Chapter Thirteen
“What are you wearing for the festival dance tonight?” Sophie asked as she deftly iced some cupcakes for the café. “I’m assuming you are going along?”
Faith nodded and took a plate of cheesecake out to the café counter.
“Going with Zane?” Sophie asked, picking up the conversation as soon as Faith appeared back in the kitchen. “How are things with you two?”
“They’re good.” Faith sighed. “I hope everything goes off OK for him and Matt and the Carrdale Centre with this outdoor activity festival. He said yesterday went brilliantly. They had a great crowd for the various talks and for the adventure films last night in the marquee. Loads of people have asked about Carrdale and taken leaflets. They’ve had plenty of bookings as well.”
“I know,” Sophie said. “The guys are shattered. Dave could do nothing but head home and fall asleep once he’d finished working at the festival last night. Zane must have been the same.”
“Yeah, he was dead on his feet,” Faith replied as she sliced up another cheesecake. “He said he went straight back to his place and fell asleep once he’d secured everything at the Centre yesterday. Organising an event like this at such short notice so it all tied in with the hill race tomorrow has been crazy. But somehow they’ve managed to pull it off.”
“Sounds as though it’s been worth it though. And I’m really looking forward to the dance tonight – if only to spend some time with Dave!”
Faith was quite looking forward to the dance herself, though she wasn’t sure if she’d get to spend much time with Zane. As the co-host he’d no doubt have to do lots of socialising, smiling and hand-shaking. Faith had helped out wherever she could, but, after discussing things with Zane and Matt at the early stages of organising the festival, they’d decided the huge amount of catering required for the three days of the event was beyond what Faith and the café could conjure up. So she’d recommended some caterers in a nearby town. She knew from personal experience that they were excellent, and they had been given the job.
As she couldn’t get to the events at the festival much herself, Faith had taken a box of flyers promoting the Centre and made sure they were displayed in the café as well as in as many local shops and businesses as she could manage. She wanted the Centre to do well – and not just because it was a key part of the Carleton economy. Nor was it because the Centre was being run by two men with whom she had, at different times, been closely involved. She wanted it to succeed for its own sake.
Faith’s phone rang and she spotted Zane’s name on the display. “Morning, Zane how are things going?”
“Brilliantly. We’re going to be run off our feet today again. I just wanted to check what we were doing tonight about the dance. I’ll make time to dash home and get changed and then call round and pick you up, shall I? It’ll be a bit early though, I’m afraid. I need to get back up here to sort out the band setting up.”
“Can’t Matt do that?”
At the beat of silence her comment received, she cursed herself for mentioning Matt.
“He’s tied up with sorting the caterers. It’s just crazy here. We’ve got all the guys from the Centre helping out, but there’s still loads to do.”
“I know. Sophie has been bending my ear this morning complaining about how tired Dave is. She’s not impressed!”
Zane laughed. “He’s young, he’ll get over it. So, will six be too early to collect you?”
“Six! Zane, I don’t shut the café until half past five today. Even if I leave Sophie to cash up and clear up, there’s still no way I can be ready by six. Look, why don’t you go home, get changed and come round here for something quick to eat?”
“OK, the food sounds good. But what about you getting up here to the dance?”
“I’m sure I can get a lift when Dave picks Sophie up later on. That makes more sense.”
“It doesn’t seem right. I should collect you, we’re going together. I’ll see if I can get away for half an hour and—”
“Zane, it’s fine,” she insisted. “You need to stay at the festival. I’m a big girl now. I’m perfectly capable of getting to the dance on my own.”
He sighed. “OK, you win. I’ll see you for some food just after the café closes.”
Back in her flat, Faith was tipping some of the café’s left-over leek and potato soup into a saucepan when Zane knocked at the door. She glanced at the clock. He was earlier than she’d expected.
“Sorry,” he said, kissing her lightly on the lips. “I think the boiler is playing up or something at my place because there’s no hot water at the cottage. I’ve checked all the usual things, the pilot light, the settings and all that stuff, but it isn’t working. I’ll have to phone Emily and let her know she needs to get it looked at. I’d have made myself go for the cold shower option, but as I was calling round here anyway I wondered if I could use your shower?”
“Of course, help yourself. Good day at the festival?”
“Fantastic. Had some more firm bookings for the Centre, and loads of people have taken flyers and leaflets. We had another wedding enquiry as well. He’s a big rock-climber and apparently the bride is a keen caver, and they loved the idea of having the ceremony at Carrdale. I’ve given them a business card and taken their details. I said we weren’t licensed for weddings yet but we were going to look into getting it sorted and I’d be in touch with them. Who would have thought an outdoor activity centre would be the place people want to get married in? That definitely wasn’t in the original business plan!”
“I suppose not,” Faith said. “Now go and have your shower and I’ll make a start on the food. Soup OK?”
Zane slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her again. A long slow kiss which promised more. “I really appreciate this, Faith.”
“So you should,” she said, batting him playfully. “Now, go and shower, or you’ll be running late!”
Two minutes later, as Faith was slicing bread to make toast to accompany the soup, Zane appeared back in the lounge. Half undressed. His jeans were still in place, but his shirt and socks had been abandoned – presumably somewhere in her bathroom.
Faith felt her mouth go dry. She could really do without him walking around her flat like that.
“Everything OK? Don’t tell me you’ve broken my hot water system as well now?” She forced herself to make light of it.
“No, thankfully. There’s only one bath-towel in there. Is it OK to use that one?”
“Sorry, I’ll get you a fresh towel. They’re in the bedroom cupboard.”
He followed her into the bedroom and Faith felt a flicker of excitement again. She turned to him, towel in hand. He stepped towards her and took the towel, putting it back on the shelf before pulling her close. “I’ve really missed you these past few days. I want you to know I’m not avoiding you or anything. I just have to give everything to making a success of this festival and promoting the Centre this week. I’m sorry if I’ve neglected you.”
“I understand. Don’t be daft. You haven’t neglected me. I know the demands of running a business, remember?”
He was so close… She could kiss bare skin, or run her fingers down his chest.
“Come here,” he said, backing towards the bed, holding her hand. Sitting on the edge of the bed he pulled her down onto his knee.
The kiss was light and gentle but it still had a strange effect on Faith. She felt disorientated, as though she could float away on a little bubble of happiness.
“Don’t start something you haven’t got time to finish,” she chastised him, fighting to keep her hands under control.
Zane sighed and nodded. “Fair enough. Reluctantly then, I’ll go and get a shower. Maybe we can catch up later and carry on where we left off?”
She got off his lap and offered a hand to pull him to his feet. “Maybe we can. Right now I’ll go and sort you some food.”
Faith stirred the soup in the saucepan and pushed the button down on the toaster. She’d promised Zane some food before he went back to the festival and hopefully he’d just about have time to gulp down the bits she’d prepared before he dashed off.
Looking up she saw him walking towards her, dressed in the same black suit he’d worn on the evening they’d had dinner with his sister and her husband up at the Royal.
He looked so handsome that she ached for him. Was he deliberately keeping their relationship on a lighter footing, or was it her imagination? Was he simply too busy to be in a relationship, and did he think that this way he was being fairer on her? If that was what he believed, then he was mistaken.
Or maybe he was scared of something? Perhaps the man who thought nothing of scaling walls of ice on a thin rope was scared of her, and scared of making a commitment? Was that it?
Faith took his plate and empty bowl and forced her face into a smile. “Time is getting on. You’d better make a move.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks again. You will promise to save me a dance later won’t you?”
“Of course.”
It was still a bit early for her to start getting ready yet. Dave was picking Sophie up at seven and then they were calling round to collect Faith. Sophie had excitedly informed her Dave had been allowed the night off so he could go home and get changed, collect her and Faith and then they would actually get to spend some quality time together at the dance, rather than him having to work.
Faith had smiled, pleased for her. Clearly Zane didn’t drive his staff quite as hard as he drove himself.
She wandered into the bathroom to tidy up, but stopped in her tracks at the sight of the place. It was spotless. Towels neatly folded on the towel-rail. The mirror cleaned of steam. Not only was Zane Ferguson far too tempting for words, he was also amazingly tidy. Surely he was too good to be true?