The Sweetest Secret by jacquie underdown

Author:jacquie underdown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Sam’s stomach was a tangled mass of nerves, but he was glad he told Ellie the truth before she was invested in him. Though, if she felt anything like he did right now, she may already be.

Sam released Ellie’s face from between his hands and stood back up tall. ‘I probably should get this lunch sorted. You hungry?’

She nodded. ‘Very much.’

‘Now, I know it’s not the best weather for a barbeque. But it is the best cooking method. I’ve got old merlot vines that I use to heat the grill. The sweet, smoky flavours make the steak taste incredible.’

Ellie pressed a hand to her stomach. ‘This is like gastronomic foreplay. You better not let me down with the main event.’

He laughed. ‘Not possible. You’ll love it.’

‘I like a man who’s confident,’ she said with a flirtatious grin.

He was grateful for the change in tone. The afternoon had taken a real nosedive there for a moment. When she had stood to leave, his heart had nearly broken his ribs.

Until that moment, he hadn’t quite realised how much he wanted this, her.

‘Grab your tea and come on out the back with me. Don’t worry, it’s undercover. And I’ve got a big heat lamp.’

‘Should I get my jacket?’

He shook his head. ‘You won’t need it.’

He collected the steak and marrow from the fridge. Put them on a tray along with salt and pepper, utensils, a plate, and a bottle of olive oil.

The further along in time from that difficult conversation, the calmer he was becoming. In fact, his body was buzzing with anticipation.

The biggest hurdle had been successfully removed, now he could relax and enjoy her company.

‘What a great little space,’ Ellie said with a grin as she descended the stairs behind him, teacup in her hand. She wore jeans and a loose fitting pale blue jumper that clung to all the right areas. She was gorgeous.

‘Thanks.’ Sam switched on the big heat lamp and closed the wall of glass louvres. He lumped the tray down beside the brick barbeque. When lit, it would heat this place even more.

‘What can I do to help?’

He shook his head and pointed to a chair. ‘I’m cooking for you today. You relax. All you have to do is keep me company.’

She grinned as she shimmied onto the chair. ‘I like the sound of that.’

He set about stacking the barbeque with the vine cuttings and lit a fire. It roared as big flames licked up inside the barbeque, already heating the grill plate.

‘I keep trying to avoid looking at your glasshouse. Such a stupid waste,’ Ellie said.

He sighed, turned to face her. ‘I know. I haven’t been able to go inside it since I cleaned it up.’

‘You think you’ll want to re-fit it again at some stage?’

He shook his head. ‘Not yet.’ The thought of starting again was too much. Fair enough if it were only a small section he had to replenish, but the entire glasshouse, all of his stock, made it too big to confront.

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