Sweetly Isolated (The Swallow Barn Cottage Series, Book 1)

Open Up

Author's Note:

This is part 2 of today's double update. And now I'll go write some cozy mystery. Or another chapter of this silliness ;)

Love,

K. xx

***

Staying hungry in the evening wasn't a good idea, based on her Maharaja themed experience, so when he knocked on her door, she got up and marched into the bathroom to wash her hands.

Look at yourself, Popplewell. If you continue frowning so much, you'll look like the Twelfth Doctor by the end of the isolation. These are indeed attack eyebrows!

She sat down on a kitchen chair and continued stubbornly staring at the table, while he plated and served.

"Chicken dhansak," he announced, and Tina nodded, now looking into her plate. "I'm having some Chardonnay with it, but I assume you shouldn't." He chuckled. "I got you some alcohol-free Riesling."

Tina nodded again and picked up the glass he'd placed in front of her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, sitting down across from her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just... tired," she muttered and started eating. Just as I told your girlfriend.

Tina chewed. The food had zero taste.

"Do you want to go skating together tomorrow?" he asked after a few seconds. "I'm going to need some exercise after all the sugar and carbs in that pancake cake you promised me," he added in that purring tone of his.

Nope, not working. How about you take your skates, Mr. Holyoake, and go draw loops around your girlfriend?

"Are you sure everything's alright?" he asked, dropping the sultry tone.

"Top-notch," she grumbled and took a large sip of her drink.

He was probably giving her an inquisitive look, but she didn't look up from her dhansak, so she wouldn't know. They continued eating in silence. Funny enough, if it were that quiet when she'd shared meals with August, she'd fret and try to lighten the mood and look seekingly into his eyes trying to suss out what she'd done wrong and how she could fix it. He'd actually once said to her she needed to learn to 'give people space.' Apparently, she had no problem with giving Holyoake space. If she could, she'd give the man his own planet. C'mon, mate, when is your shuttle leaving? Tina forcefully stabbed a piece of chicken on her plate.

"Clementine?"

Ugh, does he have to be so pretentious? she internally sneered, skewing another innocent piece of poultry. 'Tina' was just fine. Short, boring, and unassuming, just as Tina herself.

"What would you say about sleeping together tonight?" he asked nonchalantly.

Her eyes flew up. "What?!"

Just look at him! Cool as a cucumber!

"If you don't mind, of course," he said and shrugged.

His lips softly wrapped around the forkful of the chicken. Damn his manners. He chewed, Tina steamed.

"I don't think that's the best idea," she gritted through her clenched teeth.

"Sure," he said lightly and picked up his glass. "Just thought I'd offer. In case you end up sleepwalking again, this could save us a lot of barney. But obviously, only if you want."

"Why would I want to sleep with you?!" she hissed.

He took a sip, pursing his lips.

"I reckon, you like me a bit more when you aren't fully awake." He saluted her with his Chardonnay. His eyes were narrowed. She reckoned, she'd gotten her discontent across. Good. "Or sober," he added with a cold smirk.