room alone with him without the students around.
He might touch her again. Put his hands on her, draw her close to his body. And she wanted that to happen far too much to be able to risk it.
The door opened and Joanna popped her head in. ‘Got a minute, or do you have to run to the gorgeous chef?’
‘I’ve got a minute.’
Jo came in, flopped into a student chair, and pulled a chocolate bar from her pocket. ‘I have some news. Danny hasn’t been in detention for three and a half weeks. Ever since starting the cooking lessons.’
Elisabeth sat down hard in her own chair. ‘Wow.’
‘Uh huh. It’s working, isn’t it?’ Jo knocked on a desk, decided it wasn’t wood, and knocked on her head instead. ‘You and Angus are doing a great job.’
Angus was doing the great job. He called every shot in that kitchen. And apparently had had an effect on the students outside it, too. She shook her head, marvelling.
‘Amazing,’ she said.
Jo nodded and changed the subject. ‘Okay, so I know this guy who is dying to go out with you. He’s Welsh. I think he’s got the cutest accent. And, listen, he’s a champion ballroom dancer. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? He could teach you how to tango.’ She put her chocolate bar between her teeth like a rose, held out her arms in a tango position and hummed a few bars of Latin-sounding music.
‘A Welsh tango-dancer. Tempting, but no.’ Elisabeth tidied up her desk, stacking her marking on one side.
Jo gave up on her fake dancing and unwrapped her chocolate instead. ‘Okay, so if you’re saying no to all my suggestions I certainly hope you’re getting some good ogling time with Angus MacAllister. Has he offered to cook for you yet? Privately?’
‘Yes.’
‘Great! When are you getting together?’
‘We’re not. I said no.’
Joanna stopped, mid-bite of her chocolate, and put it down on a desk. ‘Sunflower Elisabeth Read.’
Elisabeth jumped forward and clapped her hand over Jo’s mouth. ‘Don’t you dare say my whole name out loud in school. I’d never hear the end of it if the students found out.’
Jo shook her head and Elisabeth uncovered her mouth.
‘You said no to him?’ Jo said. ‘Are you insane? The man has two Michelin stars. And he’s completely beautiful. If it were me I’d say yes in a split second and then make sure we worked up a good appetite together first.’
‘Well, I said no.’ Elisabeth couldn’t help giggling at Jo’s shocked expression. ‘I have seen his big chopper though.’
‘Tell me you’re not talking about a knife.’
Elisabeth shrugged. ‘Sorry.’
‘What else have you said no to?’
She counted off on her fingers. ‘Coffee. A drink. A launch party. A weekend in the country. A movie première. Hamlet in Stratford.’
Jo whistled. ‘All that? None of it appealed?’
‘I’m not saying it didn’t appeal. It’s not what I want, that’s all.’
‘Liz, the man’s rich and famous and sexy and single and he helps children. He wants to take you out and show you a great time, and you deserve it. Go out with him. Let him flatter you and feed you and make you have fun.’
‘I don’t want fun. I want security. I want somebody who’ll always be there for me. I want children.’
At the word her eyes suddenly burned.
Oh, no. She’d decided to stop feeling bad about this.
Jo sat forward on her desk. ‘Elisabeth, is this about the bab—?’
‘I don’t want to talk about that,’ Elisabeth said firmly. ‘It’s finished. What matters now is that I’m looking for somebody permanent, not somebody who wants to show me a good time.’
‘You mean you want to get married,’ Jo said. ‘You grew up with crazy hippy parents in Canada and you want a normal middle-class life.’
She felt safer now; the lump in her throat had almost gone. ‘You make it sound like it’s boring. But my parents never got married. There was nothing keeping them together.’
‘But they did stay together. They’re
He might touch her again. Put his hands on her, draw her close to his body. And she wanted that to happen far too much to be able to risk it.
The door opened and Joanna popped her head in. ‘Got a minute, or do you have to run to the gorgeous chef?’
‘I’ve got a minute.’
Jo came in, flopped into a student chair, and pulled a chocolate bar from her pocket. ‘I have some news. Danny hasn’t been in detention for three and a half weeks. Ever since starting the cooking lessons.’
Elisabeth sat down hard in her own chair. ‘Wow.’
‘Uh huh. It’s working, isn’t it?’ Jo knocked on a desk, decided it wasn’t wood, and knocked on her head instead. ‘You and Angus are doing a great job.’
Angus was doing the great job. He called every shot in that kitchen. And apparently had had an effect on the students outside it, too. She shook her head, marvelling.
‘Amazing,’ she said.
Jo nodded and changed the subject. ‘Okay, so I know this guy who is dying to go out with you. He’s Welsh. I think he’s got the cutest accent. And, listen, he’s a champion ballroom dancer. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? He could teach you how to tango.’ She put her chocolate bar between her teeth like a rose, held out her arms in a tango position and hummed a few bars of Latin-sounding music.
‘A Welsh tango-dancer. Tempting, but no.’ Elisabeth tidied up her desk, stacking her marking on one side.
Jo gave up on her fake dancing and unwrapped her chocolate instead. ‘Okay, so if you’re saying no to all my suggestions I certainly hope you’re getting some good ogling time with Angus MacAllister. Has he offered to cook for you yet? Privately?’
‘Yes.’
‘Great! When are you getting together?’
‘We’re not. I said no.’
Joanna stopped, mid-bite of her chocolate, and put it down on a desk. ‘Sunflower Elisabeth Read.’
Elisabeth jumped forward and clapped her hand over Jo’s mouth. ‘Don’t you dare say my whole name out loud in school. I’d never hear the end of it if the students found out.’
Jo shook her head and Elisabeth uncovered her mouth.
‘You said no to him?’ Jo said. ‘Are you insane? The man has two Michelin stars. And he’s completely beautiful. If it were me I’d say yes in a split second and then make sure we worked up a good appetite together first.’
‘Well, I said no.’ Elisabeth couldn’t help giggling at Jo’s shocked expression. ‘I have seen his big chopper though.’
‘Tell me you’re not talking about a knife.’
Elisabeth shrugged. ‘Sorry.’
‘What else have you said no to?’
She counted off on her fingers. ‘Coffee. A drink. A launch party. A weekend in the country. A movie première. Hamlet in Stratford.’
Jo whistled. ‘All that? None of it appealed?’
‘I’m not saying it didn’t appeal. It’s not what I want, that’s all.’
‘Liz, the man’s rich and famous and sexy and single and he helps children. He wants to take you out and show you a great time, and you deserve it. Go out with him. Let him flatter you and feed you and make you have fun.’
‘I don’t want fun. I want security. I want somebody who’ll always be there for me. I want children.’
At the word her eyes suddenly burned.
Oh, no. She’d decided to stop feeling bad about this.
Jo sat forward on her desk. ‘Elisabeth, is this about the bab—?’
‘I don’t want to talk about that,’ Elisabeth said firmly. ‘It’s finished. What matters now is that I’m looking for somebody permanent, not somebody who wants to show me a good time.’
‘You mean you want to get married,’ Jo said. ‘You grew up with crazy hippy parents in Canada and you want a normal middle-class life.’
She felt safer now; the lump in her throat had almost gone. ‘You make it sound like it’s boring. But my parents never got married. There was nothing keeping them together.’
‘But they did stay together. They’re
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