Authors: Jill Mansell
‘Right, well, no, you’re absolutely right,’ gabbled Hester, ‘it shouldn’t. I mean, a man with your talents.’
‘So the only other thing that needs sorting out is… us.’
Hester's heart began to flap like a panicky pigeon. Oo-er, this is it, make-or-break time.
‘I know I put pressure on you when I took the job in Glasgow. Things haven’t been easy,’ said Nat. ‘For either of us.’
Blimey, you can say that again.
‘Um, well… you know.’
‘Look, if you’ve found someone else, I’ll understand. But if you haven’t and you think we still have a chance… well, it's up to you. Your decision.’
Was this a joke? He’d jacked in his stinking rotten job in Scotland and come back to Newquay—which was, basically, the answer to
all
her prayers—and now he was asking her if she still
wanted
him?
Stumbling to her feet, cracking her knees painfully against the edge of the table, Hester let out a wail of pain. ‘You complete
idiot
,’’ she bellowed, ‘how can you even think I wouldn’t want you? I loved you when you went away and I’ve never stopped loving you, not for a single moment! I thought you didn’t want me any more and you can’t even
begin
to imagine how completely miserable I’ve been!’
Red-faced, wild-eyed, and ranting on like… well, probably like Anastasia, Hester realized belatedly that her arms were windmilling with abandon and she was yelling at the top of her voice. Everyone else in the café was by this time paying rapt attention.
And Nat hated scenes.
Oh bugger it, what the hell.
Launching herself across the table, Hester kissed and kissed him until she couldn’t breathe any more.
Finally, light-headed with joy, she mumbled, ‘I’ve never loved anyone else in my life. Only you, I promise. Why would I even
want
anyone else when I’ve got you?’
Nat smiled, visibly relieved.
‘I’m so glad you said that. You wouldn’t believe how scared I’ve been. I had visions of arriving down here and finding you shacked up with some new bloke.’
More tears threatened, pricking the backs of her eyes, but Hester refused point blank to cry. She was too happy for all that nonsense.
‘No new bloke. Just the same old gorgeous one.’ Ecstatically, she plastered his mouth with butterfly kisses. ‘And you have no idea how glad I am to have you back!’
LUCAS WAS BUSY ON the phone when Millie pushed open the door to his office.
‘Right, that's fine, all booked for Friday evening.’ Glancing up, he winked at Millie as he scribbled the relevant details in the diary. ‘Eight o’clock at the King George pub—don’t worry, I know where that is. I’ll be there at eight on the dot.’ Listening to the voice at the other end of the line, he grinned broadly. ‘Sweetheart, of course you won’t be disappointed. When you book me, I can promise you,’ he lowered his voice to a sexy purr, ‘satisfaction is very much guaranteed.’
Millie didn’t know where to look. She was having more and more trouble these days keeping a straight face in front of Lucas. Every time she saw him, all she could do was picture him naked in bed, being comically incompetent. And every time she conjured up the picture, she was forced to bite her lip so hard it hurt, in a desperate attempt to stave off a full-blown fit of the girly-giggles.
She hadn’t been able to mention Hester to him, hadn’t dared. If Lucas knew she knew about their one-night stand, he wouldn’t be able to resist boasting about it and Millie knew this would be her undoing. If that were to happen, she definitely wouldn’t be able to stop herself laughing out loud.
She still found it utterly astounding that someone who looked so good, acted so cool, and stripped so brilliantly (no one else was able to grind their hips like Lucas) could turn out to be so abysmal in bed.
No, mustn’t think about that now, blank it out, get a grip, you are not
not
going to start sniggering like—
‘Okay, see you there, bye.’ Hanging up, Lucas swiveled his chair around and let out a low whistle. ‘Hen night, Friday. Those girls are
so
up for it, I’m telling you. Outrageous. What can you do with them?’
Phew, I don’t know, thought Millie. Have mind-bogglingly bad sex with them in about thirty seconds flat, probably. And jolly well serve them right.
Shrugging, composing her face with care, she said, ‘Why did you want to see me?’
Lucas winked and reached across the desk for his car keys.
‘I’ve got something special to show you.’
Aaagh, not the something special you keep in your trousers, I hope!
‘Really?’ said Millie. ‘What?’
‘It's a surprise.’ Jumping up, Lucas led the way to the door. ‘Come on, off we go.’ Raising a playful eyebrow, he added, ‘I think you’re going to like this.’
Millie heroically stifled the urge to giggle. So, definitely not sex.
‘Oh brilliant!’ she exclaimed ten minutes later when Lucas pulled up outside the Pear Tree restaurant overlooking Watergate Bay. ‘This is the story of my life. I’m such a brilliant employee you’ve decided the least you can do is bring me out here and treat me to a fabulous four-course lunch. Lucas, couldn’t you at least have rung them first to check they were still open for business? This place closed down weeks ago!’
He laughed.
‘Oh dear, you don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you?’
Certainly not in the bedroom department, thought Millie.
Damn, she wasn’t supposed to be thinking along these lines at all. Change the subject, quick.
‘So you knew the restaurant was shut but you still brought me here,’ she gabbled. ‘That's an even meaner thing to do. Can’t you hear my stomach rumbling? You’re a sadist, Lucas Kemp. It's like promising to take a dog for a run on the beach then locking it in the car and only letting it look at the beach through the window.’
‘Come on now, don’t be so hard on yourself.’ Lucas patted her arm. ‘You’re not a dog, and I’m not going to leave you locked up in the car. See?’ Leaning across, he flicked open the passenger door. ‘You’re allowed out.’
Humoring him, Millie did as she was told. Well, it was hot in the car and there was always the chance he might bring her a bowl of water and a couple of dog biscuits.
‘What's more,’ Lucas went on, pulling a set of keys from his shirt pocket, ‘you’re also allowed in.’
‘Why?’ Millie demanded as he unlocked the door of the restaurant. ‘Why would they give you the keys? Good grief, don’t tell me you’re thinking of buying this place!’
‘Actually,’ Lucas was looking pleased with himself, ‘I’ve already bought it.’
The dining area was spacious and—not to put too fine a point on it—completely hideous. Ruffles and flounces abounded. The room had been Laura Ashleyed to within an inch of its life.
Dismayed, Millie said, ‘My mother bought me a dress exactly like this when I was fourteen.’
‘The decorators move in tomorrow.’ Lucas laughed at the look of horror on her face. ‘By the time they’ve finished, you won’t recognize the place.’
Hmm.
‘I don’t get it. What brought this on?’
‘It's a fantastic location. I got it for a good price. The last owner wasn’t a businessman, that's why he went bust. But I’m a great businessman and I know I can make it work. Plus,’ Lucas added with a crooked smile, ‘it's always been my dream. To own and run a top-class restaurant.’
Millie was stunned. He could do it, too. Charming the birds from the trees was Lucas's forte. Having him run front-of-house operations would pull in the punters like nobody's business.
So long as he didn’t sleep with too many of them, of course.
‘But what about the kissograms?’
Solemnly, Lucas said, ‘Can’t do both. It's tragic, I know, but I’m afraid the time has come to hang up my leopardskin jockstrap.’
Quick, delete that mental image!
The next moment, Millie's face fell as she realized what he was telling her.
‘You’re jacking in the business? But you only set it up three months ago and I thought we were doing pretty well.’
Bugger. So that was it, she was out of a job—one she really enjoyed. And so too were Eric and Sasha. Although Eric had his day job as a history teacher and only did it to boost his income. Plus, Sasha would doubtless still be working for Lucas here at the restaurant in some capacity or other.
So it's just me, thought Millie with a huff of resignation, because the pay might not be that great, but she did actually love being a gorilla. Everyone else is going to be just fine, thanks very much. I’m the only one actually being kicked on to the unemployment scrap heap. Unless Lucas takes pity on me and offers me some grisly part-time work scrubbing out the restaurant loos or hoiking slimy old potato peelings out of the plughole in the kitchen sink—
‘Ha! Your face!’ said Lucas. ‘You should see yourself.’
I am seeing myself, Millie thought glumly. That's the problem.
Feeling cross, she said, ‘I’m just wondering how you can possibly have thought bringing me here and telling me this would be something I might
like
.’
‘Millie, calm down. The kissograms
are
doing well. I’m just not going to have the time to be involved any more. It occurred to me that you might like to take over the running of the business.’
Millie boggled at him.
‘Me?’
‘You.’ Lucas smiled briefly. ‘And there's no need to look so stunned. It's hardly MI-6.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘Is this a joke?’
‘No joke. It would still be Kemp's, of course, but you’d be in charge.’ He waited. ‘Well? What do you think?’
Duh?
‘I think it's the most fantastic idea you’ve ever had,’ squealed Millie, throwing her arms around him. ‘I think you’re a
lot
nicer now than I thought you were two minutes ago. And I think you’ve definitely got yourself a deal!’
After an hour exploring every inch of the restaurant, listening to Lucas's plans and realizing how very serious he was about this new venture, Millie was so impressed she’d completely forgotten about his embarrassing lack of sexual prowess.
Until Lucas dropped her at her car, when it all came back to her in a whoosh. As she was about to open the passenger door and climb out, he said casually, ‘Um, how's Hester?’
Eek, don’t splutter, don’t smirk, don’t
snigger
.
‘Hess? Ooh, she's… okay.’ Millie shrugged, extra casually. ‘Well, you know. Considering.’
Considering she had sex with
you
, you big hopeless failure, you smooth sex-god impersonator, you fraud!
‘Right. Well.’ Lucas hesitated for a moment, then said extra, extra casually, ‘Tell her I said hi.’
Why? Because you think she might be interested in a repeat performance, you completely incompetent fornicator? Lucas, you cannot be serious!
Millie nodded vigorously, desperate to get out of the car before the uncontrollable torrent of laughter bubbled up and out.
‘Oh, I will.’
This was why sharing a house with a friend—even a currently glum and droopy one—was so much nicer than living alone. Bursting into the kitchen at five o’clock and realizing that Hester was home early, Millie shouted, ‘Fantastic news!’
Hester, oddly, was wearing her pink silk dressing gown and just-got-out-of-bed hair. Letting out an ear-splitting shriek of delight she spun round—all signs of glum droopiness miraculously banished— and yelled, ‘I know!’
Hang on. Er…
‘What?’ Taken aback, Millie frowned. ‘
How
do you know?’
Hester looked at her as if she was crazy.
‘What are you
talking
about!’
‘My fantastic news. How can you possibly know about it?’ Mystified, Millie said, ‘Did Lucas tell you?’
‘I’m not talking about your fantastic news, I’m talking about
my
fantastic news!’ Hester's eyes were ablaze with triumph. ‘So you don’t already know about it? Oh please, pleeease let me tell you mine first!’
Feeling very grown up—because, to be fair, Hester had been going through an extra-miserable time recently—Millie said generously, ‘Well, okay then, if—’
‘It's Nat! He's back! Nat's back and everything's
perfect
,’ Hester joyfully blurted out. ‘He's here and he's never going to go away again and he loves me and the Anastasia thing was all a bluff to make me jealous and we’re going to live happily ever after… oh God, I can’t believe it, I’m so happy happy
happy
.’
She did a little dance of joy to prove it. Millie was suitably stunned.
‘Truly? He's here? Right now?’ Since it seemed the obvious place for Nat to be, she pointed at the ceiling, in the general direction of Hester's bedroom.
No wonder her hair was looking so manic.
‘Not right now. Although we have of course been doing a bit of that.’ Pink-cheeked and unable to stop the triumphant smirk spreading from one ear to the other, Hester said, ‘Well actually, quite a lot of that. All afternoon in fact. Oh, and it was such heaven, I’d honestly forgotten just how fabulous Nat is in bed! When you compare him with Lucas—my God, you can’t
believe
the difference!’
Hester's dreamy expression said it all. She’d never been happier. Millie, giving her a hug, tried hard not to picture Hugh, who had been equally heavenly and fabulous in bed.
‘I’m so glad. So where is he now?’
‘Gone off to find a job! You know what Nat's like—he doesn’t hang around.’ Leading the way through to the living room, Hester pointed to the
Yellow Pages
lying open on the table. ‘He made a big list of restaurants, rang round the first dozen or so, and set off half an hour ago to check them out. Of course, he won’t be doing the kind of thing he's used to—not too many Michelin stars floating around this neck of the woods—but Nat doesn’t mind. He says as long as he's down here with me he’ll be happy working in Burgers’R’Us. Oh will you listen to me!’ Hester exclaimed suddenly. ‘Wittering on and on, and you’re dying to tell me
your
fantastic news. Well?’ She raised her eyebrows and looked suitably agog. ‘What is it?’
Sadly, nothing to do with my love life, thought Millie. Oh stop it, stop it, don’t even
think
about Hugh.