Not Just for Christmas

Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

A fter sleeping late on Boxing Day, Erin skipped breakfast and decided on a ramble around the countryside. Getting out for some exercise and fresh air felt energising after so many days of overindulging in food and alcohol. It also meant she had a couple of hours which weren’t spent wondering if she was about to bump into Lewis, and how she would act around him when she did.

Their kiss the previous evening had shifted things. She couldn’t brush it off as a quick peck under the mistletoe any more, but she wasn’t sure how to view it. Probably as an indulgent Christmas kiss between two people who enjoy each other’s company. Considering she was going back to London the following day, that was all it realistically could be.

Which meant there was absolutely no reason to feel nervous around him.

Apparently, her stomach didn’t get the memo and turned a somersault when she set eyes on him the moment she arrived back in the hotel after her bracing walk. The cold had made her eyes water and the gusts up on the hills had whipped at her hair. She must look a state, but the hunger in Lewis’s gaze when he raked his eyes over her told a different story. Her stomach fizzed wildly and her fingers felt shaky as she fumbled at the buttons of her coat.

Lewis handed a clipboard to the colleague he’d been chatting to before striding towards Erin.

“I was wondering where you’d got to,” he said. “I didn’t see you at breakfast.”

“I gave it a miss,” she said, unravelling her scarf. “I was still full from yesterday.” She blew into her icy hands and rubbed them together. “I’ve been for a walk. The countryside around here is stunning.”

“It is.” He frowned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound as though I was keeping tabs on your whereabouts.”

“You didn’t,” she told him with a reassuring smile. It was actually nice that he’d been thinking about her, since her thoughts that morning had mostly revolved around him.

“Also…” He leaned closer. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable at all yesterday… You’re a guest at the hotel and I’d never want you to feel awkward or anything.”

She smiled at his bashfulness. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. Yesterday was lovely.” She lowered her voice. “All of it.”

His shoulders relaxed. “Good.”

Erin took a deep breath and gathered her courage. “Do you, by any chance, have a lunch break coming up?”

“I could probably arrange one,” he said happily. “What did you have in mind?”

“There’s a cafe down the road which tempted me. It looks all quaint and cosy.”

“The Toastie Tea shop?” He nodded. “The food is great, and they serve tea in beautiful old china tea sets.”

“So you’re up for it?” she asked, quashing a pang of nerves.

“Yes.” He glanced across the room at his colleague, who was staring at the clipboard in her hands. “Just give me five minutes.”

“We can make it later if you’re busy. I’m not in any rush.”

“It’s fine. We were just trying to figure out how to rearrange the furniture for the quiz night this evening, but I think we have it all well planned out.” He held up his hand as he backed away. “Five minutes.”

It didn’t even take that long before he was back again. Erin hadn’t even warmed up enough to remove her coat, so only had to button it up when they stepped outside.

“I think it might snow,” she said. “I saw a few snowflakes while I was out for my walk.”

“There were a few flakes when I took Molly for a walk first thing, too.”

She turned her head to him. “How does it feel to be a dog owner? And where is Molly?”

“Asleep in the office.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “For a border collie she’s surprisingly docile. I’m guessing since she had an elderly owner, she had a lazy life. She definitely wasn’t keen to wake up at six o’clock this morning when I wanted to leave for work.”

“Six o’clock? On Boxing Day?” Erin wasn’t sure whether to be impressed by his dedication or concerned about the hotel owner taking advantage of him. “Was that really necessary?”

His shoulders tensed, but maybe that was because of the cold rather than the question. “I had a few things to do and I find it’s easier to get things done while most people are still sleeping. Not that it really worked out today since I ended up out with Molly for almost two hours.”

“So your dad was right?” Erin said with a cheeky grin. “The dog forces you to work less.”

“The dog made me late for work,” Lewis said with a slight eye roll.

A dainty bell rang above the door to the cafe when he pushed it open. The warmth of the place was wonderful – not just the temperature but the gorgeous decor of blue and white checked tablecloths and dainty chinaware on display on a vintage dresser at the back of the room.

Unsurprisingly, Lewis knew the middle-aged owner and chatted away as she showed them to a table by the window. Erin ordered soup while Lewis opted for one of the speciality toasted sandwiches. They shared a pot of tea which was delivered to their table almost immediately with dainty cups and saucers.

“This is such a cute cafe,” Erin remarked, soaking in the atmosphere. A few Christmas decorations were dotted around – beautiful glass baubles dangled from the ornate light sconces on the walls, and sprigs of holly adorned the dresser. As Erin’s eyes scanned the walls, her gaze snagged on the framed oil paintings. “Are these local scenes?” she asked, pointing to the picture nearest to them.

“Yes.” Lewis nodded. “The artist is the brother of the cafe owner. I love his work.”

“They’re gorgeous.” It took Erin a moment to drag her gaze from the countryside scene with rolling hills and dotted sheep penned in by a dry-stone wall. There was a crispness to the picture, which gave the impression it was a chilly day and made her think of her morning walk. The price tag beside the picture was hefty, but she could already visualise it hanging in her living room back at her flat.

“The quiz should be fun this evening,” Lewis said, breaking her thoughts as he poured them both tea.

“I’m not sure I’m going to join. It’s teams of four, isn’t it? I’ll be an odd number for whoever I team up with.”

He shook his head. “Four to six, but we’re not strict. Also, Carla mentioned recruiting you for her team. I don’t think you’ll have much choice.”

“Really?” Erin felt a pang of excitement about it.

Lewis smiled gently. “I think it’s you and my sisters and Warren. ”

“The chef?”

“Yeah. He reckons he’s not staying for the quiz, but I think he underestimates how persistent Carla is when she wants something.”

“I’m kind of looking forward to it now,” Erin said, then leaned back in her seat when their food arrived.

The soup was perfect and did a great job of warming Erin up. Conversation flowed seamlessly, and Erin tried not to dwell on the thought of leaving the next day. Her time in the Cotswolds had gone far too quickly and her stomach twisted into a knot at the thought that it was almost over.

Lewis had barely finished his sandwich when his phone rang. He winced at the screen, then offered Erin an apologetic smile as he answered it and had a short conversation about the whereabouts of extra chairs.

“Is the hotel falling apart without you?” Erin asked when he ended the call.

“Apparently,” he said with a sigh.

“Do you need to get back?”

“I probably should. Sorry.” He waved at the owner and she went to get the bill.

“Are you the general manager?” Erin asked. She assumed so, but there was nothing about his staff uniform that distinguished him from the rest of the staff.

His eyebrows shot up, and it took a moment for him to answer with an uncertain nod. “I think general dogsbody might be a more fitting job description, but yes, I manage the hotel.”

The bill arrived and Lewis reached for his wallet, but Erin insisted she was paying. “I’d like this painting as well, please,” she told the smiley woman with the credit card reader in her hand.

“It’s a lovely one,” she said. “That’s a great choice. I’ll wrap it for you.” After plucking it from the wall, she took it back to the counter .

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Erin asked when she caught Lewis staring at her.

His mouth twitched upwards at the corners, taking the intensity out of his features. “I really like that painting too,” he told her. “I have a similar one in my living room.”

“We must have the same taste in art,” she said, then felt her features slip into a frown. Knowing that Lewis had a similar painting would ensure that she thought of him every time she looked at it. She had a horrible feeling it would make her new purchase bittersweet.

When Lewis reached across the table and touched her hand, it pulled her from her thoughts.

“You’ll be back home tomorrow,” he said with a nervous smile.

“I was just thinking about that.”

“Are you going straight back to work?”

The thought of work was like a bucket of cold water over her head. Not that she disliked her job, but it really made her think about getting back to the realities of her life, which suddenly felt extremely far away from the beautiful Cotswolds. And Lewis.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m only supposed to work a couple of days this week and I can do it from home. There’s nothing urgent, so I can probably also get away with taking extra holiday days.” She paused, focusing on the way Lewis’s hand had remained covering hers –– his thumb rubbing enticing circles on her palm.

“I was wondering,” he said quietly. “Would you like to stay in touch?”

Joy blossomed in her chest. “Yes. I’d really like that.”

“I’ve been thinking about a trip to London.” His smile brightened his eyes. “If you’d be up for a visitor?”

Erin’s stomach turned a somersault. “I’d love a visitor.”

She was still beaming when the woman arrived back with her picture; all wrapped up in bubble wrap and in a paper bag .

“Enjoy the rest of your day,” she told them, and gave Lewis a pat on the arm before moving away again.

They wandered back to the hotel in a pleasant silence and Erin felt a warm glow in her belly the whole way. Just before the entrance, Lewis stopped her with a hand on her arm, and she automatically turned to face him as she waited for what he was going to say.

He didn’t speak, but held out a hand, leaving Erin wondering what he was doing. At least until she spotted the large, fluffy snowflake which settled on his palm before dissolving a moment later. She tipped her head back at the same time as Lewis.

“Now it’s properly snowing,” he stated happily.

The sky had turned a hazy shade of pale grey and snowflakes whirled down around them.

“So pretty,” she whispered, and only then noticed that Lewis had shifted so his face was mere centimetres from hers.

“You are, ” he said, eyebrows waggling. “I agree wholeheartedly.”

She beamed at his flirting and felt a wave of contentment wash over her as he caught her lips in a soft kiss. They stayed there for one perfect moment, taking warmth from each other’s lips as the snow came down around them. By the time they pulled apart, Lewis had several flecks of snow in his hair and Erin assumed her hat was turning spotty too.

“Hey, Lewis!” a voice boomed from the opposite side of the road.

He raised a hand to wave at the guy as he gave a nod of acknowledgment.

“Pub tonight?” The guy pointed along the road. “The usual crowd will be there.”

“I’m working,” Lewis replied.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re too good for us these days, aren’t you?” His tone was jovial, but Lewis’s tight smile was all tension .

“I’ll catch up with you another time,” Lewis called out before taking Erin’s hand and heading into the hotel.

“Who was that?” Erin asked.

“An old schoolfriend.” He didn’t elaborate and Erin didn’t have time to ask questions before the woman behind the reception desk hurried over to Lewis.

“I couldn’t find the chair covers,” she said. “I looked all over.”

“They’re in a box near the spare chairs,” Lewis said with an impatient undertone.

“There are a lot of boxes down in the storeroom.”

“I know, but it’s labelled.”

“I can’t find it.”

Lewis’s smile was as tight as it had been for his old schoolfriend. “I’ll go and look for them in a minute.”

While the woman walked away again, Erin lowered her voice. “Sometimes I get assigned an intern at work and I swear they mostly just cause me more work.”

“I spend a lot of time thinking it would probably just be easier to do everything myself,” he told her quietly.

She pulled her hat from her head and swiped the water droplets from it. “It seems you have resorted to doing most things yourself,” she quipped. “I hope you’re well paid.” She meant it as a joke, but she was suddenly curious. He really did seem to do a heck of a lot of work. And he was always there, though maybe that was because of the busy Christmas season. “What is the pay like for a general dogsbody in a boutique hotel?” she asked, when she caught him staring at her with an odd look.

She smiled at her little joke, but he didn’t seem amused. In fact, he seemed entirely ill at ease.

He glanced across the room, tipping his head as though some invisible person had called out to him. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he muttered before he walked away .

Except he wasn’t back again in a minute, and after ten minutes of waiting around in the lounge, Erin gave up and went up to her room.