Page 56 of A Winter Wish

“No need to explain, you don’t answer to me. I’m off early today to pick Ivy up from nursery, but have a lovely lunch.”

And that, apparently, was that. Lexie got to her feet and slid out the front door, careful not to brush against Theo as she did so. It was warm outside, a sunny June day, and Bath’s golden buildings shone more brightly as a result. It was early enough in the summer that it was still a luxury to step outside in her long skirt and sleeveless blouse without needing a jacket.

She glanced up at Theo. “Is no one else coming?”

“Nope. Just the two of us.” He started walking purposefully, and after the briefest of hesitations, she matched his pace.

“Why?”

“Because you’ve been awkward and weird since we got back from Madrid.”

“No, I haven’t!” Lexie exclaimed automatically. He raised his eyebrows and she wrinkled her nose, embarrassment heating her cheeks. “Fine, maybe a little. I don’t usually get awkward and weird.”

“So why did you?”

Lexie pressed her lips together, not sure what to say. She didn’t really know why. She’d had plenty of flings in the past. She supposed the difference was they’d actually been flings and usually she was the one to walk away, before they could decide they were done with her.

His lips twitched, something apparently funny in her nonanswer. “Besides, we do actually need to run through some things—why not do it over food?”

He led her to an independent café on Margaret’s Buildings, a little street that was known for its local shops and restaurants, situated in a hot spot between the Circus and the Royal Crescent. They grabbed a table outside on the paving stones, Theo slipping his sunglasses on and Lexie wishing she’d remembered hers. The café itself was bright green, with paper chains hanging in the window, and had that kind of intimate feel that could never be replicated in a chain restaurant. The outside tables were buzzing and Lexie could see a table of four women, all with Aperol Spritzes, making the most of the early English sun. Given she had to get through an entire hour with just Theo, she was quite tempted by an Aperol herself, but opted for an iced latte instead.

While the waiter was getting their drinks, Theo leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table. “So. Just to clear the air—do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” Lexie asked slowly.

“What happened in Madrid.”

“Nothing to talk about, right?” She tried to keep her voice light, even though her stomach was squirming.

“If you say so.”

“It was a one-time thing,” Lexie insisted, the words coming easily, maybe down to the number of times she’d repeated them to herself.

“OK,” Theo said, his voice casual. He thanked the waiter who brought out their drinks, and they ordered their food. It was all locally sourced, and breakfast was served all day, so Lexie opted for the Turkish eggs

She waited for Theo to press her on the subject as the waiter took their menus, and when he didn’t, she frowned—it seemed too easy. But if he wasn’t going to push, she certainly wasn’t. “Saw you talking to Mike,” she said.

“Yeah.” An expression crossed his face that she couldn’t quite read.

“He’s not happy?”

“I’m actually not sure, despite his blustering, Mike is ever happy.”

“Ange told me he used to own ten percent of the company.”

“Yep.”

“And now he owns zero percent.”

Theo just shrugged, taking a sip of his citrus juice—a specialty of the café, apparently.

“Even though he lent my dad the money to start it.”

“Which your dad paid back,” Theo said pointedly, just as their food came out.

Lexie added salt to her eggs, took a bite, then immediately wished she’d forgone the salt—they’d gotten the seasoning just right without it. It was still delicious, though, the garlicky yogurt somehow exactly the right amount of garlic. Theo’s mushrooms on toast looked good too, and Lexie decided she’d bring Fran here on the weekend.

“Does Mike want it?” Lexie asked after swallowing. “Does he want his share back or whatever?”