He felt his eyes sweep over Eve’s body. She was small of height but perfectly proportioned, with a lovely figure.
‘Is it?’ he asked. ‘Perhaps I’m just happy to see you and Eve again. I missed you.’
Eve turned to him and their eyes met.
‘Did you?’ Eve asked. She looked almost surprised at her question.
‘I did,’ he answered and he was sure he saw her blush.
‘Your heart just exploded,’ Flora announced taking the stethoscope off his chest. ‘You’re dead now.’
Edward stood up. ‘At least I died happy.’
Eve took the bags from him.
‘I have some things to do,’ she said. ‘Call me when the tree is ready for tonight and I can come and help?’
He nodded as he realised he had an overwhelming urge to kiss her. He couldn’t remember when he last felt like kissing a woman. Not since way back when he and Amber were happy. It was an intoxicating and terrifying feeling but he wouldn’t kiss her. He would never overstep a boundary like that and besides, she worked for Henshaw and Carlson.
And at no point did she seem like she wanted to be kissed by him.
She turned to him as she walked down the hallway, ‘And just so you know, Mr Priest, I am also exceptional at decorating Christmas trees.’
‘Naturally,’ he said and felt a flicker of desire inside. Oh yes, she was definitely flirting.
16
Eve knocked on Myles’s door and waited. There was silence and then the door opened.
‘What?’ he asked. He wore a woollen hat pulled low down to his eyes.
‘Just saying hi,’ said Eve as though she dropped in casually all the time. ‘And I went into town today and I picked up a few things I thought you might like.’
Myles walked back into his room but left the door open, which Eve took as an invitation.
She looked around the room, which was actually quite nice. Thick-piled rugs covered the stone floor and there were comfortable armchairs that looked to be Danish, which suited the space. There was a double bed, which was unmade, with posters on the wall of various films and albums.
There was a record player and a handful of vinyl records in a small cabinet.
She was relieved to not smell weed or smoke or see anything else that he shouldn’t be doing lying around. There were piles of clothes, some folded – thanks to Hilditch – and some in a mess.
‘Where’s the bathroom?’ she asked looking around.
‘You passed it on the way up,’ said Myles. ‘There’s a small door that goes down a level. It’s the bathroom and a walk-in dressing room.’
‘That’s a bit cool?’ she said.
‘Having a toilet? Yeah, I’m really living the dream,’ he snapped.
Eve ignored the barb and handed him a bag.
‘I went past the guitar shop in town and picked up some things that really helped me when I was playing – just a few things that will bring your playing up to the next level.’
Myles took the bag without thanks and peered inside and then reached in and took out a metal contraption.
‘It’s a capo. I didn’t see one when I came last time,’ she said.
‘What does it do?’
