Secrets and Sunshine by the Sunflower Cliffs by Georgina Troy

Author:Georgina Troy [Troy, Georgina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2024-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

22

Sebastian watched Paige leave the marquee. Sara was deep in conversation with a friend and he needed a break from all the pink. He walked past the groups of noisy people out to the cool pine-scented air outside. It was a magnificent garden, and even in the duskiness he could see the shapes of the towering trees as they stood majestically along the edge of the outdoor space.

He looked around trying to decide which way Paige must have gone. He walked towards the rose garden, remembering fondly the times he’d been sat there with his father and sister during family barbeques in summers as he was growing up. Seb spotted Paige standing silently, staring out towards the sea, and watched as she gazed at the magnificent silvery reflection of the moon across the bay, as the tide rolled back and forth.

‘I hope you don’t mind me invading your thoughts?’ he asked, not sure if she was aware of his presence.

She shivered.

‘You’re cold?’ he said, starting to take off his linen jacket.

Paige shook her head and turned to face him. ‘No, I’m fine. I was remembering something, that’s all.’

He wondered if she’d been thinking about Jeremy; they must have spent many evenings enjoying scenes like this one on this pretty island.

‘I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,’ she said, looking up at him, her green eyes appearing black in the darkness. ‘I thought you were away somewhere.’

‘I’m here for a few days this time.’ He took her hand in his. ‘Paige, I wanted to say something to you.’

She pulled away from him, surprising him with her force and making him feel like she’d just slapped him. ‘No, please don’t.’

‘Don’t what? You don’t even know what I was going to say.’ Why does everything have to be so difficult between us? He wondered miserably.

‘OK, say it then,’ she said, looking as if she was trying to take control of her emotions, but failing.

He knew it would be selfish to ask. ‘I just wanted to make sure you were all right,’ he lied, unable to make things even harder for her than they already seemed to be. It was clear to him now that she was moving on, if she hadn’t already done so. Hadn’t he already been the cause of enough upset to this enticing woman?

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. ‘You could have said that when we were both in the marquee. You didn’t have to follow me down to the end of the garden.’

‘You’re not the only one who needed a little peace, you know,’ he joked, unable to tell her that he couldn’t have kissed her in the marquee. It was foolish of him to hope he could do so here, he now realised. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, he mused – there was something else that he found irresistible and made him yearn to be with her. He stared down at Paige in silence.

‘I was sorry to hear about Sir Edmund’s death, especially when I found out who he was to you,’ she said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.