Fully Booked – Part 2. Cressida McLaughlin

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СКАЧАТЬ and then looked at her, aghast. ‘God, I’m so sorry. How about I leave these clothes next door? I haven’t tried the shower yet, though, so if I could …’ He pointed in the vague direction of Starcross.

      ‘Of course,’ Robin said hurriedly. ‘And you don’t have to leave your clothes next door. But if you could maybe get changed in here?’ She gestured to the kitchen. ‘I can find you a robe, I’m sure.’

      ‘Oh. No problem.’ He moved carefully into the kitchen, passing her, and Robin set off down the hall, abandoning her half-grated cheese. The door to her bedroom was opposite the door into Sea Shanty. She stood inside and looked frantically around for the robe she’d promised him, her eyes falling on the short, silk summer dressing gown, navy with silvery stars covering it, hanging on the wardrobe door.

      ‘Shit.’

      There were towelling robes in all of the bedrooms, but that would mean going up to Starcross. She hurried back into the hall, trying to remember if there was a spare in Sea Shanty that she could give to Will, and almost ran straight into him. He was heading towards the stairs, carrying his clothes in a bundle, and she found herself very close to his broad chest. Her eyes followed it down, to his toned stomach and then a hint of red boxers behind the clothes and boots in his arms.

      ‘Sorry!’ she squeaked, dragging her gaze up to meet his.

      ‘You disappeared.’ He gave her a lopsided smile. ‘I thought I could sneak away unnoticed. That’s failed, clearly.’

      ‘Yes, well, you wouldn’t have wanted my robe anyway. It wouldn’t have covered much more …’ Her voice trailed off and she felt her cheeks turn as red as his boxer shorts.

      He cleared his throat. ‘Do you want any help with your bonfire when I come down?’

      She shook her head. ‘It’s beyond rescuing. I’m going for cheese on toast, if you want any? I wasn’t sure if you had plans for tonight.’ Apart from standing half-naked in my hallway. He didn’t seem that embarrassed, certainly nowhere near as flustered as she was, and she was the one who’d asked him to strip in the first place.

      ‘No plans,’ he said. ‘I’ve not got enough energy to hit the nightspots of Campion Bay, whatever those might be. I didn’t realise you offered a restaurant service.’

      ‘Only cheese on toast,’ she blurted, and then added weakly: ‘It’s my specialty.’

      ‘I’d love some. Give me ten minutes?’ He glanced down apologetically and Robin nodded, dropping her gaze to the floor. Darcy was sitting quietly between them, her brown eyes wide with curiosity, and Robin’s blush went deeper.

      ‘Take as long as you need.’ She heard him climb the stairs and then, despite the strong urge to see what the boxers looked like from behind, when she was sure he’d turned the corner to the second flight, raised her head and exhaled. She would have to tell him about Molly’s plan to charm him into staying. She couldn’t bear the thought of lying to him; there was something about Will Nightingale – a man who was comfortable talking to her in only his boxer shorts – that demanded honesty.

      The sun had picked that Sunday evening to set spectacularly, bold streaks of peach and fuchsia lighting up the sky, highlighting the dark waves with a golden edge. Robin and Will stood side by side in Sea Shanty watching it, with the window open and the sound of the waves filling their awed, slightly uncomfortable, silence.

      ‘Sunsets never look this impressive in London,’ Will said eventually. ‘Mainly because there just isn’t as much sky. The buildings dilute the effect.’

      ‘It is a hazard, living down here,’ Robin admitted. ‘Being in sight of the sea the whole time means there’s always something interesting to watch. I could spend entire days standing here, watching boats pass or the different cloud formations, or just people walking by on their way to the beach or town.’

      ‘Ah, people watching.’ Will nodded knowingly. ‘One of the greatest pastimes.’

      ‘I expect you got to do a lot of that, working at a stately home?’

      ‘I did,’ Will said. ‘Meeting new people was one of the best parts of the job. You’re ideally placed for human observation too – inviting guests into what is essentially your home.’

      ‘I am,’ Robin said, surprised. ‘I hadn’t thought of it like that. But, let’s face it, only a day in and I’ve already had a few interesting things happen.’

      She felt Will shift slightly beside her. ‘I take it you’re referring to the imbecile who turned up on your doorstep at midnight looking like he’d just gone for a swim.’

      ‘Well, there’s that,’ Robin said, smiling.

      ‘And, Robin, about before. I really did think I had time to get upstairs.’

      She shook her head. ‘It’s forgotten. Well, not forgotten, but – I had a cat saga this afternoon. I’m going to have to get used to eventful days.’

      ‘Cat saga?’ Will turned to her, his brows lowered. His hair was fluffy after his shower and, she assumed, some extensive towel drying, and she realised that the frown didn’t sit well on his face. Maybe it was because it obscured his eyes, but she got the general impression that he didn’t do bad-humoured very often.

      ‘I’ll tell you all about it, but I’d better rescue the cheese on toast or it’ll go the same way as dinner number one.’

      They sat opposite each other at the long table, the golden cheese still fizzing on top of the toast, with pots of Robin’s homemade garlic mayonnaise on the side and large mugs of steaming tea.

      ‘It doesn’t work with anything else,’ Robin said. ‘Cheese on toast can’t be improved with wine or beer – or even coffee. It has to be tea.’

      Will narrowed his eyes, cut a soldier off his toast and dipped it in the mayonnaise. ‘Did you say you made this mayonnaise? It’s delicious.’

      Robin sat back, enjoying the compliment before she gave the game away. ‘It’s Hellmann’s mayo. I just added some crushed garlic cloves.’

      Will nodded, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. ‘Classy move. Why go to the effort of making it from scratch when a couple of well-placed modifications will do?’

      ‘I am running a guesthouse, after all,’ Robin said. ‘I have to strike the right balance between quality and efficiency.’

      ‘It sounds like you’re already a pro.’ Will sipped his tea and glanced towards the sofas, where Darcy had chosen to snooze.

      ‘My parents ran the guesthouse before me,’ Robin said. ‘So I grew up in the environment, absorbing it all without ever considering that I would end up making my living this way.’

      ‘This wasn’t your plan all along, then?’

      Robin shook her head. ‘I lived in London for a long time, and only moved back here last year. My parents wanted to move to France, and it seemed like the logical thing to do, taking over from them. I’ve restyled it completely, though. My parents didn’t go in for room names or themes.’

      ‘It’s a great idea. I saw the other rooms in your welcome pack, and СКАЧАТЬ