Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. Carla Burgess

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ me a huge pot.’ He went to the cooker and stirred the contents of the saucepan on the hob.

      ‘You can always freeze it,’ I suggested, even though I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime and my stomach was rumbling. It smelt gorgeous.

      ‘There’ll still be loads left even if you have some. I don’t know if she thinks I need fattening up or something. I’ve only warmed half of it up, but there’s more than enough for both of us. Have you eaten already?’

      ‘No, I’ve just finished work.’

      ‘Well then, take off your coat and sit down.’ He nodded towards the round oak table on the other side of the room. A pile of papers was stacked to one side of an open laptop. ‘Excuse the mess. I’ll move that in a minute.’

      Unbuttoning my coat, I moved towards the table as if in slow motion. I couldn’t quite believe this was happening. Anthony placed a plate of steaming casserole in front of me virtually the minute I sat down, and then whisked away his laptop and files.

      ‘Thank you.’

      ‘Don’t thank me. Your mum made it. What would you like to drink?’

      ‘Just water, thanks.’

      Filling two glasses from the tap, Anthony carried them over before placing a plate of crusty bread in the centre of the table.

      ‘Mmm,’ he said, tucking into his dinner. ‘This is gorgeous.’

      ‘I know, I do love my mum’s stew.’

      ‘Can you cook like this?’

      I shook my head. ‘Not really. So, when did she bring it round?’

      ‘About four o’clock this afternoon. I’d just got in from work.’

      I pulled a face. ‘That was sneaky. She could have come and said hello to me. I wonder if I’ve upset her somehow?’

      ‘Your dad was waiting with his engine running. I think they had to be somewhere.’

      ‘Oh, okay.’ I still felt a little bit miffed but I supposed she had a lot to do and it was sweet of her to make Anthony some food. I knew she’d been disappointed he was moving in when she was away.

      ‘So, how was your day?’ Anthony asked.

      ‘Okay. How was yours?’

      ‘Frustrating. We keep drawing a blank in finding Patrick. We’ve got everyone else we think is involved, we just can’t find him.’ He blew on his forkful of food and looked at me curiously. His eyes looked bigger behind his glasses. ‘So, you definitely haven’t seen or heard from him since you told him it was over? Despite the fact he said he’d phone?’

      I nodded, chewing my food slowly. ‘Definitely. Did you manage to get onto my phone?’

      ‘It’s gone to another department. Did he know anyone else in Chester? You said he was here on business? What business was that? Where was his meeting?’

      ‘He never said. It was a one-off, I think.’

      Anthony frowned. ‘Did he ever mention anyone he knew in Chester? Or did you see him speak to anyone when you went out?’

      ‘No. Never.’

      ‘When you met him, you were waiting for someone else?’

      I felt my cheeks redden. ‘Yes, I was just about to leave when Patrick came over.’

      ‘Who were you waiting for?’

      ‘Someone I met on an internet dating site.’ I swallowed uncomfortably. My humiliation was complete.

      ‘You sure it wasn’t Patrick all along? You can be anyone you want on those sites, can’t you?’

      I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Why would he do that? That’s just weird.’

      ‘Well, I suppose it means he gets to check you out before you know who he is, and then he looks like a hero for rescuing you when you’ve been let down.’

      My jaw dropped. ‘Seriously? People do that?’

      Anthony shrugged. ‘He’s not the most honest person in the world. I’d say he’s pretty much capable of anything. I mean, to leave you dangling, waiting for more phone calls after you dumped him for standing you up is pretty rotten. That was why you broke the phone, wasn’t it?’

      I sighed heavily and carried on eating. Reaching for the bread, I ripped off a chunk and dipped it into the gravy. ‘I was angry, sure, but in my head it was over anyway and nothing he could say or do was going to change that. It wasn’t like I was hoping we’d repair the relationship. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to marry him any more. I felt like I didn’t even know him. He was so secretive. He never answered any questions I asked him with a straightforward reply. It was all “oh, you know how it is, baby, blah, blah, blah, change the subject”, but I didn’t know how it was at all. I didn’t have a clue. We never even talked about where we’d live once we were married. My life is here in Chester, but he’s based two hundred miles away in London. I was never going to be willing to move to London.’

      Anthony glanced up in surprise. ‘Why not? People move all the time. Look at me. I’ve lived all over the place.’

      ‘Where have you lived then?’

      He shrugged. ‘London, Essex, Hull, Tyneside, Sheffield, Birmingham. All over.’

      ‘Doesn’t it get lonely moving about all the time?’

      ‘No. It keeps life interesting. Seeing new things, meeting new people.’

      I sighed. ‘I suppose I’m just a homebird, really.’

      He chuckled. ‘We’re back to the fact that your shop’s called The Birdcage. Did you have any qualms about taking on your mum’s shop?’

      ‘Not at all. I always wanted to work there. I love it.’

      Anthony’s brow was still creased in disbelief. He pushed his plate away, the food already gone. ‘So you left school and just went straight into working in the shop?’

      ‘No, I went to college and then did a business degree at uni.’

      ‘Which uni?’

      ‘Liverpool.’

      He laughed and sucked in air through his teeth. ‘Ooh, don’t go too far now, will you? That must be almost a whole hour away. Did you come home every night for your tea?’

      ‘No!’ I said, feeling annoyed with him. ‘I lived in a shared house with some friends. I had a great time.’

      ‘And then when you graduated you came home and just worked in the shop?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘And you’re happy?’

      ‘Yes.’ My voice faltered СКАЧАТЬ