Page 26 of Flowers Go Flying in Crumbleton
Milly shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself.
‘Here!’ said Murray, reappearing in a matter of seconds and tossing something at her.
Catching the damp towel on instinct, Milly widened her eyes as she realised it was the same one he’d been wearing. She glanced at him under her lashes. Sure enough, he’d pulled on a pair of shorts but was still deliciously shirtless.
Milly swallowed and eyeballed the towel in her hands. It was still slightly warm.
‘It’s already muddy,’ said Murray with a shrug. ‘Use it to mop your feet off a bit… then you can climb into my shower!’
‘Oh… I… okay…’ said Milly. The shivery feeling was now making her knees knock.
Sit down before you fall down, Mills!
Sinking onto the deck, Milly started to wipe as much sludge from between her toes as she could.
‘Okay,’ she said as soon as she was happy she wasn’t about to make a mess of his home on top of everything else. ‘I think I’m good.’
Murray held out a hand, and after the briefest pause, Milly took it and let him haul her back to her feet.
‘Come on in!’ he said, shooting a smile over his shoulder as he led her inside.
‘Wow!’
Milly came to a standstill just two steps inside the door.
‘You okay?’ said Murray, turning to face her.
‘Good, I’m good!’ squeaked Milly, staring around. She felt like he’d just led her through a wormhole. How could this be the rusty, tatty old trawler that had been stranded in the middle of Crumbleton marshes for years? This place was… stunning!
They were standing in a living room that seemed to glow with a honey-coloured warmth. The furniture was all beautifully crafted from sanded and polished driftwood, lending a natural, beachy vibe to the room.
‘You’ve got a wood burner?!’ she gasped, spotting a lovely old, enamelled fire at the far end of the room. Okay… now she was a definitely a little bit jealous!
‘My little bit of therapy,’ said Murray with a smile.
Milly nodded, her eyes still darting around trying to take everything in. There were fishing floats and shells and interesting stones all over the place. She’d somehow expected it to be dark, cramped and cold in here. Instead, it was light, bright and colourful.
‘Shower’s through there,’ said Murray, pointing towards a door at the far side of the room. ‘One sec…’ He rummaged in a cupboard and then handed her a huge, fluffy bath towel.
‘Thanks,’ she muttered, feeling awkward again.
‘Use anything you want and take as long as you need… I’ll make some coffee.’
‘Okay… thanks,’ she said again, sounding like a stuck record.
She knew she should explain herself. She needed to apologise – for the flowers… for being an idiot… for all the mud… but she wasn’t keen to start while she still smelled like a bog-monster.
‘Won’t be long,’ she mumbled. Cuddling the towel tightly to her chest, she legged it from the living room.
The door Murray had pointed her through actually led into his bedroom – and it was just as lovely as the living room. A massive, king-sized bed sat right in the middle of the space, illuminated by perfect beams of sunlight that streamed through a row of round portholes in the hull.
The head of the bed had been crafted into bookshelves, and Milly itched to check out the titles… but there was no way she wanted to get caught snooping around his private space!
Ducking her head, she hurried across the room and pushed open another door. Sure enough, this time she found herself in the bathroom… and it was gorgeous.
There wasn’t room for a bath, but the shower was huge and boasted a fancy head that promised a rainfall experience worthy of a spa. That wasn’t what made her jaw drop, though. The walls were tiled with thousands of pieces of perfectly smoothed sea glass. Acres of the stuff twinkled back at her, studded with lights that made the greens, ambers and blues glow.
Turning to close the door behind her, Milly quietly locked it and hung her towel on the back. Everything was a bit damp and misty, and there was already a bath mat spread out on the floor. Her calls for help must have literally dragged Murray out of the shower.
