If You Can't Stand the Heat... (Harlequin Kiss) by Joss Wood

Author:Joss Wood [Wood, Joss]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-08-02T21:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

Ellie snapped at one of her staff and, after apologising, realised that she desperately needed a break from the bakery. Taking a bottle of water from the fridge, she walked out through the front door into the strong afternoon sunlight. Checking for cars, she walked across the street and sat on the concrete wall that separated the beach from the promenade and stretched out her bare legs. She flipped open the buttons of her chef’s tunic and shrugged it off, allowing the sea breeze to flow over her bare shoulders in her sleeveless fuchsia top.

It had been four hellish days since Jack’s abrupt departure. She had the concentration span of a flea and her thoughts were a galaxy away from her business and her craft.

His memory should have faded but she could still remember, in high definition, her time spent with Jack. The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the flash of white teeth, those wizard-like eyes that made you want to spill your soul.

She missed him—really missed him. Missed his manly way of looking at a situation, his clear-headed thought-processes, and she missed bouncing ideas about Pari’s off him. She missed her friend.

But more than missing him she was also now seriously irritated. Furious, in fact. Partly at Jack, for whirling out of her house like a dervish, but mostly at herself. How stupid was she to think that she could rely on him, that he wouldn’t drop her like a hot brick for a story, for a situation?

The men she was attracted to always ran out on her, so why had she thought it would be different with Jack? He’d been in her life for under a week and she was livid that, subconsciously at least, she’d come to rely on him in such a short time. For advice, for a smile, for conversation and company at the end of a long day. How could she have forgotten, even for one minute, that war reporters always, always left, usually at a critical time in her life?

She couldn’t help the memory rolling back—was powerless against the familiar resentment. She’d been fourteen and she’d entered a drawing of a lion into a competition in a well-known wildlife magazine. Out of thousands of entries throughout the country she’d won the ‘Young Teenager’ category. She’d been due to receive her prize at a prestigious televised awards ceremony. She’d spent weeks in a panic because Mitchell was on assignment, and the relief she’d felt when he’d arrived back home three days before the ceremony had been overwhelming.

Everything had been super-okay with her world. The thought of going up onto that stage in front of all those people had made her feel sick, but her handsome dad would be in the audience so she’d do it. She would move mountains for him.

Then someone had got assassinated and he’d flown out two hours before the event...which she’d been too distraught to attend.

Ellie straightened her shoulders. She was no longer that broken, defeated, sad teenager who’d flung her arms around her father and begged him not to go.

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