Christmas at Lilac Cottage - Holly Martin Page 0,33

from her dad and looked at Penny. ‘There’s a man here to see you. Josh?’

Penny nodded. ‘Can you tell him I won’t be a second?’

Daisy hesitated for a second then left.

Penny let out a breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding and brushed the hair off her face in frustration.

‘I’m not sure what is going on here, whether all this – the flirting, looks, touches and comments – is just some kind of game for you, or you are just incapable of not flirting with a woman, but nothing is going to happen between us so you can stop it now.’

Henry looked stunned. ‘You’re flirting with me.’

‘I am not.’

‘You brought me cake,’ Henry said, with exasperation.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise cake was the international sign language for I want to get you into bed. If that’s the case I must have been flirting with my friend Maggie every Saturday for the last five or six years.’

‘I’m rubbish at reading women, but I thought you made it pretty bloody obvious you were attracted to me.’

Penny felt her mouth fall open. What had she done to give him that impression?

He stepped closer. ‘Your breathing accelerates when I come near you, your pupils dilate, I can see your pulse hammering against your throat, your body goes into goosebump overdrive whenever I touch you,’ he said, softly laying his finger on her arm and her body betrayed her by proving his point.

‘Fine. I am attracted to you.’

‘I’m very attracted to you, so what’s the problem?’

‘You.’ She gestured frantically at him and all his spectacular gorgeousness. She suddenly stopped her protests for a second to appreciate his wonderful words. He was attracted to her. The endless flirting hadn’t just been a bit of silly fun for him, he actually was attracted to her. Very, was the word he used.

‘What’s the problem with me?’ Henry asked.

She stared at him, realising he wasn’t the problem, she was.

‘I can’t do a relationship. I go into them with everything I have. I’m sure that’s not the kind of thing you’re looking for.’

He didn’t argue against it but finally he spoke. ‘You’re right, I’m not looking for anything serious right now.’

‘And I’m not looking for anything casual. I haven’t been in a relationship since the last one ended in the most heartbreaking way possible. If I go into a relationship again, it has to be with someone I can trust not to hurt me. You seem lovely and kind and Daisy adores you, but you also seem the sort that can get any woman he wants and I certainly don’t think you want to put up with all my insecurities and baggage and crap. So can we please put a stop to all of this flirting, because it’s killing me.’

Penny was suddenly aware of Daisy standing in the door again, she quickly turned to face her.

‘Sorry, Penny, Josh says he’s in a bit of a rush.’

Penny nodded and with one more glance at Henry’s dumbfounded face she hurried out. Well, if she wanted to put Henry off her for good, she’d certainly done that with all her crazy. The men of the town really were right. She was damaged goods.

* * *

Henry watched her go, confused by how quickly and disastrously that conversation had gone. He didn’t know why he was so drawn to Penny; only a few hours before he had sworn to himself that he wouldn’t pursue things with her but he couldn’t seem to stay away from her. He looked back at Daisy, who fixed him with a glare as she folded her arms across her chest.

‘What?’

‘You said you weren’t going to get involved with her.’

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘We agreed that she was an all-or-nothing kind of girl. You’re not capable of anything serious. You’re going to hurt her and I really like her. She’s said she’s happy to teach me about carving and that I can work with her part time around school and she will pay me to carve. You have no idea how much I want to work with her. My first proper job doing something I absolutely love and you’re going to screw it all up for me.’

‘I won’t screw it up. I have no intention of hurting her, that’s the last thing I want.’

‘But you will. Look at Rosie. You broke her heart.’

‘Rosie was never anything serious.’

‘It was for her.’

He knew he had hurt Rosie when he broke up with her and he felt bad for that, but the worst thing