He meant it. Armour or not, Leah was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. He’d always been aware of that, deep down… he’d just done his best to ignore it.
Urgh, this was all so confusing!
‘Erm… thanks?’ said Leah, fidgeting from foot to foot.
Damn, he was making her feel uncomfortable already. Not that he should be surprised—that was probably the firstcompliment he’d ever paid her that didn’t have something to do with the job.
‘So, where are we going for breakfast?’ said Leah, clearing her throat and visibly pulling herself together. ‘Do you want to go back to New York Froth, or shall we see if The Sardine’s open? I’ve not been in there yet.’
‘I’ll take you there tomorrow, if you’d like,’ said Will, ‘but today, I’ve got something else in mind. Do you have the car keys with you?’
‘Oh… erm… sure!’ said Leah, looking surprised. She rummaged around in her handbag, shifting her heavy diary aside before eventually drawing out a key on a pink fluffy pompom.
Will held his hand out for it, and Leah raised an eyebrow. ‘You want to drive?’
‘I do know how to, you know!’ he chuckled. ‘In fact, Iknowyou know that, because you renewed my licence for me just last year.’
‘Sure. I mean, I know you can drive in theory—I’ve just never seen you actually do it before.’
Will grinned. She wasn’t wrong. They mainly used public transport or hired a driver while he was on tour, and any time he needed to go somewhere when they were back home, Leah usually drove him.
‘You’ll be completely safe, don’t worry,’ he said, catching her nervous glance towards the car. ‘Besides, I know where we’re going, and you don’t. Plus, it’ll mean you get to enjoy the view for a change.’
‘Okay, I can’t argue with that,’ said Leah. She had a tight smile on her face now, but Will noticed that she’d pulled her bag more firmly onto her shoulder, as if she was adjusting her armour for better coverage.
Setting things right between them was clearly going to take some doing, and it was as much as Will could do not to start grovelling right there on the seafront.
But no – this wasn’t the timeorthe place.
Will had promised the girls that he wouldn’t put Leah in a difficult spot. Yes, he had things he needed to say, but he wasn’t about to do that in the middle of town, where their private business would be broadcast on the grapevine in a matter of seconds.
‘Okay,’ said Leah. ‘I have to ask… are you sure you’re not just driving around in circles?’
They’d been driving for about ten minutes, and this was the first time either of them had said anything. Will let out a soft sigh of relief as he slowly navigated the narrow, hairpin bend of the country lane.
The wildflowers and grasses that fringed the hedgerows might be breathtakingly beautiful right now, but they also made the lanes even more dicey than usual because it was impossible to see very far ahead.
‘Trust me,’ he said, not taking his eyes off the road.
Two simple words, but he knew after his recent behaviour, it was asking a lot.
That said, Will wasn’t lost. He knew these lanes like the back of his hand, having explored them all on his bike as a kid. Little did Leah know that just over the next rise, she was going to have her mind blown by the most beautiful view in the entire county.
Three…
Two…
One!
‘Oh, wow!’ gasped Leah.
Bingo!
‘Just look at that view!’ she said, gazing at the vast expanse of blue that had just unfurled on her side of the car.
‘It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?’ said Will, still not taking his eyes off the lane, though he was sorely tempted. Not that he needed to see the view—he’d seen it plenty of times before. But hedidwant to see the look on Leah’s face.
‘I hope the café’s got this view,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry but, if it does, I might be a bit distracted.’
