do our flowers.’
‘You won’t regret it. She’s awesome.’
‘I know, I’ve seen her portfolio. Hey, are those two an item?’ she whispers as Cate starts laughing at something Will has said, his playful eyes drinking her in.
‘I think it’s only a matter of time,’ I reply as Lulu calls us to attention to watch a new turn and the men shift places until Joe is in front of me.
‘I think a few of you ladies and gents are going to be ready to move into the improvers’ class soon,’ she announces.
My eyes widen. Then I become aware that my new partner is looking at me, with an undisguised smirk.
‘What’s so funny?’ I ask, disconcerted.
‘You,’ Joe replies. Heat blossoms on my neck. ‘You’d think Lulu was trying to sign you up to the Olympic bobsleigh team, rather than move you up a class.’
‘There’s no way I’m up to it,’ I protest.
‘Ah, you’ll be fine. Just wing it,’ he says casually, taking my hands.
‘Do you take that approach to all aspects of your life?’ I ask.
He does the smirk again. It’s got an
aren’t-I-sexy
quality that is only not unbearable because he
is
. Sexy, that is. And nice. Not quite as nice and sexy as Emily,
but the two of them are undoubtedly in the same arena.
‘It’s got me by OK so far.’
Lulu instructs us to repeat the turn as I wonder for a moment how I can twist the conversation to the subject of my friend. ‘So are you single?’ I blurt out.
He looks mildly surprised.
‘I’m not asking for
me
, by the way,’ I add hastily, as if I’m alluding to a fate worse than a slow death at the hands of a psychopath with a crochet hook. He
frowns.
‘I’m not saying you’re hideous or anything,’ I clarify. ‘It’s just that I have someone in my life already.’ I realise this mysterious statement paints a
significantly rosier picture than the reality. ‘Kind of, anyway. The point is,
I
don’t fancy you.’
He raises his eyebrows. ‘Wow. That’s a relief. But someone else does?’
‘I couldn’t possibly say,’ I say coyly. Then it strikes me that subtlety is of limited use if I want to get things moving between him and Emily. ‘At least, I’m not
saying she
fancies
you – I wouldn’t go that far, but if you were interested, then maybe she might be too.’
‘Spit it out. Who?’
I glance over at Em, who smiles at me hopefully, then looks away. I instinctively know I need to be bold here. ‘Emily.’
He doesn’t reply at first, so I peer into his face as he contemplates the information, refusing to give anything away.
‘So do you like her?’ I ask, nudging the conversation along.
‘She’s lovely.’
‘Why don’t you ask her out? She might even say yes,’ I grin.
‘All right, Cupid. Maybe,’ he replies, as I attempt a twirl but land on his toe again, mumbling apologies.
At that moment, I glance over Joe’s shoulder and spot two of the waitresses huddled in the corner, talking with their arms crossed and brows furrowed. It doesn’t take a genius to
work out that they’re gossiping about the future of the hotel and their jobs. Yet as we begin another turn, I realise that they’re glaring in
my
direction. For a second I
wonder if I’ve imagined it, but the longer it continues the more disconcerted I become.
‘Is everything all right?’ Joe asks.
‘For some reason I’m being stared at. I’d assumed those two waitresses were talking about all the stuff that’s going on with the hotel, but they keep looking over. I
don’t know what I’ve done.’
He glances at the waitresses, then takes my hand again. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s not you they’re looking at. It’s me.’
‘What?’
‘They’ve worked something out, that’s all,’ he says, under his breath.
I step back and gaze at him in bewilderment. ‘Worked
what
out?’
He lifts my arm up and I twirl around, landing haphazardly in front of him as he whispers to me: ‘That I’m the new owner of this place.’
Chapter
‘You won’t regret it. She’s awesome.’
‘I know, I’ve seen her portfolio. Hey, are those two an item?’ she whispers as Cate starts laughing at something Will has said, his playful eyes drinking her in.
‘I think it’s only a matter of time,’ I reply as Lulu calls us to attention to watch a new turn and the men shift places until Joe is in front of me.
‘I think a few of you ladies and gents are going to be ready to move into the improvers’ class soon,’ she announces.
My eyes widen. Then I become aware that my new partner is looking at me, with an undisguised smirk.
‘What’s so funny?’ I ask, disconcerted.
‘You,’ Joe replies. Heat blossoms on my neck. ‘You’d think Lulu was trying to sign you up to the Olympic bobsleigh team, rather than move you up a class.’
‘There’s no way I’m up to it,’ I protest.
‘Ah, you’ll be fine. Just wing it,’ he says casually, taking my hands.
‘Do you take that approach to all aspects of your life?’ I ask.
He does the smirk again. It’s got an
aren’t-I-sexy
quality that is only not unbearable because he
is
. Sexy, that is. And nice. Not quite as nice and sexy as Emily,
but the two of them are undoubtedly in the same arena.
‘It’s got me by OK so far.’
Lulu instructs us to repeat the turn as I wonder for a moment how I can twist the conversation to the subject of my friend. ‘So are you single?’ I blurt out.
He looks mildly surprised.
‘I’m not asking for
me
, by the way,’ I add hastily, as if I’m alluding to a fate worse than a slow death at the hands of a psychopath with a crochet hook. He
frowns.
‘I’m not saying you’re hideous or anything,’ I clarify. ‘It’s just that I have someone in my life already.’ I realise this mysterious statement paints a
significantly rosier picture than the reality. ‘Kind of, anyway. The point is,
I
don’t fancy you.’
He raises his eyebrows. ‘Wow. That’s a relief. But someone else does?’
‘I couldn’t possibly say,’ I say coyly. Then it strikes me that subtlety is of limited use if I want to get things moving between him and Emily. ‘At least, I’m not
saying she
fancies
you – I wouldn’t go that far, but if you were interested, then maybe she might be too.’
‘Spit it out. Who?’
I glance over at Em, who smiles at me hopefully, then looks away. I instinctively know I need to be bold here. ‘Emily.’
He doesn’t reply at first, so I peer into his face as he contemplates the information, refusing to give anything away.
‘So do you like her?’ I ask, nudging the conversation along.
‘She’s lovely.’
‘Why don’t you ask her out? She might even say yes,’ I grin.
‘All right, Cupid. Maybe,’ he replies, as I attempt a twirl but land on his toe again, mumbling apologies.
At that moment, I glance over Joe’s shoulder and spot two of the waitresses huddled in the corner, talking with their arms crossed and brows furrowed. It doesn’t take a genius to
work out that they’re gossiping about the future of the hotel and their jobs. Yet as we begin another turn, I realise that they’re glaring in
my
direction. For a second I
wonder if I’ve imagined it, but the longer it continues the more disconcerted I become.
‘Is everything all right?’ Joe asks.
‘For some reason I’m being stared at. I’d assumed those two waitresses were talking about all the stuff that’s going on with the hotel, but they keep looking over. I
don’t know what I’ve done.’
He glances at the waitresses, then takes my hand again. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s not you they’re looking at. It’s me.’
‘What?’
‘They’ve worked something out, that’s all,’ he says, under his breath.
I step back and gaze at him in bewilderment. ‘Worked
what
out?’
He lifts my arm up and I twirl around, landing haphazardly in front of him as he whispers to me: ‘That I’m the new owner of this place.’
Chapter
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