Frisky Business (47 page)

‘Oh.’

‘You can put him in with me tonight, if you like – since his dad won’t be around.’

Kit had been contacted out of the blue by one of the companies he’d sent his CV to when he first returned to Ireland and was going back to Dublin later that day to get ready for an interview early tomorrow morning. Romy was already
feeling jittery at the thought of being left alone with Ethan for the night. She couldn’t deny the attraction she felt for him, and what really killed her was that it seemed to be mutual. She hadn’t admitted it to Lesley, but, like everyone else, she knew when someone fancied her, and she was fairly certain that if Kit wasn’t in the way, something would happen with Ethan. Just her luck that when she finally felt that spark again, it was with someone she couldn’t have.

‘That’s really sweet of you, but I’m hoping last night was a once-off. He’s usually a really good sleeper.’

‘You’re not talking about this guy, I take it?’ Kit said, striding into the kitchen carrying a wide-awake Luke and handing him to Romy.

‘What are you doing up again, Mister?’ Romy chided.

Luke stared back at her with the face of a Zen master, inscrutable and all-knowing.

‘I think he needs changing. I’d do it, but I’m heading off.’

‘Already? You’re not even going to have any breakfast?’

‘No, I’m meeting Mark, a guy I know who works at this company. He’s going to give me some coaching for the interview,’ he said, shrugging on his jacket. ‘Then I have to sort out a suit, and try to find a shirt Mom hasn’t put through the wash.’

‘At least you’ll get a decent night’s sleep tonight. Well, good luck.’

‘Thanks.’ He bent and kissed her, and then planted a soft kiss on Luke’s forehead. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘Knock ’em dead,’ Ethan called after him.

And then there were two, Romy thought, suddenly very aware of being alone in the house with Ethan.

‘So, alone at last,’ Ethan said with a cheeky grin, echoing her thoughts. She tried not to let it rattle her. After all, it was only for one night. Kit was coming straight back down tomorrow
as soon as the interview was over. Nothing could happen in one night …

That evening as she and Ethan ate dinner, Romy felt quite pleased with herself. She had worked companionably with Ethan all day and she had managed to play it cool and not act like an infatuated idiot. Luke was back to his smiley, happy self and she was grateful for the focus he provided as they ate. In a couple of hours, they could go to bed – separately – and tomorrow Kit would be back, and everything would return to normal. She was almost there. Then something caught her eye through the window and her heart sank.

‘Oh, no – that’s all we need,’ she groaned, jumping up and going to the window. Snow was falling thickly, fat swirling flakes dancing in the light from the kitchen.

‘Maybe it won’t stick,’ Ethan said, coming to join her at the window.

But Romy knew there wasn’t much chance of that. It had been freezing hard for the past week, it hadn’t rained in ages, and the snow was falling so heavily. Even as they watched, it settled on the grass in a dense layer. ‘It’s already sticking,’ she said.

When Romy woke the next morning, she sprang out of bed and opened the curtains, hoping that by some miracle the snow might have melted in the night. Her hopes were dashed as she looked out at the Christmas card scene before her. Everywhere was covered in a thick white icing, the boughs of the trees bending under the weight of it, the deep forest green
of small shrubs peeking through the frosting like the decorations on top of a Christmas cake. That special snowy silence had descended, like someone had pressed the mute button. Bright sunlight glinted on snow-laden branches and fat heavy flakes were still falling from the leaden sky. It was very beautiful – and an absolute bugger.

‘Shit, shit, shit!’ she cursed. There was no way the roofers could work today, even if they were able to get here, which was highly unlikely. The snow would bring everything to a grinding halt – for who knew how long? Not only that, but she was now stuck here alone with Ethan. How could she ignore him if she had no work to occupy her all day? She would just have to find something she could do to keep herself busy. She checked on Luke, but he was still sleeping soundly. She pulled on a big thick cardigan and a pair of Uggs and made her way downstairs. The smell of frying bacon told her Ethan was already up before she got to the kitchen. He was standing by the cooker watching over bacon and sausages that hissed and spat in a pan.

‘Morning!’ He turned and grinned at her. He looked rugged and utterly delicious, dressed in a thick wool jumper, faded jeans and chunky hiking boots. ‘You’re just in time,’ he said, indicating the pan. ‘Fried egg?’

‘Yes, please,’ she said, flicking the switch on the kettle as she went to stand beside him. ‘Well, this is a bit of a disaster,’ she said, nodding out the window.

‘I know. And according to the weather forecast, it’s set to last all week.’

‘Oh God!’ Romy groaned in anguish, leaning on the worktop as she waited for the kettle to boil. ‘We’re not going to be able to get on with anything. Maybe we should just go back to Dublin.’

‘No chance of that,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I’ve been out.
The roads are completely impassable. Even if we could make it, it’d take about two days to get there.’

‘So Kit won’t be able to get back down either.’

‘No. According to the radio, it’s bad everywhere. The whole country seems to have ground to a halt.’

Christ, she was stuck here on her own with Ethan for God knows how long – no way out and no way in for anyone else who could act as a buffer. And no work she could focus her energies on. This was a nightmare. She made the tea, and Ethan finished cooking the breakfast in silence, placing two plates on the table.

‘So, you’ve been out?’ she asked him as they sat down to eat.

‘Yeah. It’s a beautiful day. I chopped some more logs for the fire.’

‘Oh. Good. Thanks.’
Gah!
The thought of Ethan chopping logs was making her go all funny. It was ridiculous – could he get any more hunter/gatherer? She tried not to picture him cutting wood, looking all manly and outdoorsy in his thick jumper and stompy boots, the muscles shifting in his arms as he swung the axe— ‘Well, there must be something we can do today,’ she said.

‘We could make a snowman.’

‘Yeah, great suggestion,’ she smiled. ‘Thanks.’

‘It could add a lot of value to the house. We could make it a feature.’

‘I was thinking I might get on with choosing the bathrooms and doing some ordering.’

‘Or we could have a snowball fight.’

Oh God, a snowball fight – was he trying to kill her? She imagined them wrestling on the ground, wriggling around in the snow, his icy hand on her skin as he tried to stuff a snowball down her top … Her nipples hardened just thinking about it.

‘Um
… yeah, I think I’ll get on with choosing the bathrooms. This is great, by the way,’ she said, indicating her plate. ‘Thanks.’

‘No problem.’ He smiled at her. ‘Well,’ he sighed, ‘if you’re not up for a snowball fight, I suppose I could get on with stripping out the old kitchen.’

‘Yeah, that’s a good idea,’ she said, pushing her plate away. ‘Right, I’m going to hop in the shower and get going. See you later.’

‘Okay. See you.’

The steps up to Romy’s house were treacherous, and Kit clung to the rail as he climbed, his body rigid with the effort of staying upright. His good shoes had no grip, but he didn’t feel he could turn up for an interview in Wellingtons. When he finally made it into the house, he bounded up the stairs and knocked on May’s door.

‘Oh, hello, Kit!’ She smiled at him as she opened the door. ‘You look very smart!’

‘I’m going to an interview this morning.’ He had been relieved when they had phoned to tell him it would still go ahead, though a little later than originally planned because of the traffic difficulties. ‘Anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted me to get you anything while I’m out.’

‘Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you. Yes, I could do with a few things and we haven’t been able to get out. Come in for a moment – unless you’re in a hurry?’

‘No, I have plenty of time.’ He had booked a cab so far in advance that even if the taxi driver crawled there on his hands and knees with Kit on his back, they would still make it with time to spare.

She
brought him in and sat him down at the kitchen table while she made a list.

‘We could do with more milk,’ she said, thinking aloud as she wrote, ‘and might as well get more bread. We can always freeze it, and who knows how long this weather will last. Better get some fresh fruit too – don’t want us getting rickets, do we?’ She paused in her writing and looked up at him. ‘Is there any chance you’d be passing a chemist?’

‘Sure,’ Kit said with a shrug. ‘I can go to a chemist if you like.’

‘I think Frank’s out of his ointment. Let me go and check.’ She stood and left the room, coming back shortly afterwards with a tube of cream. ‘I’ll just write down the name,’ she said, adding it to the list. ‘And if you could get us a few boxes of condoms too?’

Kit gulped and nodded.

‘If you could get an assortment, it’d be great. Some ribbed ones, and a few boxes of flavoured ones as well,’ she said, writing again. ‘I’m doing a Tantric sex workshop next week, and I like to have plenty of condoms to hand out. I do try to promote safe sex, and if you can make it fun, that’s half the battle isn’t it?’ she said. ‘So, if you see any novelty ones – glow in the dark or whatever – you could pick those up too.’

She handed the list over and Kit frowned down at it. ‘Um … any particular flavour?’ he asked.

‘Just get as wide a variety as you can.’

‘Okay, well, I’d better be off,’ Kit said, standing.

‘Just let me get my purse,’ she said, leading him into the sitting room. ‘It’s really very good of you to think of the old people in this weather,’ she said as she handed him a couple of fifty euro notes. ‘I’m terrified of slipping on the pavement, and those steps are a death trap. You have to be very careful at our age.’

Kit’s
eyes drifted to the swing on the ceiling. ‘Yes, I’m sure,’ he murmured. ‘Well, I’ll see you later.’

‘Bye,’ she said as she saw him to the door. ‘And best of luck with the interview!’