The Secret Keeper by Amanda James

Author:Amanda James [James, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008522056
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Chapter Twelve

A whole egg, half an apple, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, lettuce, a pickled onion, a huge home-made roll and butter, a pot of relish and enough ham to service a supermarket deli sat on the plate in front of Rosa. She smiled at the waiter and then, once he was out of earshot, hissed to Talan, ‘My God, I chose a simple ham salad not the last supper!’

He laughed and looked at his own towering plate. ‘I forgot how generous the portions were.’ Then he took a big bite out of his burger. ‘Delwishious, poo.’

Rosa nearly spit a mouthful of cider out. ‘Delicious poo? That’s disgusting!’ She laughed and dabbed a napkin to her mouth.

Talan nearly choked too, stifling a laugh while trying to swallow his food. ‘No, not poo! I actually meant to say—’

‘Too, yes, I knew that. You are SO easy to wind up.’ Rosa flashed a smile and felt a giggle rise in her chest.

Talan raised an eyebrow, made his face blank and said, ‘I will not dignify that with a response.’

Rosa looked into his twinkly eyes full of mischief and felt her heart pick up a pace. She looked down at her plate and wondered whether she was about to babble or become mute again. ‘Do you know, I think that the radish is one of the most underrated vegetables on the planet? I never buy them, but when I do eat them, I always wonder why not.’ She pointed over his shoulder at the wall surrounding the lovely garden of the cafe they were sitting in. ‘Wow that seagull is massive!’

Talan turned to look at the gull, put his head on one side, shrugged and turned his attention back to his burger. The gull was just the same size as any regular gull and Rosa knew it. Her brain apparently had decided that it would be a perfect distraction however to give its owner time to regain her composure after being caught in the sweep of Talan’s debilitating gaze.

Taking a forkful of the ham, Rosa looked over Talan’s shoulder to the lovely view over the garden wall. In the distance, Trevose lighthouse stood sentinel on the headland and a tumble of farmland stretched down to meet it. Perfect. The sun, now high in the sky was hot, though not oppressive, and a fresh sea breeze caressed her skin maintaining a perfect temperature for eating al fresco. Rosa swallowed and smiled across at Talan. Just at this moment everything was perfect: the view, the food, the setting … the man.

‘So when do you go back to London?’

Oh great. Put a dampener on the whole thing why don’t you, Talan? Though he did look a bit sad when he said it, she thought. ‘Erm, not sure.’ What the hell should she say next? On this perfect day, this was a perfect time to mention Jory, but it felt so wrong. ‘Let’s say it depends on a few things.’ Even greater, why was she being so enigmatic? Now he was bound to ask more awkward questions.

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