hillside was always difficult, and she knew he’d be pushed for time today as well. If he’d called to collect her on his way from work then it would delay dinner, and she was already hungry. Of course she could have picked up a take-away on her way to the cottage, but Zane had insisted he wanted to cook something for them.
Making her way up the hill, along the side of the stream which tumbled down from the mountains around the village, Faith wondered if Matt would have already left by the time she arrived at the cottage. Where was he going? Had Zane asked him to stay out of the way, or had he offered to make himself scarce?
The thought crept into her mind and she hastily pushed it away: did Matt have a date tonight? What did she care anyway? They had a history, and nothing would erase the memories of that (she knew; she’d tried often enough), but now there was nothing between them except those memories.
As she turned the corner at the top of the hill and made her way towards the cottage, she was relieved to see that Zane’s car was parked outside the house but Matt’s wasn’t.
“Faith, hi, come on in. Sorry,” he gestured to his appearance, “but I’m running a little late. Matt was out at a meeting this afternoon, so I had to stay on a bit later than I was planning to sort a couple of phone calls.”
Faith tried to compose herself, both mentally and emotionally. Zane might be apologising for his appearance, but to her he couldn’t have looked better. Obviously fresh from the shower, he was wearing dark jeans which pooled slightly on the floor around his bare feet. The jeans must be the longest leg-length you could purchase if they were still a little too long for someone of Zane’s height. They were teamed with a green linen shirt, worn loose with the sleeves rolled up.
“Come through to the kitchen. Can I get you a drink? Dinner is about ready.” He dragged the towel in his hand through his hair as he spoke. The towel made his hair curl in all directions, and Faith looked away before her own hands reached to smooth his dishevelled appearance.
“I hope you like casserole,” he said, as he donned bright orange oven-gloves to take their dinner from the oven, kicking the door closed with one knee as he carefully placed the dish on the wooden chopping-board on the worktop. “Chicken and red wine casserole to be precise.”
“Sounds good and smells even better,” Faith enthused, leaning against the kitchen door.
“I have to be honest with you.” Zane paused to hand her a glass of wine. “I didn’t cook this. My sister did. That weekend she came to visit, she insisted on spending a few hours in the kitchen and conjuring up all sorts of culinary delights then filling the freezer with them.”
Faith laughed. “Well, in that case I’m very grateful to Becca, because this all looks wonderful.”
“Sorry, won’t be a sec,” Zane said as the doorbell trilled through the cottage.
Faith waited in the kitchen. She recognised Emily’s voice as Zane opened the door.
“I was passing by and wanted to check if everything is OK with the cottage. Any problems?”
“No problems. Everything is great thanks.”
Faith sneaked a peek through the lounge to where Zane was standing. She noticed he was blocking the front door, one hand on the handle, leaning against the doorframe, preventing Emily from getting inside the cottage.
“The thermostat on the electric shower can be a touch temperamental – you’ve not been subjected to any freezing cold showers have you?”
“Nope. It’s been spot on with the temperature.”
“What about the back door? Sometimes it jams a little, especially in the wet weather.”
“That’s fine too.”
Faith stifled a giggle. Emily appeared to be trying her hardest to engage Zane in conversation and wangle an invitation into the house. Zane seemed to be doing a great job of stopping her.
“Something smells good.”
“Yeah. Dinner is about ready so I should get back to the kitchen.”
“Oh. OK. Well if there’s anything wrong, anything at all, give me a ring. I did give you my number didn’t I?”
“You did. Thanks, Emily. Bye.”
“What are you laughing at?” Zane asked as he playfully patted Faith’s bum as he walked back into the kitchen.
“Emily is a very conscientious and attentive landlady.”
“She is that,” Zane said, stirring the contents of a pan.
“You do realise she’s singled you out to be especially attentive with?”
“Not necessarily. She’s been out with Matt already. Drinks the other night apparently. She’s also taken him to see one of her other rental cottages. She’s in the middle of doing it up. A bit of decorating, nothing major, but she’s agreed to put that on hold and rent the place to Matt on a short lease. Which means I get this cottage back to myself in a few days. Hallelujah!”
Faith took a sip of her wine. “Don’t think you’re safe just yet. Emily isn’t known for being a one-man woman. I still think she fancies you something rotten.”
“That’s flattering, but I�
�m not interested in Emily. I’m only interested in you.”
Zane fetched some cutlery from a drawer and stopped to plant a kiss on Faith’s lips.
“Charmer!”
The doorbell rang again.
“Perhaps that’s Emily back again. This time she wants to test the springs on the mattress on your bed for you.”
“I sincerely hope not.”
Faith started to examine the contents of the pan and hoped that whoever was at the door wouldn’t be too long. She was starving.
“Hey, Mark.”
Ah. Mark was the next-door neighbour. He was married to super-efficient Melanie, who ran the accounts office up at the Royal.
“I had a late start this morning and was still at home when the post arrived, so I took this parcel in for you,” she heard Mark explain.
“Thanks. That’s great.”
“I’d best get on. Maybe we can have a pint in the Green Arms some time? Matt as well.”
“Sure. We’ll sort something out. Thanks for this. Bye.”
Zane returned to the kitchen and dropped the package on the worktop.
“Right. Dinner before we get any other interruptions.”
“Something exciting?” Faith asked, nodding towards the cardboard box.
“It’s from my dad up in Scotland. When we spoke the other day he said he’d got some new climbing stuff to send me to try out.”
“Oh, yes, I remember you saying. Your dad’s a climber too isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He’s one of the instructors at a big indoor climbing centre near Edinburgh.”
“He must be so proud of you, getting your own outdoor centre with Carrdale. Will he be coming down to see the place?”
Zane nodded and started serving up the casserole. “Yeah, he’ll be here to help out with the launch day for the locals. Come on, grab those dishes and let’s eat.”
“We should get these things washed up,” Faith said almost an hour later. They’d demolished the casserole and then Zane had produced a berry meringue and a pot of cream from the fridge. The dessert, he’d said with a smile, was all his own work. Well, almost. OK he’d bought the meringue rather than made it, but he’d managed to assemble the dish all by himself.
As Faith unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn Zane got to his feet.
“It’s OK, leave the washing up. I’ll sort it later. Why don’t we go through to the other room and put our feet up?”
“I’m so sorry,” Faith said, embarrassed. “Honestly, it’s no reflection on your company. I’ve just had an exhausting day.”
“It’s OK, don’t worry,” he said ushering her through to the lounge. “Take a seat, relax and I’ll get us some more drinks.”
Faith flopped gratefully onto the sofa.
“Lift,” he said, sliding a footstool beneath her legs so she could rest her feet on it.
Faith smiled and did as instructed.
“Oh, my boots, I don’t want to get mud on your furniture,” she said reaching to undo the zip on her black leather ankle-boots beneath her jeans.
“It’s fine. We’re not house-proud here. But you might be more comfortable without the boots,” he replied, slowly unzipping them.
Faith swallowed. This was crazy. How could the simple act of someone removing her boots make her feel so tingly?
“Comfortable?” he asked as he handed her a glass of wine, and then checked the log-burner still had sufficient fuel in it.
“Mmm,” Faith sighed as he settled on the sofa next to her. “I warn you though, I might just be too comfortable and fall asleep.”
“I don’t mind,” he laughed, lifting his right arm up so she could snuggle closer. “Feel free. I’ve had a pretty full-on day myself.”
Faith felt her eyes beginning to close. She was so tired, and he’d done such a good job of looking after her – feeding her a delicious meal, being great company, encouraging her to relax and put her feet up – that she could feel herself starting to drift off to sleep. How terrible was that? She couldn’t allow herself to fall asleep.
Faith felt her eyelids flicker and sensed Zane’s body relax and his breathing deepen. He was clearly as tired as she was. It would be OK to close her eyes. Just for ten minutes.
“Well, isn’t this cosy?”
Faith tried to move. She had a stiff neck from sleeping in a funny position. She opened her eyes, trying to work out where she was. The cottage, the fire (now just a few embers still flickering in the log burner), Zane lying next to her.
Zane, just waking up himself, tried to move his arm and winced. Clearly he’d woken with aches and pains too. Zane’s arm had been around her waist and she must have slept on it, meaning he’d woken with his arm feeling no doubt as bad as her neck did.
“What time is it?” Zane asked. Faith realised it wasn’t her he was talking to.
“Almost one in the morning.”
Faith looked up to see Matt standing over the sofa. He didn’t look very happy.
Zane got to his feet, rubbing at his face with his hands to try and wake up. “I’m sorry,” he said offering Faith a hand to get up. “I guess we fell asleep.”
“That exciting a date, was it?” Matt laughed, but Faith caught sight of the warning look Zane shot at Matt.
Zane handed Faith her boots. “Put these on and I’ll run you home.” He turned to Matt and glared. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be home tonight.”
“Sorry, mate, change of plan. Hope I haven’t spoiled anything?”
Faith zipped her boots and decided the situation needed defusing. There was clearly an uncomfortable tension between Zane and Matt. Probably best if she got out of the way as quickly as possible. “I’d better get home.”
“I’ll drive you,” Zane said, hunting around for his car keys.
“It’s OK. I walked here, I can walk home.”
Matt shook his head. “I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not only chucking it down out there now but blowing a gale as well. Not the night for walking at all.”
“I’ll get our coats and I can run you home in the car,” Zane said, having now retrieved his keys from beneath some paperwork on a side table.
“Sorry, as usual there are no spaces out there,” Matt said. “I’ve just blocked you in. You’ll not be able to get your car out unless I move mine.”
Zane sighed. “Well it’ll only take a minute. Let’s go.”
“Look, this is crazy.” Matt shrugged and pointed to the cottage window and the rain hammering against it. “We’ll all end up getting soaked. Plus it’s one in the morning and all the commotion will wake the neighbours. I’ll take Faith home.”
“No,” Zane said opening the front door as a gust of wind sent rain hurling into the cottage lounge. “Just move your car, Matt.”
“Come on, mate. You’re still half asleep. You shouldn’t be driving. Let me run Faith home. It makes sense.”
Faith was beginning to feel like a bone being fought over by two dogs. She had to put a stop to things before they got out of hand. Much as she’d prefer to go home with Zane she had to admit Matt had a point. It did make sense. It was only five minutes down the road. Matt would drop her off, no problems. It would be fine.
“He’s right, Zane.”
Zane looked annoyed but reached for his coat. “OK. But I’m coming with you.”
Matt clapped Zane on the shoulder. “No need. I’ll look after her I promise. Come on, Faith. I’ll have you home in minutes.”
“Faith?” Zane asked, his coat still in his hand and a scowl on his face.
“Like I said, it makes sense.” Faith stepped towards him, slipping her hand around his waist, and the scowl started to lift just a fraction. “Thank you for a great evening. I really enjoyed myself.”
Zane smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. She lifted her lips towards his and he answered her unspoken question with a kiss.
“I’ll wait in the car. Don’t be long,” Matt said, slamming the door behind him
.
“Ignore him,” Zane whispered as he started to trace soft kisses down her neck. “He can wait.”
“Sorry,” Faith gasped as she hopped into Matt’s car. “Didn’t mean to keep you waiting quite so long.”
Matt didn’t even look at her as he put the car into gear and set off down the hill. She noticed his car had that brand new smell to it. She looked around her, taking in the leather seats, a dashboard full of lights, switches and gadgets. The car was obviously top of the range. Matt always did like his luxuries. They were usually paid for by his parents. She wondered if that was still the case. Hadn’t Zane said something about Matt’s parents putting up a fair chunk of his share of the money to buy Carrdale?
The rain was coming down in torrents. Peering through the dark and squinting through the windscreen wipers going at full speed, Faith just managed to spot the waters of the village’s stream gushing and bubbling as it fought its way under the bridge. It was a horrible night on the weather front.
“Thanks for the lift,” Faith said as she steeled herself for the dash from car to her apartment. But to her surprise, Matt was getting out of the car.
Within seconds he’d opened and then quickly slammed shut the boot of the car. Appearing at her door he opened it, holding up some kind of folded sheet tarpaulin above his head.
“Come on,” he shouted against the sound of the wind. “Get under this; it’ll stop you getting drenched.”
Faith did as he’d said and they were soon at the door to her flat. She pushed her keys into the lock as he sheltered her from the storm, still holding the sheet over both of them.
Once Faith was inside he shouted, “OK?”
She nodded.
He turned and ran back to the car without a word.
Quickly Faith shut the door against the driving wind and rain and pulled off her coat. Matt could be so confusing. One minute the daredevil, a cheater with no regard for anyone but himself – and the next, he was the perfect gentleman.
Chapter Nine