Читать книгу Frozen Heart, Melting Kiss - Ellie Darkins - Страница 9

CHAPTER THREE

THREE MINUTES LATER Will appeared in the doorway dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt.

Definitely an improvement, Maya decided, her eyes lingering on the contours of his upper arms. She was determined to start afresh, to put all thoughts of their argument and her hurt aside. His hands were in his pockets, but his arms appeared stiff, belying his façade of calm. His jaw was tense, his mouth pulled into a hard line. But Maya forced herself to look away, to paint a smile on her own face and hope that soon she would see it reflected in his.

‘Ready to get started?’ she asked, in a sunny, breezy voice. She wondered whether her own attempt to cover up her feelings was any more successful than his.

‘Sure,’ Will replied, not quite keeping the apprehension out of his voice, but she appreciated the effort.

Maya forced another smile and loaded cakes and biscuits onto a tray. ‘I thought we’d sit outside as it’s such a lovely day.’

She headed out to the terrace, where the sunlight broke through the leaves of the trees, throwing mottled patches of light onto the tablecloth and making the sugar atop her biscuits glisten. She set the tray on the table, beside a pot of tea and bowls of fruit. Finally, with all her tools in place, she took a seat opposite Will.

‘Right, this is elevenses...’ She checked her watch. ‘Or near enough. You’ll probably be pleased to hear that this doesn’t involve actual cooking.’ She’d rehearsed the words in her head when he’d disappeared upstairs to change, but now she stopped, taking in the blank look in his eyes and realising she’d lost him already.

‘Elevenses?’

‘Elevenses. Tea and cake taken around eleven in the morning.’ She said. ‘The preserve of grandmothers everywhere.’

‘But you’re not a grandmother,’ Will pointed out, and she was surprised to see him relax a little, perhaps even a hint of amusement in his eyes as they met hers and wouldn’t look away.