‘I hope I didn’t poison you,’ he says, and I shake my head, then dab my mouth with a red napkin. So very festive. ‘That wasn’t my finest culinary achievement, I must say, but I was unexpectedly distracted.’
‘It was delicious,’ I reply. ‘Even the choice of music as we ate together was perfect.’
He holds my gaze as we listen to the soothing sounds of an orchestra playing Christmas classics in the background, a very thoughtful compromise from his usual classical pieces and my more commercial sounds for this time of year.
It’s already gone ten a.m., yet it’s still quite dark outside and I notice how the windowsill is covered in at least three inches of snow.
‘You haven’t written any new rules or messages on the whiteboard in a while?’ I say, trying not to laugh as I realise we’ve broken almost every one of them.
‘Well, they weren’t exactly rules,’ he replies. ‘I was just trying to …’
He stops.
‘Go on.’
‘To be honest, Rose, I was trying to make sure I did everything I could to keep a distance between us from day one,’ he confesses.
‘Really?’
‘I mean, for goodness’ sake,lookat you,’ he says in wonder, pushing his plate to the side. ‘You turned my head from the moment I saw you on that roadside, and I’m sure you do that everywhere you go. I was afraid to get to know you. I was afraid to let you stay because I kind of figured that we’re possibly both here for very tender reasons and getting too close might get in the way of what we each set out to do.’
I can’t argue with that.
I was a vulnerable mess when I arrived here and I don’t want to be leaving in the same fragile state of mind, but waking up to see Charlie in the kitchen each morning is something I’m getting very used to. I now know that he is single, too, but I’m not sure if I’ve even processed or let that sink in yet.
‘And now?’ I ask him. ‘Where do we go from here?’
He leans across the table and puts his hand on my forearm.
‘I’ve been thinking the same thing,’ he replies softly. ‘And I don’t have any answers at all, so all I can say is that we dowhat we want to do, and when the time comes to go back to our own real lives, we make a decision then.’
‘What happens at Seaview, stays at Seaview,’ I say, but I know that he knows it might not be as simple as that.
‘Sort of … just let’s just be kind to each other and enjoy our time here together for now,’ he tells me. ‘I would never hurt you, Rose. Ever. That’s one thing I’ll promise for sure. And if it ever gets too much and you want to change the rules again, then one word from you and it’s done. Deal?’
‘Deal,’ I say to him. ‘And the same goes for you. So, we chill, then?’
‘We chill,’ he says with a hearty smile that’s so adorable, I want to touch him more, but I don’t for now. ‘I think we can both live with that?’
‘We can for sure. So, tell me about Helena,’ I say to him, and he lights up again at the opportunity to talk about his sister who sounded so sweet on the phone. ‘She must have quite a pull on you if she can convince you to play Christmas songs over the phone. The Grinch has seen the light.’
I reach for the teapot and top up our cups with more steaming hot tea.
‘Hmm, it wasn’tquiteso sudden as that,’ he replies. ‘It’s been baby steps over the past few days to get myself to acknowledge it’s Christmas at all, but I’m slowly surrendering, let’s just put it that way. You have influenced me a lot, in your own subtle and not so subtle ways.’
‘You’re talking about my singing, aren’t you?’
‘I’m not saying a word about your singing,’ he laughs, and I pull a mock shocked face. ‘You’re a wonderful singer.’
‘Now, you’re lying.’
‘You’re aconfidentsinger,’ he replies, lifting his cup to his lips to hide a smirk. I have to say that Rusty and Marion have very good taste when it comes to the finer detail of Seaview Cottage. There is a small selection of mugs in the cupboard for everyday use, but Charlie has managed to find this very delicate, pale-blue bone-china tea set which makes our breakfast feel very special.
‘So, Helena played a small part too,’ I continue. ‘It’s nice to see you relaxing, no matter who or what is responsible. I’ve a feeling you deserve to.’
‘Yes, I think I do. But Helena is a treasure,’ he says sincerely. ‘She is older than me by one year, but – well, we’ve been through a hell of a lot together and without getting too morbid on this very beautiful winter’s day with such a wonderful breakfast companion, she probably saved my life more times recently than she could ever know. Between her and my dog, well, there were some days when I …’
His words stop me in my tracks.
