isn’t open yet.’
‘No, but I need a guinea pig.’ He blundered over his words. ‘Not that I’m calling you a pig…I just…’
‘Daniel, I’d love to come and try out some flavours.’ And just like that she’d gone from sad and thinking she’d have a good cry when she got home to feeling a whole lot better.
They made their way behind the trees and over to the ice-creamery, a modern sea-blue, white-shuttered venue with a big ice-cream cone painted on the outside wall. It was way too cold tonight for anyone to be sitting outside on the picnic bench, and its cherry-red umbrella that came out in summertime was nowhere to be seen. They talked about the flavours on offer and Lucy had to admit that while thinking about cold desserts made her feel the winter even more, the prospect of enjoying the ice-creamery’s adventurous festive flavours with hot waffles in Daniel’s company had never been more appealing, especially when she saw a teenager inside tucking into what looked to be a small tub of the chunky Christmas-cake crunch with hot sauce drizzled across it.
They carried the tubs of ice-cream between them all the way back to the shack, where Lucy admired the lamp-post now concreted in its base outside and all ready for her sign to be hung on it to give this place a name. With the frontage looking so beautiful and from the veranda a view of grassed area and the giant village Christmas tree, this place was already something special and it wasn’t even opening night.
Daniel let them inside and flipped on one set of lights to give the shack a soft glow. ‘Low lights tonight,’ he explained, leading her through the main seating area to the kitchen at the back kitted out with stainless-steel appliances and a row of waffle makers along a benchtop. ‘I don’t want people to think I’m open for business.’
‘Me neither. I want to be first in line for these waffles.’
He loaded his ice-creams into the freezer and took the stack she had in her arms to slot them in too. ‘Let me take your coat. It’s warm enough inside, I’ve been here most of the day washing crockery, stacking it away, doing paperwork. And I’ll put the heater back on for us.’
‘Can I have a tour?’ He was standing close to her in the narrow kitchen, so close she’d brushed her arm against his body when he took her coat.
‘A tour? It’s pretty much what you see is what you get, but come on.’ He grinned. ‘This is the kitchen.’
‘Funny.’ She swatted him with her hand. The flirting between them came naturally from both sides and she wasn’t wary of him at all. Even going by past reputation, some of which wasn’t good, he was nothing like the man some people would have you believe Daniel Luddington to be.
He took her back through to show her the main area with its wooden walls and roof, the cosy tables for four and a couple of bigger tables for families covered in wipe-clean gingham tablecloths. There was a serving counter ready for action and at the back through another couple of doors she got to see the bathrooms, which were on the small side as expected. What wasn’t expected was how close she’d have to squeeze against his body to get in there to see for herself.
‘I’m thinking it’s one at a time to use the bathroom.’ The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at her, their bodies pressed together. ‘Otherwise you’ll find yourself in this situation with a total stranger.’ She felt her hair shift beneath his breath before she passed back through into the main area of the shack.
He clasped strong hands together as though he didn’t trust himself not to reach out and touch her. ‘Waffle time?’
She smiled and followed him back into the kitchen. He handed her one of two aprons from the hook at the end of the room. They had a logo with ‘The Little Waffle Shack’ written in loopy white letters and a print of a couple of waffles beneath the wording. Lucy hitched one over her head, wrapped the belt around twice and tied it in a bow at the back.
Between them they cracked eggs, weighed dry ingredients and whisked batter until it was ready to use in the heart-shaped waffle iron Lucy selected for use.
‘Typical girl,’ said Daniel with a grin after he switched it on to heat up.
‘I’ve never had