‘It’s so good to see you,’ she murmured into his chest.
‘You too.’ He kissed the top of her head. She looked up and his lips moved to hers. Their kiss deepened until they both realised they were making a spectacle of themselves.
‘I’d better get you home and then I can kiss you properly,’ he said as he led her to his car.
Ben was staying at Lucinda’s for the weekend, so they had the house to themselves. They enjoyed getting to know each other again over the next few hours. As Anna lay contentedly in Daniel’s arms, he said, ‘I’m so glad you’re here. You’ve been a bit distant recently and I thought you were going off me.’
‘I’ve been busy and I wanted to give you some space.’
He leaned over, a puzzled expression on his face. ‘Why would I need space?’
‘To be with Ben. Without being conflicted, because you’re not with me.’
He sighed. ‘I know I wanted to set the photography school here, to enable me to spend more time with Ben, but I didn’t realise just how much commitment it would take to get it running smoothly. I think I’ve bitten off a bit more than I can chew. But when I think about how much good it can do, well, it’s something I don’t want to give up on.’
‘It makes you feel more fulfilled than photographing models with diva-like tendencies?’
He laughed. ‘Something like that. I’ve been doing that for years, so I think I’ve earned the break.’
‘And yet you’re so good at it.’ She laughed. ‘You should see the look of disappointment on their faces when I turn up instead of you.’
‘Bet they’re happy with the end result though.’
‘So far.’ Anna sighed. ‘Your commitment here is obvious, and the only way I can see an end to that is if I moved up here.’
‘Is that something you’d think about?’ he asked, hope rising.
‘I don’t know,’ she paused. ‘I need to be in London at the moment to support Jack, and with Harry moving away Dad will be on his own, and I know he has a new girlfriend, but . . .’
He nodded. ‘Your life’s in London, and that’s how it should be. You have your family, a new career and your work with Eva. It would be too much of a sacrifice for you to give up all that because of my whims.’
‘But if it meant we could be together more . . .’ She paused. ‘I promise I’ll think about it, but I really don’t know if it’s feasible at the moment.’
‘I think you’re probably right. Just remember, I really do want this relationship to work, so at least let’s promise to speakto each other more on the phone when we’re apart, and I’ll see if I can spend more time in London. At the moment it feels like you’re doing most of the legwork.’
He kissed her gently, then pulled away. ‘Now, I’m starving, and if we carry on like this, we’ll never get to eat. So come on, get yourself up, you brazen hussy, while I get dinner on the way.’
He was just serving up pasta in tomato sauce with garlic bread when the doorbell rang. He groaned as he put a dish down in front of her.
‘Go on, you eat, I’ll get rid of whoever it is, then we can spend the rest of the evening in peace.’
She listened as she heard voices on the doorstep, then the sound of feet rushing towards the kitchen. Ben burst through the doorway and hurled himself into her arms.
‘Anna! I didn’t know you were going to be here until just now, it’s so good to see you.’
‘It’s good to see you too, Ben,’ she replied. She looked up as Daniel came into the kitchen, then her heart sank as he was followed by Lucinda. That woman really was becoming something of a bad penny.
‘Anna, Daniel said you were here.’
Anna smiled but didn’t reply. She didn’t like the way Lucinda looked as though she owned the place. She didn’t trust herself to say anything, but she did wonder just how often Lucinda took it on herself to pop round.
‘I’ve invited Anna to the ball tomorrow,’ Daniel said.
‘Oh, really? Actually I don’t think there are any spare tickets. It’s a sell-out, you see.’ She smiled at Anna.
‘Oh that’s all right,’ Daniel replied. ‘I’ve already got one.’
‘Great,’ Lucinda said, and Anna was sure she must be clenching her teeth.
