the staffroom alone and so she took a deep breath and just made herself say it.
‘Hugh, did you manage to speak to Alex?’
She watched as Hugh frowned. ‘Speak to Alex about what?’
‘Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten! Hugh, you said that you would try—’
It was Alex who interrupted. ‘Talk to Alex about what?’ Alex said, and Emily jumped as if she hadn’t known that he was in the staffroom.
‘Oh, sorry.’ Emily pretended to fluster. ‘I didn’t know you were here.’
‘What did you want Hugh to ask me about?’ Alex persisted, and Emily didn’t have to fake being embarrassed as a blush started to spread over her cheeks as she spoke.
‘Hugh was going to ask if he could possibly take Friday off and join me for a part of my holiday. I’ve rented a cottage in Cornwall and I was hoping that Hugh might be able to come for a couple of days.’ She turned to Hugh, who was still frowning. ‘I’m sorry, Hugh, I know that you didn’t want anyone at work to know about us.’
‘Are you two...’ A huge grin was spreading over Alex’s face. So that was the reason for Emily’s swollen eyes that morning and Hugh’s dark mood, Alex reasoned. Yes, Alex had also heard the rumour through the grapevine about Gina and Hugh getting off with each other over the weekend. ‘I didn’t realise!’
Neither had Hugh.
In fact, it took a moment for him to work out just what Emily was doing but when it dawned he cleared his throat before answering Alex. ‘We were going to try and keep things well away from work at least until Emily started in Accident and Emergency.’ Hugh looked at Emily, a wry smile turning the edges of his lips. Well, well, his green eyes said, and Emily returned a small smile.
‘That’s lovely news,’ Alex said. ‘And Cornwall is a beautiful part of the world—Jennifer and I have often spoken about buying a holiday house there. I don’t see any problem with taking Friday off—we’re not on take at the weekend. I’m sure I can manage one day without you. Enjoy yourselves!’
‘You’re sure?’ Hugh checked.
‘Absolutely!’ Alex nodded. ‘I can’t wait to see the photos.’
Hugh dragged Emily to one side the very second that he got the chance. ‘You do realise I
am
going to have to come and visit you. Alex’s son, Jonathan, follows me on Facebook. That’s what Alex meant about seeing the photos.’
‘Come and visit on one of the days, then.’ Emily shrugged, unperturbed, because she’d already thought about that. ‘We can take a few selfies and post them. If we change clothes a few times and take pictures of meals and things, we can spread the posts out and pretend that you were there for the whole weekend.’
‘We could,’ Hugh said, ‘but Cornwall’s a pretty big day trip from here.’
‘Then you’ll have to get up very early.’ Emily smiled because she knew what he was getting at. ‘You
shall
be driving home.’
‘So, what made you change your mind?’ Hugh asked.
‘Guilt about Friday night.’ Emily admitted a small part of her reasoning and then she was serious. ‘I don’t want to lose a friend.’
‘You’re not going to lose a friend,’ Hugh said, and then he looked into her blue eyes and tried to fathom the mystery there. ‘I’ll never work you out, Emily.’
‘No, you won’t,’ Emily said. ‘Anyway, working me out isn’t a part of our deal.’
Emily headed back to work, glad that she had their friendship back and very determined to keep it at just that!
CHAPTER FOUR
I N A MINUTE she would get up and get dressed and tidy up a bit before Hugh got here, Emily thought, enjoying the warm sun on her skin.
The weather was blissfully warm and after a long walk on the beach Emily had returned to the small cottage she was renting. She made herself a big glass of iced water filled with slices of cucumber and lemon and headed out to the sundeck to enjoy her latest book, along with the sound of the sea in the background.
Emily lay on her
‘Hugh, did you manage to speak to Alex?’
She watched as Hugh frowned. ‘Speak to Alex about what?’
‘Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten! Hugh, you said that you would try—’
It was Alex who interrupted. ‘Talk to Alex about what?’ Alex said, and Emily jumped as if she hadn’t known that he was in the staffroom.
‘Oh, sorry.’ Emily pretended to fluster. ‘I didn’t know you were here.’
‘What did you want Hugh to ask me about?’ Alex persisted, and Emily didn’t have to fake being embarrassed as a blush started to spread over her cheeks as she spoke.
‘Hugh was going to ask if he could possibly take Friday off and join me for a part of my holiday. I’ve rented a cottage in Cornwall and I was hoping that Hugh might be able to come for a couple of days.’ She turned to Hugh, who was still frowning. ‘I’m sorry, Hugh, I know that you didn’t want anyone at work to know about us.’
‘Are you two...’ A huge grin was spreading over Alex’s face. So that was the reason for Emily’s swollen eyes that morning and Hugh’s dark mood, Alex reasoned. Yes, Alex had also heard the rumour through the grapevine about Gina and Hugh getting off with each other over the weekend. ‘I didn’t realise!’
Neither had Hugh.
In fact, it took a moment for him to work out just what Emily was doing but when it dawned he cleared his throat before answering Alex. ‘We were going to try and keep things well away from work at least until Emily started in Accident and Emergency.’ Hugh looked at Emily, a wry smile turning the edges of his lips. Well, well, his green eyes said, and Emily returned a small smile.
‘That’s lovely news,’ Alex said. ‘And Cornwall is a beautiful part of the world—Jennifer and I have often spoken about buying a holiday house there. I don’t see any problem with taking Friday off—we’re not on take at the weekend. I’m sure I can manage one day without you. Enjoy yourselves!’
‘You’re sure?’ Hugh checked.
‘Absolutely!’ Alex nodded. ‘I can’t wait to see the photos.’
Hugh dragged Emily to one side the very second that he got the chance. ‘You do realise I
am
going to have to come and visit you. Alex’s son, Jonathan, follows me on Facebook. That’s what Alex meant about seeing the photos.’
‘Come and visit on one of the days, then.’ Emily shrugged, unperturbed, because she’d already thought about that. ‘We can take a few selfies and post them. If we change clothes a few times and take pictures of meals and things, we can spread the posts out and pretend that you were there for the whole weekend.’
‘We could,’ Hugh said, ‘but Cornwall’s a pretty big day trip from here.’
‘Then you’ll have to get up very early.’ Emily smiled because she knew what he was getting at. ‘You
shall
be driving home.’
‘So, what made you change your mind?’ Hugh asked.
‘Guilt about Friday night.’ Emily admitted a small part of her reasoning and then she was serious. ‘I don’t want to lose a friend.’
‘You’re not going to lose a friend,’ Hugh said, and then he looked into her blue eyes and tried to fathom the mystery there. ‘I’ll never work you out, Emily.’
‘No, you won’t,’ Emily said. ‘Anyway, working me out isn’t a part of our deal.’
Emily headed back to work, glad that she had their friendship back and very determined to keep it at just that!
CHAPTER FOUR
I N A MINUTE she would get up and get dressed and tidy up a bit before Hugh got here, Emily thought, enjoying the warm sun on her skin.
The weather was blissfully warm and after a long walk on the beach Emily had returned to the small cottage she was renting. She made herself a big glass of iced water filled with slices of cucumber and lemon and headed out to the sundeck to enjoy her latest book, along with the sound of the sea in the background.
Emily lay on her
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