Felix’s eyes widened, and he tried to stand upright, grasping for Lucas’s hand. Immediately, he bent over again, clutching his stomach. “I’m fine. It just...” His voice had a strangled quality, and Thea winced, wondering if he’d sue.
Finally, Felix rose to his full height and gave his son a reassuring smile and a nod. Lucas gazed at his dad as if he were the second coming. Thea was glad he was okay, but still struggled to contain the slightest hint of mirth. She wasn’t happy Felix was in pain, but the situation was humorous. Of course, Ammy had no such battle of conscience.
“I think the birds pecked your pecker!” she giggled, doing a little dance of delight.
“Shh!” Thea hissed, but the defeated look on Felix’s face and Ammy’s mirth had her giggling, too. What started as a restrained snicker, a tiny sound, ended as an all-out belly laugh. Even Lucas joined in, holding his hands on his hips, guffawing into the air.
As the laughter died down, Felix shot Thea a glance, his eyes cold. “I can see she’s definitelyyourdaughter.”
Her mouth dropped, and her chest contracted. How dare he! Thea was fiercely proud of Ammy, and if her daughter laughed at inappropriate moments, so be it. At least she had spirit. If all it took was a few birds to injure his pride, he could take his misery and stick it up…
“Dad. It was a little funny,” Lucas said, his pale forehead wearing furrows that didn’t belong on a child. He reached his hand out to touch Felix’s arm. “We didn’t mean to be rude.”
Felix shook his head and ruffled his fingers through his son’s hair. “I know. But there’s something to be said for having a bit of compassion for another human being.” He followed his words with a pointed glare at Thea.
And there’s something to be said for being able to laugh atyourself, Thea thought, but she didn’t say it. She just bit down on her tongue hard enough to taste metal. If he was grumpy with her before she’d stood by and watched her geese mangle his manhood, he’d be an ogre now.
Thea turned on her heel and opened the gate back up, barely meeting his gaze. The children raced through, followed by Felix. He hobbled as if the mafia had knee-capped him. Still, his trousers looked lovely as they strained across his thighs.
By the time they reached the house, the kids were playing tag, and Felix had all but recovered. Apart from an occasional huff of breath and a touch of wincing, she’d never guess a flock of geese had just battered his balls.
Without a word, he returned to the yard for his shoes. Thea followed him. He leaned against the wall, pulling his feet out of Phil’s gumboots. Her gaze flew to his socks. They were red. Not because of blood or any geese-related injury. No. He’d chosen to wear red socks. Why hadn’t she noticed earlier? She’d read somewhere that men who wore red socks were highly virile. Thea raised an eyebrow. So, he had lovely buttocks, was extremely rich, and now she could add virile to the list? A triple threat. Thank goodness she was immune to Felix Walsh’s charms.
Once he’d slipped back into his loafers and all remnants of Mr. Darcy had disappeared, Thea cleared her throat. “I suppose we should swap numbers. The dinner dance is just a few days away. You never know. There could be a sausage roll emergency.”
Felix’s eyes shot to hers, his mouth a grim line. She was trying to lighten the mood, but she may have taken things one peck too far. Thea placed her hand over her mouth to hide the faintest ghost of a smile.
“Do you have a pen?” he snapped.
She tamped down on the pockets of her jeans. She didn’t, but Ammy’s abandoned outdoor chalk sticks lay in a heapagainst the wall. Thea bent down to pick one up before crouching on the cobbles.
“Go ahead,” she said, wishing her jeans weren’t so tight. She could hardly breathe in this position.
Felix tutted but recited his phone number as Thea chalked it onto the stones. The stick snapped twice, but once she’d scribed every digit, she stood up, brushing her dusty hands against her denim. “I’ll pop it into my phone later and message you. That way, you’ll have my number, too.”
He nodded and turned away, holding his hand out to Lucas. His son joined him, giving both her and Ammy a little wave.
“Goodbye, Thea,” Felix said over his shoulder before walking around the side of the house and out onto the lane.
After what seemed like an age, Thea snapped out of her stare into the space where Felix had stood. Ammy was heading inside, no doubt returning to spend more quality couch time with Barbie. She’d better get the animals in for the night before starting on dinner.
Thea turned, her feet crunching on the dusty stones as she walked over to Phil’s boots. Felix had left them against the wall. They stood side by side like two gravestones. She chewed on her bottom lip, and bile crept into the back of her mouth.
Thea had lent Phil’s boots to another man. One so utterly different to him. What would Phil think of her? She often pictured him floating on a cloud, somewhere over Tottenbridge, keeping an eye on her and Ammy. Sometimes, she even chatted to him while cleaning the animal pens.
Before he’d slipped away from his cancer, in a morphine haze, one of the last things he’d asked of her was to find someone else. Someone to look after her and to love Ammy. He wanted them to be happy. But she hadn’t ever considered moving on. It was still too soon.
After she put Phil’s boots back in the shed, Thea headed towards the barn to settle Jeffrey into his stall. Felix’s number,in bright pink chalk, passed under her feet, and she stopped. Would she copy it into her phone, or would she leave it for either time or the rain to wash away? She wasn’t sure.
Although there was something attractive about Felix, she wasn’t about to put him on speed dial. Thea sighed, wiping a stray curl out of her eyes. It was the buttocks. Had to be the buttocks.
She’d spent excessive time thinking about them after their bakery meeting. She’d never considered herself a “butt woman,” but she found something quite mesmerising about their shape. The promise of high, pert…
Thea stamped her foot. She had to get a grip. If she was going to obsess about someone’s bottom, she wanted its owner to be compassionate and nurturing. Just like Phil. Andnothing like Felix Walsh.
9
FELIX
