Except she didn’t know what to say.
Thanks for taking me home and sorry you had to carry me? But she wasn’t sorry. She’d loved every minute of it.
Thanks for the kiss that was so good I’ve not been able to think about anything else? She didn’t know how to be that forward. She might be older, but she wasn’t more experienced. One guy before Paul, none since him.
How about that date? She’d already tried that though, hadn’t she? He was the one who’d said he’d ask her when she was sober. And he hadn’t.
So maybe she was taking this all way too seriously, as was her default. Some gentle flirting and a hot kiss to remind her she was still attractive was as far as he wanted things to go.
Paul found you boring. How did you expect to interest a fun-loving twenty-seven-year-old?
Angry at the way her thoughts turned, Maggie jammed the plug into the socket and vacuumed the hell out of the carpet.
‘Mum!’ Penny’s voice floated over the din of the hoover. ‘The phone’s ringing.’
Maggie took the phone Penny held out, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the caller ID. Hastily turning off the vacuum cleaner, she drew in a breath and answered. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi yourself.’ She could hear the smile in Seb’s voice. ‘How’s the head?’
‘It’s been three days.’ Biting into her lip, she scolded herself for sounding so testy. ‘I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Just that hangovers don’t last three days.’
There was a beat of silence, and Maggie slumped down on the sofa. God, she was a mature woman. Why was she acting like this?
‘I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to phone you back. I’ve been busy at the centre.’ He swore under his breath. ‘Okay, cards on the table, I have been working, but not so hard that I couldn’t find five minutes to phone you. I just…’ A sharp exhale. ‘Shit, Mags, I didn’t know if you’d want to talk to me.’
That made her sit up. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’
‘Because you’re angry I kissed you?’
‘Did it feel like I didn’t want you to? Like I wasn’t enjoying it?’
His laugh was softer now, warmer. More like the man she was getting to know. ‘No. It felt like the best kiss I’d ever had.’ He hesitated. ‘But I should have stuck to my guns and waited until you weren’t, you know…’
‘Squiffy.’
‘Yeah.’ Another pause, and she imagined him rubbing a hand over his chin, or dragging it through his hair. ‘I’ve been torturing myself, imaging you waking up Thursday morning and being horrified at what you’d done.’
It was so different to what she’d imagined had been going on in his head. He wasn’t as confident as he came across. The realisation caused the gulf she imagined between them to narrow a little. ‘I was horrified by how much I’d drunk, considering I had to get up and go to work, though thank God it was only an afternoon shift. I wasn’t horrified at what we’d done.’ She paused. Best kiss he’d ever had. She could afford to be brave, if he was. ‘I was glad you’d kissed me.’
‘Glad, huh?’ His voice lowered, and his delight was clear. In the background she heard his name being called, and then the bang of a door closing. ‘Damn, much as I want to keep talking about kissing you, I’m at the centre on a break and it looks like they need me to calm a couple of the kids down.’ It sounded like he was on the move. ‘I’m going to get them to watch the Strictly final in a vain attempt to inspire them. The most vocal still think ballroom dancing is peak, which I gather means shit.’
‘Oh, does that mean you won’t be watching with us?’ Stupid, needy-sounding question.
‘I thought it would be better this way.’ A pause, and she heard him inhale a deep breath. ‘I wasn’t sure how to act in front of everyone. You obviously want to keep this quiet, and I respect that. I’m just a pretty lousy actor, especially where my sisters are concerned.’
‘Why would you think… oh, Hannah.’ In a flash she remembered the text she’d sent off to her, before the drinks. ‘I told her we were having drinks with the class because… because, oh God.’ Was she really going to tell him?
‘Hey, it’s fine. You don’t have to give me your reasons.’
‘I’m thirty-seven, Seb. Hannah is far closer to your age, and she has a crush on you.’ Plus she’s bright and bubbly, where I’m serious and overly cautious. The pair of you are a much better fit.
There was another commotion in the background, and Seb sighed. ‘Crap, I’ve got to go. Can I see you tomorrow?’
‘The girls are with Paul from eleven till three.’
‘Great, I’ll pick you up at twelve. Take you to lunch.’ She heard the creak of a door, and when he spoke again, he was quieter. ‘It’s not Hannah I want to see, Mags. Not Hannah I want to dance with. And certainly not Hannah I fantasise about kissing when I close my eyes.’
Chapter Seventeen
Maggie shrugged on her favourite black sequinned top, and teamed it with some new wide-legged black trousers she’d bought in the pre-Christmas sales. Staring at the mirror, her eyes looked bright, her cheeks flushed. It’s not Hannah I fantasise about kissing when I close my eyes.
Several hours after Seb’s phone call, and she still felt a little giddy. How had she got to this place, where a phone call could provide the excitement that the anticipation of the Strictly final hadn’t?
But since he’d phoned, she’d found her buzz.
The doorbell rang and Maggie dashed downstairs.
‘I’m going.’ Tabby rushed down the hallway. ‘I bet it’s Seb.’
‘Seb isn’t coming tonight.’
Tabby screeched to a halt and put her hands on her hips. ‘But he promised to teach us dancing. Didn’t he, Penny?’
Penny nodded, looking down at her feet. It was clear she was upset, which worried Maggie. Her eldest daughter had been six when Paul had left. Old enough to be aware of having a father in her life, and then having him practically disappear. The last thing Penny needed was to form an attachment with another man who was going to drift out of her life.
As Tabby let everyone in, Maggie gave Penny a hug. ‘He has to work at the youth centre tonight, though I’m sure he’d rather be here.’
Ten minutes later and the party was about to get started. The kids were bouncing up and down in the TV room, their disappointment over Seb’s non-arrival thankfully forgotten. Jack was ‘supervising’ them, which meant he was keeping out of the way of the kitchen, where everyone else was gathered.
Alice opened the oven door with her left hand, the right clutching her champagne glass tight. ‘Ladies, I do believe the pizzas are ready.’ As Maggie donned her oven gloves, Alice picked up the pizza cutter and Sarah the plates, while Hannah grabbed Alice’s glass before the contents upended over the pizza.
‘Does anyone else feel it’s odd watching the final without our annoying little brother?’ Alice asked, hacking the pizzas into uneven slices and making Maggie wince. ‘It shouldn’t, right? I mean, he’s only joined us for, what, eight of them.’
‘Seven.’ It was only when all three of them stared at her that Maggie realised how much she’d given away. ‘I think it’s seven. Halloween week was at Alice’s and he was there for the one before that.’
Alice jotted it up on her fingers. ‘But that’s eight.’
‘He didn’t come to Musicals Week.’ She remembered telling him about it when he’d phoned her the following day. In the same call he’d told her he wanted to see the real her, though she still didn’t know how he could, when she wasn’t sure who that woman was any more.
‘That’s a remarkably good memory.’
Sarah eyed her shrewdly, and Maggie felt a prickle of heat in her cheeks. ‘You know me. I like details.’
‘Here’s a detail that Sarah and Alice might like.’ Hannah’s gaze skimmed them all, and Maggie felt a bubble of panic. Don’t tell them about Wednesday. Not yet. I’m not ready. ‘Maggie was so tipsy on Wednesday Seb had to carry her to the front door.’
She giggled. ‘I was in the kitchen when I heard the car engine, and looked out of the window. It was like that final scene in Officer and a Gentleman, you know, where Richard Gere sweeps Debra Winger into his arms.’
‘It wasn’t like that.’ Maggie could feel Alice and Sarah’s gaze burning into her. ‘I told you, I drank too much. Seb saved me from falling flat on my bum, that’s all.’ Before anyone could quiz her any further, Maggie gathered up the plates. ‘Come on, pizza’s getting cold and,’ she did a little box rumba, ‘the Final is about to start.’
With a loud whoop, Hannah and Alice raced out, but Sarah didn’t move. ‘You can fool the others, maybe, for a short while, but the pair of you can’t fool me.’
‘I know.’ Maggie placed her hand on Sarah’s arm. ‘And I don’t want to lie to you, or keep things from you, but there isn’t anything to tell you yet.’
Her eyebrow arched. ‘Yet?’
Maggie raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘A figure of speech.’ She gave Sarah a wry smile. ‘You know me. I’m cautious. I’m not going to rush into anything. Right now I’m enjoying dancing with your brother.’ And, in one drunk moment, kissing him. A fact she was going to keep to herself.
Sarah nodded, letting out a huff of breath. ‘I suppose I can make do with that until you’re ready to talk to me. But it won’t stop me worrying.’ She deliberately caught her eye. ‘About both of you.’
Something tightened in Maggie’s chest. This thing, whatever she might or might not be starting with Seb, had the potential to reach beyond the pair of them. She’d considered, and worried about, the effect on Tabby and Penny, but she’d glossed over the impact on her friendships. How annoyed would Hannah be? Would Alice and Sarah still talk to her when everything went sour?
Maggie felt Sarah’s arm wrap around her waist. ‘Damn it, I shouldn’t have said anything. I can see your mind over-analysing everything already.’ The sound of the Strictly theme tune echoed into the kitchen and Sarah smiled. ‘Come on, it’s Final time.’
Half an hour into the show, and Alice started to fan herself. ‘Wow, that is one sexy, hot rumba. Look at the way his hips roll. And the intimate way she’s moving against him.’ She lurched to her feet. ‘I need a glass of water.’
Transfixed, Maggie stared at the screen. Oh, to be able to dance like that. The couple’s chemistry lit up the screen in a way that was beyond sensual and bordering on erotic.
Her phone, tucked in the corner of the sofa, started to vibrate. Picking it up, Maggie glanced at the message.
Are you watching our new dance routine? S x
She started to smile, but it froze as the full implication of what he’d said began to sink in. Did he really think they could do that? The thought of moving with him in that way, sensual, provocative. Of him holding her, looking into her eyes with such apparent intensity. Her pulse kicked up a gear and she tapped out a reply.
Afraid I’m not that bendy.
Did she put a kiss after it, or was that too forward? God, too much over-analysing. Hastily she added, M xx.
Then had a minor panic over whether two kisses was way over the top.
Trust me, my hips don’t do… what did the judges call it, oily? Like a garage mechanic’s rag? Still, I’ll enjoy practising with you. S xxx
She hadn’t realised she’d laughed, until Tabby turned round. ‘Mum, you’re on your phone. That’s against the rules.’
‘Yes, sorry.’ Hastily she tucked the phone down the edge of the sofa.
As the judges raved over the dance, declaring it beyond steamy and into melting point, Maggie felt the phone vibrate again. Checking everyone’s attention was on the TV screen, she snuck a look at the message.
BTW, not sure about his sheer black shirt, but like the idea of you in a short black thigh high split dress. S xxx
Maggie glanced again at the gloriously toned professional dancer, with the legs, the body, of a supermodel. Her instinct was to tell Seb she could never pull off a dress like that, but she stopped herself. Paul might have rejected her, but here was Seb, younger and far sexier, flirting with her. So no, she wasn’t going to lapse back into old habits. Screwing up her courage, she typed out a message, then deleted it and typed out another.
Crap, she was so out of practice with all this.
And damn it, now Alice was watching her. ‘Are you going to tell us who’s messaging you?’
‘Your brother.’
Everyone turned round then, but it was Alice who asked the inevitable question. ‘What did he say?’
‘We’re thinking about doing the rumba for our dance in the competition.’ She glanced back at the phone. ‘He’s asking me if he should buy a see-through black shirt.’
Alice spluttered with laughter. ‘Bloody hell, that would be some sight.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘I thought he was meant to be working at the centre?’
‘He told me he was going to get the group to watch the final in the hope of inspiring them.’
When Hannah, Sarah, and Alice all looked at her, rather than the television, Maggie knew they were wondering how many other conversations she’d had with Seb. ‘Come on, this is the final. Let’s focus on the dancing.’
Ignoring their smirks, their rolling eyes and their silent questions, she fixed her eyes on the television. And laughed silently when Tabby muttered. ‘’Bout time you were quiet. You’re getting worserer than Seb.’
Seb wished he was sat in Maggie’s front room and not on the floor of the youth centre. Partly because then he wouldn’t be worried he’d got bubble gum/some other sticky substance he didn’t even want to think about on his arse. Mostly, he wished he was there because she, and Tabs and Penny, and yes, Hannah and even his sisters, were a lot more fun to watch Strictly with than the bunch of moaners he was with right now.
‘He looks like a dick, dressed like that,’ Rylan grunted at the screen, where the male celebrity, dressed in a sheer black shirt, was doing a hot rumba.
‘I dunno, I think he’s kind of cool.’ Hayley, gum in mouth, her oversize hoop earrings moving with every chew, seemed to be one of the few that were interested.
‘You can see his nipples,’ Rylan countered disgustedly.
‘So?’ Kiara grinned at him. ‘You can see his muscles too. Can’t say dancing is for wimps now, can you?’
Zayne, who was Seb’s one hope from the male side, sniggered. ‘Yeah, she’s got you there. That dude’s like seriously ripped.’ He flexed his biceps. ‘Do you reckon mine are big enough?’
‘Yeah, for a waltz.’
Seb knew he should intervene, but his phone had just vibrated again, and the need to see if Maggie had replied to his flirty message – the third he’d tried – was just too much. Sneaking it a few inches out of his pocket, he angled his head, trying not to make it obvious, and scanned her reply.
I like the idea of you in the sheer black shirt M xx
Something warm and satisfying settled in his chest and he typed back.
It can be arranged S xxx
As he pressed send, he started to chuckle to himself. A bad idea when trying not to draw attention to yourself.
‘You banned our phones and now you’re looking at yours?’ Hayley stared at him wide-eyed. ‘You have to tell us what just made you laugh. That’s the rule.’
‘Whose rule?’
‘Duh, doesn’t matter. You have to tell us.’
‘Yeah, Seb. What’s so funny?’ Rylan gave him a cocky look.
Bugger, bugger, bugger. Yet he couldn’t be cross, because Maggie’s words were imprinted on his brain and all he wanted to do was punch the air and high-five everyone. Her words felt like encouragement. She wasn’t drunk – she’d probably had a couple of glasses, enough to lower her inhibitions, but the flirty nature of her text felt huge to him right now.
Distracted by his thoughts, he missed the way Hayley crouched down next to him. It meant he was a fraction too late to stop her from grabbing the phone h
e hadn’t realised had slipped out of his pocket and onto the floor. The screen still alarmingly bright.
‘Ooh, someone wants to see Seb’s nipples,’ she yelled, waving the phone in the air. ‘They want him to wear the see-through shirt the bloke’s wearing on the TV.’
‘Thank you, Hayley.’ If he gave the slightest hint he was embarrassed, or annoyed, they’d not let this go. ‘Can I have my phone back, please? It’s not cool to read someone else’s messages.’
‘I suppose.’ She handed it back, but not before giving him a sly smile. ‘It’s the woman you’re gonna dance with, isn’t it? She wants you to wear the shirt.’
Kiara started to giggle. ‘Is she your GF? Girlfriend,’ she added when Seb looked at her blankly.
How easy, how bloody brilliant on so many levels, if he could answer yes. But they’d meet Maggie at the competition, if not before, so he couldn’t lie. ‘She’s my dance partner.’
‘Who wants to see your nipples.’ Rylan smirked at him.
‘Who wants to see his muscles,’ Kiara added.
The group fell about laughing, and Seb couldn’t help but join in. ‘We’re supposed to be watching the dancing,’ he told them, in between chuckles. ‘I was hoping to inspire you, show you how different modern ballroom dancing is from what you imagine.’
‘Yeah, don’t worry, we’re inspired.’ Hayley threw him a wink as she chewed on her gum. ‘Well, us girls are anyway.’
There was another round of giggles, but just as Seb thought they were settling down, the next dance came on. And it was a sodding Viennese waltz. Beautiful, don’t get him wrong, he could see the grace, the elegance. He could even see himself dancing it with Maggie, though he preferred it when his hand touched more than her shoulder blade. But it wasn’t the sort of dance Rylan and co. were going to want to emulate.
Strictly Come Dating (The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection, Book 3) Page 15