“They aren’t friends though, are they? I know Ammy likes Daniel, but…”
Kitty shook her head, gathering the bags of frozen peas that lay abandoned on the desk. “Not really, but I think Josh is the closest thing Daniel has to a friend. Outside of Amber.”
Thea sighed. Truth be told, she had a bit of a soft spot for Daniel these days. He’d been amazing, helping her fund the kitten adoption centre, and Ammy idolised him. He’d even asked Thea if her daughter could be his and Amber’s flower girl. “That’s sad. What about the barmaid’s boyfriend? The electrician.”
“Daphne’s boyfriend? Jesse?”
“Yes, that’s the one. He’s nice.”
Kitty snickered. “I think Josh is nearer to Daniel’s age. Plus, with Jesse, there’s always the risk that he could upstage the groom in the looks department. Daniel would never allow that, especially on his wedding day. He’s too much of a princess.”
“What are you saying about my brother’s looks? He can rival Daniel any day.”
Kitty giggled. “Absolutely nothing. If I had my way, I’d keep him locked up for my eyes only. But I take comfort in knowing he spends most of his days knee-deep in mud in the middle of a field. Even looking like a beach ball, I think I can compete with a cow. Speaking of which, I better go. He’ll be back soon, and I’m cooking him steak.” Kitty gave Thea a cheeky wink.
“I won’t even ask what that means. But just think of me while you’re tucking into sirloin, and I’m cooking spaghetti hoops and paying bills over a hefty glass of wine.”
4
FELIX
Felix checked his watch for the seventh time. Thea was late. Her tardiness shouldn’t surprise him. She seemed like someone who would always run behind schedule. Hopefully, today, she’d arrive with a little more decorum and less mud.
Felix scrolled through his phone, noting which emails he’d deal with first. His life had gone haywire since the rebranding and opening of The Rusty Plough. He’d never considered launching a rural restaurant before, let alone leading the project in person. With a capable team in London to oversee the running of the Walsh Group properties, his escape to the country had made sense.
Lucas needed a change of scenery, and so did he. Tension had built between Felix and his ex-wife. Six months ago, his life resembled a pressure cooker. He’d intended the move to be the release valve.
Of course, he hadn’t factored inactuallyliving in the countryside. People expected him to speak to them. After his stint on TV, folk recognised him everywhere he went. Even requested his autograph. One overzealous pensioner even chased himaround the frozen food section of the supermarket last month. After that, he’d negotiated a delivery service.
The school was one place he couldn’t avoid, though. And as a result, here he was on a bleak Thursday morning, sitting at a little square table in a stuffy bakery, about to battle with the most infuriating person he’d met so far.
A tinkle of the bell over the door rang out, and Felix looked up from his phone to see Thea Fox striding into the bakery. Her eyes cast around the room, settling on him with a flash of some emotion he couldn’t identify. She raised a hand in a dismissive greeting and walked to the counter to order.
Felix clamped his jaws together. She hadn’t even asked him if he wanted a drink. Even though a half-finished cup of black coffee sat in front of him, he would have at least extended her the courtesy. Apparently, her rudeness from the day before wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
As the barista chatted to Thea, the baker came out of the kitchen, grinning. They hugged across the counter, and after a few words, all three of them turned to look at him. Both the barista and the baker wore smiles, but Thea’s face remained expressionless.
Unexpected heat rushed to Felix’s cheeks, and he picked up his phone, scrolling through anything he could find on his screen. He tapped on the internet icon and lifted his eyes to see the three of them still watching. With a huff, he returned to his phone, but the sight that greeted him had his face firing even hotter.
A picture of two curvy ladies in skimpy underwear lit the screen. Felix swiped down as fast as he could in case anyone saw. But the pictures only got racier and the lingerie tinier.
Lucas. Felix pursed his lips.
His son had borrowed his phone last night. To research cars for a class project. Landing on the models must have been an accident, but if underwear appreciation was what they taughtat Clavenham Primary, Felix may have to look for another school.
He glanced around to make sure nobody had seen the images. His finger hovered over the delete button but stopped short as a sudden shaft of sunlight pierced straight through the glass window and fell on Thea.
The bright beam lit up the back of her head, casting her blonde hair in an angelic glow around her face. As if feeling the heat or his eyes on her, she tucked a curl behind her ear. Felix pulled in a slow breath.
Thea looked like a fairy from a picture book he’d owned as a kid. She had a small nose. Straight, with the type of cute, rounded tip people paid good money for. A light scattering of freckles spread across it, continuing onto her pink cheeks. As she smiled, they lifted. Soft and dimpled.
Felix suppressed a smile. At least it looked as if she’d brushed her hair today. She’d tethered it up in a bun on the top of her head with a green scrunchie which matched none of the others around her wrist.
Her face differed from his ex-wife’s. Adrienne’s angular bone structure had been the toast of the modelling world in the early 2000s. Stunning to look at but harsh when her face had taken on the bitter look she’d often worn as their relationship fell apart.
She’d given up modelling in her thirties and had devoted herself to being a corporate wife. Or so she’d told him. If being a corporate wife meant taking lavish holidays with friends and buying up enough clothes to sink a yacht, then she’d excelled.
The ring of Thea’s giggle cut through his thoughts, and despite his irritation, the sound tugged at something in his chest. He studied her more carefully but couldn’t place her age. Though their children were in the same year, she looked younger than him.
