Anything but Vanilla... by Liz Fielding

Author:Liz Fielding [Fielding, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, fullybook
ISBN: 9780373207145
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

NINE

A little ice cream is like a love affair—a sweet pleasure that lifts the spirit.

—from Rosie’s ‘Little Book of Ice Cream’

Sorrel transferred the ices to the chest freezer in the garage, shooed the dogs who rushed to meet her out into the garden and stepped into a kitchen filled with the smell of pastry burning.

‘Hello, darling? Busy day?’ Grandma asked as she turned from laying the kitchen table. ‘Where’s your friend?’

‘Friend?’ She checked the oven, turned down the temperature before the pie was incinerated and made a mental note to make an appointment to have her grandmother’s eyes tested. ‘Oh, you mean Alexander,’ she said. ‘He couldn’t make it, Gran. He sends his apologies.’

‘Alexander? Who’s Alexander?’

‘Graeme...’ She jumped at the sound of his voice, turning guiltily as he appeared from the hall. Which was ridiculous. She had nothing to feel guilty about. She hadn’t betrayed him. Only herself... ‘I didn’t see your car.’

‘It was such a pleasant evening I decided to walk over from the rectory.’

‘Really? It must be catching.’ He frowned and she quickly shook her head. ‘Nothing. Sorry...I didn’t expect to see you this evening. How is it going over there?’

‘Slowly. Perfection can’t be rushed.’

‘I suppose not.’ Was that why he was taking his time with her? Because she wasn’t yet perfect?

‘When I saw Basil in the village shop last week he asked if I’d take a look at his tax return so I thought I’d drop in and do it this evening. Kill two birds with one stone.’

‘Oh? Who’s the other bird?’

He frowned. ‘You seem a little edgy, Sorrel.’

‘Do I? It’s been a difficult day.’ Although not as difficult as it might have been thanks to Alexander. She forced a smile. ‘It’s very kind of you to help Basil.’

He shrugged. ‘It’s no trouble and I thought it would save you the bother of phoning me.’

‘Oh, yes. Of course.’ She’d put the opera so far in the back of her mind that she’d forgotten. ‘I haven’t had a chance to check the dates, yet.’

‘Well, you can do that now. And you wanted to talk about the ice-cream parlour?’

‘Isn’t that three birds?’ she said. And two of them appeared to be her. ‘Bang, bang, bang.’

He should have laughed. Alexander would have laughed. Graeme merely looked confused.

She shook her head. ‘Sorry. You’re right. I do, Graeme. I’m going to ask Ria if she’d be prepared to go into partnership with me. I’ve had this absolutely brilliant idea—’

‘Partnership? Are you mad?’ he said, cutting her off before she could elaborate.

‘Possibly. It’s been a long day...’

‘You’re tired?’

Actually she wasn’t tired, she was stimulated, elated, excited and didn’t want to have cold water thrown over her idea.

‘...and it’s going to be a long day tomorrow. To be honest all I want to do right now is have a long soak and an early night.’

‘Really? That’s not like you,’ he said, disapprovingly. Definitely not perfect... Clearly women who wanted to be world-class businesswomen didn’t indulge themselves in a long soak in the bath when there were decisions to be made, ice-cream empires to conquer.

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