Not Just for Christmas

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

F ollowing another delicious dinner, Erin moved into the lounge and made herself comfortable in an armchair between the Christmas tree and the fireplace. Whenever any of the guests tried to catch her eye, she looked away and avoided getting sucked into conversations she’d rather not engage in.

Discreetly, she kept an eye on Lewis. Her afternoon in Stratford with him had felt decidedly like a date, and the drive home had been far more pleasant than the drive there. They hadn’t spoken much, apart from Lewis telling her tidbits about the local area. Even so, she enjoyed his company immensely.

Now, she found herself eager to speak to him again and was following his moves as he came and went from the kitchen and reception desk. There was also a door behind the reception desk which Erin assumed went to the office and possibly cut through to the kitchen, too. Whenever Lewis passed the reception desk, he chatted with the red-headed woman there. They seemed to get on well and Erin ignored the twinge of jealousy every time the redhead made him laugh. Which was quite often.

She reminded herself that he’d told her he didn’t have a girlfriend, and also that she’d only met the guy two days ago and had no right to be jealous of anyone.

An hour passed with her exchanging a few messages with her mum and with her friends, catching up on what they were all doing. Her mum was apparently helping the Australian economy by drinking a lot of their wine.

Lewis never seemed to stop, and it occurred to Erin that he seemed to have been working consistently since she’d arrived. Presumably he went home to sleep, but as far as she could tell, was otherwise working non-stop. Maybe he didn’t even go home to sleep. For all she knew, he could sleep at the hotel.

It annoyed her suddenly, that she didn’t know, and that he worked so hard. Anna had also commented that his family was always nagging him to take time off.

Without a lot of thought, she waved to him and he moved out from behind the reception desk immediately.

“Anything I can help you with?” the red head asked while she deposited a tray of tea in front of an elderly lady by the window.

“No.” Erin felt suddenly self-conscious. “Thank you.”

The woman looked slightly bemused but continued serving the grey-haired lady.

“Hey,” Lewis said. “What can I get for you?”

“I just wondered if you could sit down for a minute?” She nodded to the chair at the other side of the little antique table beside hers.

He sat down and looked at her expectantly. “Do you need more information about the area?”

“No.” A smile tugged at her lips. “It’s just tiring to sit here and watch you constantly on the go.”

“That’s my job,” he said, amused.

“I know, but you never seem to take breaks. Do you ever go home? Because you seem to have been here all the time since I checked in. ”

“I…” Nervously, he glanced at the redhead who was now standing in front of them and glaring at him.

“She’s right.” The woman – Ivy, according to her name tag – propped her hands on her hips. “And if even the guests think you work too hard, maybe that should tell you something.”

“Why do I feel as though I’m being ganged up on?” Lewis asked.

“Just sit for a while.” Ivy looked at Erin and gave a small shake of the head. “He works as though he has something to prove to the world.” She squeezed his shoulder. “You have nothing to prove,” she murmured before walking away.

Erin watched her go, trying to fathom what she’d meant, but failing to make sense of it.

“These chairs are actually really comfortable,” Lewis said, sinking back into it.

“So, do you have a home?” Erin asked, tilting her head. “Or do you sleep here?”

“I have a home,” he said, resting his head on the wing of the armchair. “About a five-minute walk from here. And, yes, I sleep there every night.”

“Is it a flat or a house?” she asked, not caring that it sounded like an inquisition.

“A house,” he said. “A little cottage. Three bedrooms and a cute little garden.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“It is.” There was a touch of pride in his voice. “Ivy grows around the door.”

“Talking about me?” his colleague asked, reappearing with a tray of drinks.

“No.” Lewis smiled softly. “I was talking about the plant ivy. At my house.”

“It’s lovely,” Ivy said as she slid the tray onto the table between them. “I believe someone ordered tea and shortbread for two? ”

Lewis shook his head. “You know, I actually have work to do.”

“I know you think you have work to do,” Ivy said. “I also know there’s nothing I can’t manage or that can’t wait a little while. Chill out for a bit, will you?”

He thanked her and she walked away.

“That was nice of her,” Erin remarked, then swatted at Lewis’s hand when he went to pour the tea.

He withdrew and raised an eyebrow. “What was that for?”

“Sorry.” She grimaced. “I didn’t mean to physically attack you.”

“Do you often just randomly slap people?” He held his hand to his chest in a show of being wounded, despite her barely having touched him.

“I don’t,” she said, chuckling. “I just didn’t want you to wait on me. You’re supposed to be taking a break.”

“Who said I was going to pour yours?” he asked, with a wonderful glint of mischief in his eyes. “Maybe I was going to pour my own and ignore you.”

“Somehow, I don’t think so. Also, when using a tea set, you should put the milk in the cup first and then the tea.” She lifted the dainty milk jug and poured into both cups.

“You wouldn’t do that if you were making tea with a kettle, though, would you?”

“No. But there are different rules. My gran taught me, so it’s just the way it is.”

“I’m not disagreeing,” he said. “I’m just never sure of the reasoning behind these traditions.”

“Who are we to question tradition?” She lifted the teapot. “Although I do actually know the reason behind this tradition, if you’d really like to know.”

“Go on then,” he said with a sly smile.

“In the olden days,” she said, as she poured. “Most people could only afford cheap china, which was prone to cracking with the heat of the tea. Adding milk first made sure it was cool enough that the cups didn’t break.”

“I never knew that.” His fingers brushed hers as he took the cup and saucer from her.

“I’m not sure if it’s the most useful piece of knowledge. Honestly, I’m not even sure if it’s true. My gran told me, so I assume it must be true. I might look it up at some point.”

“Are you close to your gran?” he asked, the dainty cup and saucer looking extra delicate in his large hands.

“I was. ” She dunked a piece of shortbread in her tea and bit off the soggy part before it could fall apart. “She died.”

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“Thanks, but it was ages ago. Five years.” It didn’t actually feel like ages. It felt like no time at all, and she felt a pang of regret that her gran didn’t get to see her life now. Her gran, who had tactfully suggested Erin’s relationship with her ex wasn’t right for her, but which Erin hadn’t been able to see.

“I don’t think time really does heal all wounds,” Lewis said softly. “Some stick with you.”

“Tea and biscuits help, though,” Erin said to lighten the atmosphere. She took another piece of shortbread and nudged the plate to Lewis. “Help me out here, please.”

He gobbled an entire piece in one go, making Erin laugh and breaking the sombre atmosphere in an instant.

He sat with her for twenty minutes, asking about her Christmas traditions and her favourite things about Christmas. When he insisted he should get back to work, she wished him goodnight and headed up to her room. She was at the top of the stairs when she passed Ivy, going the other way.

“Thanks,” she said with a conspiratorial smile. “I can never get him to take a break.”

Erin faltered over her response. It was hard to know how to respond when someone thanked you for spending time with a cute guy who you were attracted to. You’re welcome felt like an inappropriate response. “Yes,” she said, and swallowed hard. “He’s… I mean… I… It was nice.”

“He’s lovely,” Ivy said, again with the smile which seemed to convey more than Erin could decipher. “Also, I heard about the thing with your fiancé. Sorry about that. It sounds rubbish.”

Erin winced. “Yeah.”

“I hope you’re enjoying your stay so far.”

“I’m having a lovely time,” she said.

And that was one heck of an understatement.