Sabrina could moan and heading towards a door that looked like it might lead to the car park.
I didn’t reach it. All thoughts of protecting our car flew out of my head because coming towards me was Gregory Langton. My heart – which hadn’t speeded up when facing Milo’s threats – began thumping.
He’d seen me.
He was smiling at me.
He was going sweetly pink in the cheeks.
He was doing his golden-eyed stare.
I stopped dead in his path. I didn’t get it. What was fate up to? Why make two people, me and him, so different and then decide to throw them together again? He came to a halt. We were inches away from each other. He was wearing a black T-shirt and trousers, with a black apron tied around his waist. His hair was moussed back to make it less unruly.
I gave a pretend sigh. “Are you stalking me?”
He laughed. “You wish. Where’re you heading?”
“Outside. Me sister’s driving me mad. I have to get away.” I wasn’t going to tell him about Milo. That wasn’t his world at all.
“This way’s quicker.” He beckoned for me to follow him, then rushed forward and held a door marked STAFF ONLY open for me.
“I thought I might see you around,” he said as we cut through a storeroom. “Everyone’s talking about the big wedding on Saturday, and I realized it was your sister’s.”
He opened another door, and this one led us straight out to a car park crowded with cars and delivery lorries. We both stopped and faced each other. The sun was blazing down. I shaded my eyes.
“I didn’t know you worked here.”
“In the holidays. Me and Cooper – you know, the mate you saw me with yesterday.” He meant the dark-haired one who fancied himself. “It’s just while we’re at college.” He pointed over to the marquee in the middle of the lawn. “I’ll be waiting on you at the wedding reception.”
I liked the sound of that. “So I can order you to get me drink and food, like I’m a princess’s sister at a royal wedding?”
He grinned. “I suppose.”
He was shading his eyes, too, and gazing at me, like he was trying to figure me out. Maybe I should’ve walked off and played it cool. I didn’t. I decided to forget about Milo for now. I wanted to make the moment last. I liked talking to Gregory. I liked the way he was running his fingers through his hair with his hand, messing it up again. I liked the way he scuffed his feet about because he wasn’t sure what to say.
“So what’re you doing now?” he said, eventually.
“I’ve got to get something from our car. Sabrina and Tyson keep altering their wedding plans,” I said. “Are you on your break?”
I don’t know what I was hoping. That we’d go and get a coffee and sit on the back of a bench like we were two normal people?
He pulled a sorry face. “No. I’m on kitchen duty today. I’m the dish pig.”
“Huh, what’s that?”
“It’s my job. Washing dishes. Scrubbing the grills.” He held out his hands. They looked red raw. I don’t know why I did it, but I took hold of one of them, pretending to examine it.
“You need some of me granny’s homemade balm.”
“Ouch. Yes, please. Is it some wise old herbal remedy?”
I pasted an innocent look onto my face. “Yep. She makes it from boiled roadkill hedgehogs.”
That made him laugh. “You are kidding, right?”
“What do you think?”
From behind him came the sound of something smashing and then a man’s voice swearing and cursing. Gregory’s grin faded. “Oops. That’s our chef. He’ll start shouting if he sees I’m not there. Worse luck.”
I let go of his hand – which I still seemed to be holding – and stepped back.
“Ah. Right. OK.”
My brain is always teeming with thoughts, but now I couldn’t think of a single interesting thing to say. He broke the silence.
“So. See you around.” He would’ve walked away, but something caught his eye in the car park. “Oh God, not him.”
I followed his gaze. It was Milo, alone, leaning on
I didn’t reach it. All thoughts of protecting our car flew out of my head because coming towards me was Gregory Langton. My heart – which hadn’t speeded up when facing Milo’s threats – began thumping.
He’d seen me.
He was smiling at me.
He was going sweetly pink in the cheeks.
He was doing his golden-eyed stare.
I stopped dead in his path. I didn’t get it. What was fate up to? Why make two people, me and him, so different and then decide to throw them together again? He came to a halt. We were inches away from each other. He was wearing a black T-shirt and trousers, with a black apron tied around his waist. His hair was moussed back to make it less unruly.
I gave a pretend sigh. “Are you stalking me?”
He laughed. “You wish. Where’re you heading?”
“Outside. Me sister’s driving me mad. I have to get away.” I wasn’t going to tell him about Milo. That wasn’t his world at all.
“This way’s quicker.” He beckoned for me to follow him, then rushed forward and held a door marked STAFF ONLY open for me.
“I thought I might see you around,” he said as we cut through a storeroom. “Everyone’s talking about the big wedding on Saturday, and I realized it was your sister’s.”
He opened another door, and this one led us straight out to a car park crowded with cars and delivery lorries. We both stopped and faced each other. The sun was blazing down. I shaded my eyes.
“I didn’t know you worked here.”
“In the holidays. Me and Cooper – you know, the mate you saw me with yesterday.” He meant the dark-haired one who fancied himself. “It’s just while we’re at college.” He pointed over to the marquee in the middle of the lawn. “I’ll be waiting on you at the wedding reception.”
I liked the sound of that. “So I can order you to get me drink and food, like I’m a princess’s sister at a royal wedding?”
He grinned. “I suppose.”
He was shading his eyes, too, and gazing at me, like he was trying to figure me out. Maybe I should’ve walked off and played it cool. I didn’t. I decided to forget about Milo for now. I wanted to make the moment last. I liked talking to Gregory. I liked the way he was running his fingers through his hair with his hand, messing it up again. I liked the way he scuffed his feet about because he wasn’t sure what to say.
“So what’re you doing now?” he said, eventually.
“I’ve got to get something from our car. Sabrina and Tyson keep altering their wedding plans,” I said. “Are you on your break?”
I don’t know what I was hoping. That we’d go and get a coffee and sit on the back of a bench like we were two normal people?
He pulled a sorry face. “No. I’m on kitchen duty today. I’m the dish pig.”
“Huh, what’s that?”
“It’s my job. Washing dishes. Scrubbing the grills.” He held out his hands. They looked red raw. I don’t know why I did it, but I took hold of one of them, pretending to examine it.
“You need some of me granny’s homemade balm.”
“Ouch. Yes, please. Is it some wise old herbal remedy?”
I pasted an innocent look onto my face. “Yep. She makes it from boiled roadkill hedgehogs.”
That made him laugh. “You are kidding, right?”
“What do you think?”
From behind him came the sound of something smashing and then a man’s voice swearing and cursing. Gregory’s grin faded. “Oops. That’s our chef. He’ll start shouting if he sees I’m not there. Worse luck.”
I let go of his hand – which I still seemed to be holding – and stepped back.
“Ah. Right. OK.”
My brain is always teeming with thoughts, but now I couldn’t think of a single interesting thing to say. He broke the silence.
“So. See you around.” He would’ve walked away, but something caught his eye in the car park. “Oh God, not him.”
I followed his gaze. It was Milo, alone, leaning on
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