‘I dunno. Because you can’t cheat the elements. It’s outdoors. Like I said, I hate the gym even though I’m supposed to do rehab and strengthen my core. All that boring stuff.’
Tammy didn’t think watching Ruan strengthen his core would be boring at all.
‘I hated PE at school too,’ she said, toying nervously with a spoon on the table. ‘I always liked doing my own thing, out on the beaches and in the fresh air, working with the elements. Maybe we’re more alike than we think.’
Ruan captured her gaze with his. He had beautiful deep blue eyes and his serious expression both mesmerised and disarmed her. ‘Maybe we are,’ he said softly.
Over the next few seconds, so much happened so quickly that Tammy couldn’t remember the exact sequence of events afterwards. Ruan had appeared to lean in closer and reach for her hand. Flustered and nervous, she’d jerked it out of reach and knocked over her beer bottle.
‘Oh God, sorry!’ she burst out, grabbing for the bottle.
She was too late and it rolled off the table, bounced off the banquette seat and crashed on to the wooden floor. By some miracle, it didn’t break and was almost empty, but it was now rolling around between their feet.
‘Sorry,’ she muttered again and dived under the table for it, but Ruan had the same idea at the same time. Their heads almost clashed and their fingers reached for it simultaneously. Tammy found herself on her knees, face to face with him under the table. Reaching for the bottle, their fingers collided and, this time, lingered. It felt like a scene fromBridgerton, yet this was the twenty-first century where she didn’t need to worry about being an unmarried woman in the company of a man without a chaperone.
She could still feel the warmth of his hand on hers. Why had she pulled away when he was only going to touch her hand in empathy? Or had he been about to kiss her? All she knew for certain was she was scared by the powerful effect he was having on her. This was meant to be a fun evening and was turning out to be … intense.
Finally, Tammy won the battle for the bottle and replacedit on the table, her hands still not 100 per cent steady. ‘What are we like?’ she said, laughing awkwardly.
Ruan simply smiled. ‘I’ll order you another one.’
‘Thanks. Better make it zero this time,’ she joked, ‘if that’s what happens after one beer.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘I think we were talking about kitesurfing …’ Tammy resumed when the fresh beer arrived and order had been restored.
The conversation turned to their favourite beaches and soon they were sharing stories about her creations and his surfing adventures. She’d certainly never expected to find a kindred spirit beneath the suit – at least in terms of their love for the ocean.
Ruan ordered coffee and Tammy decided to go for a mint tea, hoping the lack of caffeine would give her a good night’s sleep.
Once the hot drinks were finished, the waitress came to the table again. ‘Can I get you anything else?’
‘No, thanks.’
‘I’m fine too.’ Ruan smiled at the waitress, who smirked before murmuring, ‘OK, guys,’ and left them, probably assuming they wanted some time alone.
Which Tammy did, very much, but she was also panicking. One of them should ask for the bill and Tammy didn’t want to be the one to end the evening and leave the awkward question of what happened next hanging betweenthem. It would mean deciding: ask him back to hers or not. Ask to see him again – or not.
Tammy jumped down on the side of self-protection. ‘I have an early start tomorrow. Before I go to work in the gallery, I need to be up at dawn for a commission.’
‘True dedication,’ Ruan said admiringly.
‘Well, it’s a low tide not long after sunrise. I want to be on the beach early. A guy has commissioned me to create a marriage proposal for his fiancée.Potentialfiancée.’
He blew out a little breath. ‘I’m impressed. That’s quite the responsibility. Do you do a lot of proposals?’
‘A few each year, and yes, it is a responsibility because obviously the person wants everything to be perfect and sometimes the elements won’t play ball. This couple are older, in their fifties, and the man’s arranged to take his partner for a walk and champagne breakfast, supposedly for her birthday, to a clifftop along the coast from Porthmellow beach.’
‘It’s good to know romance isn’t dead,’ Ruan said. ‘That’s not me being cynical, it’s only that when you’re managing people’s property and land like I do, it can be pretty nasty when there’s a break-up.’
‘Luckily I only get to see the start of the relationship,’ Tammy said, smiling. ‘The beach is a special place for them, as they first met here on holiday. On the surface, it sounds conventional: a heart with their initials inside and “MARRY ME” in giant letters. So far, so straightforward.’
‘But?’
‘He wants the heart to be fifty feet tall, created on the low-tide sand flats.’
‘Fifty feet? Sounds spectacular but also risky. Do you get nervous about doing jobs like that?’
