Eve Devon - Christmas at the Little Clock House on the Green - An enchanting and warm-hearted romance full of Christmas cheer

He knew he was still at the setting up part of the whole process at the Hall and that once the gardens were open to the public, he’d be able to make money for the estate. He’d already thought about reserving an area for local schools to learn about gardening, about holding gardening weekend retreats and about selling produce from the kitchen garden further afield than the local village markets.

Basically he’d been thinking and dreaming, dreaming and thinking about how to make the place pay for itself for as long as he could remember but he couldn’t help wondering if life would be different had he been able to act on his plans sooner and show Alice a glimpse of what their life together would have been like.

Annoyed at where his thoughts were taking him he concentrated on adding a few more lines to his sketch, determined to capture what he thought Emma had been suggesting. Then, holding out his sketch for her perusal, his gaze bored into her while he awaited her reaction.

Emma

Emma wanted to squirm.

It was seriously hot and seriously intense under Jake’s unrelenting gaze.

And, oh, didn’t he just know it was.

She shouldn’t have said anything.

Despite the fact she’d been fuming before she sat down because what was worse than being caught being nervous?

Yeah – being called out publicly for being nervous.

So what if she’d been acting more confident than she felt? Whatever got her through, she’d been thinking.

Right along with wondering whether she’d ever met a more arrogant jerk in her life.

But then he’d started presenting his ideas and, darn it, because she’d joked that he didn’t have a romantic bone in his body but as he’d talked about his vision, she’d heard the story he wanted to tell with the garden he was creating.

She’d been seriously impressed and it had made her want to show him how committed to doing a good job at The Clock House she was. How serious she took this opportunity. That she wasn’t some starving actress who’d just pitched up to have a laugh, do a little sight-seeing, and grab a pay-cheque at the end of each week. So she’d taken his idea and given it a good outing.

The shock on his face when she’d actually ventured her opinion though.

But instead of going apoplectic, he’d done a total one-eighty on her and listened.

Proper listened.

Which she’d found proper sexy!

No.

Wrong word choice, she told herself.

She was not in Whispers Wood for proper sexy!

She was in Whispers Wood for an adventure.

No … not that kind of adventure, she cut herself off before her imagination could take itself out for a spin again.

She hadn’t realised how much she’d needed to feel as if she was heard.

Really heard.

That was all, she assured herself.

All those years of keeping the faith while getting one knock-back after another, she’d obviously started to feel invisible. That what she had to say and every way she tried saying it at auditions, was irrelevant.

Jake’s reaction had made her realise he wasn’t so arrogant, after all. Not if he could take feedback on something that was obviously the most important thing in his world and rise above criticism to take the good out of what she’d voiced.

Then he’d grabbed a pencil and rather than stab her in the eye with it, he’d started sketching. Long, sure lines, and oh my God, how cute was it that the tip of his tongue poked out in concentration? Making her squirm for an altogether different reason.

A couple more lines and then he was shoving the sketch in front of her and asking her, ‘You mean something like this?’

She took the sketch with hands that were trembling, very aware of Kate, Daniel and Juliet leaning forward to get a good look at what he’d drawn, too.

She looked down at the sketch, drew in a breath that felt funny and then gazed back up at him slightly star-struck because it was like he’d created exactly what she’d been imagining.

‘Um, yes,’ she said, looking back down at the sketch because looking up at him had her completely unable to concentrate. ‘Maybe make these site-lines wider for wheelchair access and so that you can bring tables and chairs into each segment.’

He nodded, walking around the table to stand behind her and stare at the sketch. ‘Need to figure out a way to make the walls the gardens and so that everyone could see each one. I don’t know – maybe turntables?’

Excitement sparked and she nodded. ‘Then you could turn them to get the best of the weather, and to change each view. Ooh, could you tie in each movement to the clock?’

‘Great idea,’ he mumbled, leaning over her so that she felt surrounded by him. ‘Yes,’ he breathed out softly and she felt the caress of his breath against her cheek.

Actual squirming ensued.

As if finally realising he was in her personal space his gaze flew to hers and as her tongue came out without her permission to slide over parched lips, she watched mesmerised as those dark brown eyes of his tracked the movement. One, two, three slow thuds of her heart and then Jake was jerking upright and taking a hasty step back.

Able to breathe again, Emma inhaled and stared back down at the sketch.

‘So what do you guys think?’ Jake asked everyone around the table.

As Kate, Daniel and Juliet all agreed it was a wonderful new design, Jake began packing up. ‘I might need to see if Oscar’s free to handle some of the building work on this. Are we still shooting for having it ready by spring? I could start end of January?’

‘Yes. That would be great. About the noise?’

Jake smiled at Kate. ‘And the dust and the access, yeah, I’m not going to lie, there’s going to be some, but I’ll try to minimize it. If we could build the structures off-site, would that help?’

‘That would be amazing.’

‘Well, it’s not like I don’t have the room at my place. So we’ll start with that as a plan. I’ll get back to you with a revised quote ASAP,’ Jake said, moving towards the exit doors.

‘There’s no rush. I trust you,’ Kate laughed, getting up from the table to follow him out.

‘Actually, the reason for the rush is … I hope you don’t mind but Sarah showed me the invites for your party.’

‘She did?’

‘Normally she’d never do something like that, it’s just that she realised that the date was the same as—’

Emma watched Kate’s eyes grow large as she brought a hand up to her mouth.

‘Oh, crap, it’s not?’ Kate asked.

‘It is,’ Jake replied, ‘but it doesn’t matter. Truly.’

‘Of course it does.’

What mattered, Emma wanted to know? And what was so important about the fourteenth of December, which was the date of The Clock House opening?

‘No. It really doesn’t,’ Jake stated emphatically. ‘Look at it this way, most people around here are already going to have that date blocked out anyway, so you’ll probably get more people to come.’

‘But not you?’ Juliet asked, her tone sad as if she immediately understood what Jake had been trying to say.

‘No. I’m sorry, not me,’ Jake confirmed. ‘I won’t be in Whispers Wood at all over Christmas—’

‘Oh.’

‘—and I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t make a big thing about it,’ he asked, looking from Kate to Juliet.

‘No. Fair enough,’ Juliet said.

Emma watched as Kate touched Jake’s arm briefly and said, her voice quiet and gentle, ‘If anyone gets what it feels like to want to disappear for a while …’

Emma saw the flash of pain before Jake blinked it away and replied, ‘Thank you. I knew you’d get it.’