Love-40 (35 page)

Liam shuddered. ‘She scared me to death.'

Estelle smiled. Now that she could believe. She looked at him, all dressed up, and thought of how he'd appeared on the tennis court this afternoon in those crazy shorts and T-shirt. Probably the only items in his wardrobe that hadn't needed washing. And the way he'd been – all hot and bothered and stressed out. Gorgeous.

‘Y'know, Estelle.' Liam took a step closer. ‘If you ever thought that there was ever any chance, you know, ever, for me and you…' He faltered. ‘I know there isn't and I've blown it but if there ever was…'

‘Yes?'

‘I'd leave Pridehaven like a shot,' he said.

‘You would?' It was funny, Estelle reflected, that she had always thought Liam and Suzi so rooted here. Always resented the fact that he'd never leave.

He nodded. ‘Like a shit, I mean, like a shot.'

They both smiled.

‘I'm not leaving,' Estelle told him. ‘I'm taking over the business. Paying only one salary will help out. But I'm branching away from antiques and into jewellery. No more Secrets … Now it's A Little Bit of Sparkle.'

‘Does you good.'

‘I hope so.' All the signs were that she could make a success of it this time around. She could only do her best.

Liam still looked shifty. ‘You're not going to like this,' he began.

‘What?' In that case, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it.

‘But I still want to do all the things with you that I've always wanted to do with you.'

She let out her breath. ‘What sort of things?'

‘Oh you know, get married, have kids maybe. Those sort of things.'

Estelle had thought she'd never hear that from him again. And the timing seemed particularly ironic, after the decision she'd just made to be a full-time businesswoman.

‘We could choose a house together this time,' Liam said. ‘I could see you as one of those women.' His eyes were dreamy, his smile for her alone.

‘What women?'

‘Oh, you know, juggling home and career, husband and children, nannies and cleaning ladies.' He grinned. ‘I wonder if our kid would be good at tennis? Might be the next British Wimbledon champion, what d'you reckon?'

That it was never too late to feel safe enough, Estelle thought. Never too late. ‘I've always fancied a house-husband myself,' she said, moving in closer. ‘Especially one that's good with children. Like an ex-teacher maybe.' She could picture Liam in the role, and yes, it was a pretty appealing picture. Why shouldn't she feel safe at last? He was who he was, and she certainly wasn't her mother. ‘So you certainly wouldn't have time for too many chairperson activities. Not for a while anyway.'

He stared at her. ‘Is that a yes?'

‘I think…' she smiled, ‘it might well be.'

*   *   *

Suzi ran past Liam and Estelle, who were so wrapped up in each other on the steps that they didn't even see her. Geronimo! Success at last! She must remember, she thought, as she yanked open the door of the battered white van, to tell Michael that the flat above the shop was likely to be vacant in the very near future.

‘You took your time,' said Josh Willis. But he looked at her frock in a way that told her he might want to take it off later.

‘I always do,' she said, fastening her seat belt with a smart click.

‘That's a fact.' Josh grinned his cat's grin. ‘You've kept me waiting a lot longer than any other woman I've known.'

Suzi found herself for practically the first time in her life wanting to tease. ‘How long would you have waited?' she asked him.

‘Oh, maybe a year or two.'

‘That all?' Suzi shifted over so she was nearer to him. She tucked her arm under his and snuggled into his shoulder. It felt like the right place to be. ‘So are you pleased that I phoned to apologise for my terribly suspicious nature?' she murmured. It had been a rather revealing phone call after all. And it had led to something rather unexpected.

‘Ecstatic.' He turned the key in the ignition and the van spurted unconvincingly into life. Suzi wondered if it would make it to Somerset. ‘But then I knew you were trouble the first time I laid eyes on you,' he said.

‘Yeah?' She leaned back just enough so that he could drive without obstruction, though she would far rather be on the other side of the handbrake.

‘Yeah.' He accelerated and the van rumbled away from Chestnut Grove Tennis Club. Down the drive lined with the old horse-chestnut trees. Into the road beyond.

Suzi would miss it, but she knew it was in safe hands. And she'd come back to visit – to play tennis again, to sip a G & T in the tranquil conservatory overlooking Pridehaven.

‘But I've always liked a challenge,' Josh said.

A challenge, hmm? ‘You've asked me to move in with you,' Suzi said, wondering if he'd been joking when he'd said this. ‘Without so much as an interview.'

‘Yep.'

‘Did you mean it?'

He didn't reply – just gave her a long look from those grey-green eyes. And the look seemed to say it all.

‘It's a bit of a risk,' she said.

‘Hmm.'

‘A big step to take.'

‘Hmm.'

She hesitated. ‘But I s'pose we could see how it goes. This weekend. I mean.'

‘We could, yeah.' He cast her another sidelong glance. But his hands stayed on the steering wheel.

‘Organic farming certainly sounds like my kind of thing.' Suzi scrutinised him carefully with a sidelong glance whilst pretending to be checking the fuel gauge. ‘I wanted a career change, so I appreciate you offering me the position.'

‘My pleasure,' he said.

‘I rather fancy working in the open air. And I've always wanted a bit more land to play with.' Or on, she thought.

‘Mmm. I do love those wide open spaces,' he said, face deadpan. ‘Don't you?'

‘Mmm. Only thing is,' Suzi continued.

‘Yeah?' He frowned.

‘I think I should point out that you haven't even kissed me yet.'

‘Haven't I?' He indicated and turned to the right, heading out of Pridehaven.

‘Not properly. And I feel it's the sort of thing that will probably come with the job.'

‘I won't argue with that.' He brought the van to a screeching halt half up on the pavement, and took her in his arms. ‘No sooner said than done.'

Ten minutes later, Suzi emerged, out of breath and with a grin in her heart that didn't seem to want to go away.

Wow. It's never too late for a girl to find love, she thought. It was even kind of spooky, the way it lurked round the corner and jumped out at you when you were least expecting it. Maybe she was mad to be giving up her life in Pridehaven. But every instinct was urging her to jump. She'd been dithering on the romantic sidelines for far too long. But, ‘Just one more thing…'

‘Another?' He groaned.

‘Do you like goats?'

And that was the kind of man he was. He didn't bat an eyelid. ‘Love 'em to bits,' he said.

Also by Anna Cheska

Moving to the Country

Drop Dead Gorgeous

THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin's Press.

LOVE-40.
Copyright © 2002 by Anna Cheska. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cheska, Anna.

Love-40 / Anna Cheska.—1st U.S. ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-312-31154-0

1. Single women—Fiction. 2. Women tennis players—Fiction. 3. England—Fiction. I. Title: Love-forty II. Title.

PR6053.H4522L68 2003

823'.92—dc21

2003046549

First published in Great Britain by Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd

First U.S. Edition: August 2003

eISBN 9781466849051

First eBook edition: June 2013