She never felt girlish. ‘We’ve got a potted bay tree on the top step. What if I put it in there for you so you’ve already got it before we come to the door?’
‘You’ve done this before, I can tell,’ he teased, standing close enough that she could smell his scent. ‘So . . . what’s your address?’
Their eyes caught as she gave it to him and a tiny, distant voice was telling her she was crazy to be giving her home address to a complete stranger. This was not the sort of thing she did. But he was a stranger who dressed up as Sinter for the kids in hospital. And he was an artist. Artists never turned out to be axe murderers.
‘. . . Bloemgracht’s great, I love the Jordaan district,’ he murmured, tapping it in. He looked back at her, locking eyes again, sending the flame between them flickering wildly, as though someone had just opened a door. ‘So when were you thinking?’
She shrugged, trying not to look as startled by his presence as she felt. ‘When’s best for you? We’re always around.’
‘Well, I’ve got stuff on for the rest of the day and this evening. How about tomorrow night?’
‘Oh. We can’t tomorrow.’ She gave an apologetic shrug. ‘But other than that, we’re always around.’
He grinned. ‘Sunday then? Seven-ish?’
‘That would be great. And I’ll pay you, obviously. I mean, I don’t expect you to . . . just do this out of the kindness of your heart.’
‘Why not?’
She was surprised by the question. ‘Because people . . . don’t?’
He was looking at her still; he had a way of regarding her, as though he was intending to draw her, observing her mannerisms and funny, nervous tics. She felt him absorbing her. She felt sucked in, magnetically drawn to him.
‘Or, how about a glass of wine afterwards instead?’
‘Wine . . . wine would be good,’ she smiled, feeling her heart rate go into overdrive.
‘Great.’ He picked up his bag again. ‘So then I’ll see you on Sunday. I’ll turn up in the costume, just in case Jasper answers the door. It should be a great look on my cycle over.’ He rolled his eyes.
She laughed. ‘You might be mobbed.’
‘I’ll just have to cycle fast then. See you Sunday.’
‘Yeah, see you.’ She watched the door swing closed behind him and gave a small squeal of excitement. Had that really just happened? She sank against the basin and bit her thumbnail excitedly. Roll on Sunday.
Chapter Five
Lee sat on the refectory table, elbows on her knees and hunched over, as Mila moved around the kitchen like it was her own. Mila was dressed in a frilly blue gingham apron with cherries embroidered on it, which had been intended as an ironic birthday present for Lee several years back from her friend Noah, but which Mila wore in all seriousness. She knew far better than Lee where Lee’s own colander was kept and that she actually had paprika (expiry date November 2014) in her spice rack.
‘I really think it suits you,’ Lee nodded, watching her friend chop some pak choi.
‘Yeah?’ Mila put a hand to her sleek, dark-haired head. The move from ‘student long’ to ‘elfin crop’ had been dramatic, but then so had her recent break-up with yet another man who’d forgotten to mention he had a wife.
‘It’s a good sign – indicative of changes for the better. Not to mention,’ Lee said, earnestly stabbing the air with a finger, ‘quicker in the mornings.’
‘Well, so long as it’s efficient,’ Mila quipped.
They heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and looked towards the door. Lee had deliberately left the door on the latch for her friends – it looked fully closed from the street but nonetheless it left her jumpy and she didn’t take her eyes from the doorway until she saw her friend’s large bulk emerge.
‘Noah! Did you bring the beef?’ Mila asked with obvious relief. ‘Please say you got my text?’
‘Of course.’ He held up a bag and handed the swag over to her as she reached on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
‘You are a star. Cheers,’ she added in English.
‘It will never cease to amaze me how coming to dinner at yours . . .’ Noah said, bending down to wrap Lee in a bear hug. His strawberry-blonde beard tickled her skin, his sudden warmth like a tranquilizer shot. ‘. . . Means we supply the food and cook it!’
Lee gave him a sweeter-than-sweet smile. ‘Excuse me. I’m providing the