Chapter 12

Stella was strolling down the aisles of the supermarket in Micklewick Bay, having decided to stop off before she went home. She had plans to have lunch, launch into some unpacking, then treat herself to a walk along the beach – the thought of breathing in the salty air and having a paddle in the sea was growing more tempting by the minute. Her fridge needed stocking-up on ready meals – Stella would be the first to admit her culinary skills were basic at best, and consisted of salads or microwave meals. She also wanted to get a few ideas for what pre-prepared nibbles to lay on for her housewarming party on Saturday night. And, as the wine aisles came into view, she decided she might as well scoop up a few bottles in readiness for it too.

Leaving her trolley at the end of the aisle, which was blocked by a couple bickering about which wine would go best with fish and couple of women who appeared to be putting the world to rights, Stella made for the white wine section and lifted four bottles of Pinot Grigio from the shelf. Setting them down in her trolley, she headed back for a couple of bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. That done, she selected some beers. As she was making her way back to her trolley she looked up to find none other than Alex Bainbridge wearing an amused smile. Unbelievable! Micklewick Bay may be a small town, but Stella didn't think it warranted bumping into him as frequently as this! Was he following her?

‘Hello there,' he said in his deep, rich voice that, annoyingly, sent a tingle running right through her.

She stopped in her tracks, taking in his black slogan T-shirt and khaki combat-style shorts. ‘Oh!' Her heart responded as if it had been jump-started, her pulse taking off at a gallop. And there was that feeling speaking to him seemed to trigger, mixing up her insides. Get a grip of yourself, woman! Reminding herself he was a shameless flirt despite having a girlfriend, she took a calming breath and pulled her mouth into a tight smile. ‘Hello.'

‘Doing a spot of shopping, I see.'

‘Yes, anyone would think we were in a supermarket,' she quipped. Despite her cool tone, she couldn't help but think he really did have the most gorgeous eyes, a mesmerising ocean-blue flecked with gold. The sort she could very easily lose herself in, given half the chance.

‘Hmm.' He nodded, his grin growing wider, his eyes dancing.

The feeling that he was laughing at her, or that there was some joke she wasn't a party to started to creep over her. ‘Right, well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get on,' she said, bristling.

‘Yes, of course, but before you go, can I just check that you meant to put all of that in my trolley?' He nodded towards the bottles of beer she'd just set down, his smile twitching.

Stella's brow creased with a frown. What's he talking about? And why does he have to be so out of the way attractive when I'm trying to play it cool with him?

‘I mean,' he gave a shrug, ‘I'm very happy to pay for it, but I thought I'd–'

‘What d'you mean? I'm not expecting you to pay for anything.' She looked down at what she'd assumed was her trolley to find it contained not only the wine and beer she'd selected but also a variety of other items she certainly hadn't placed in there. ‘Oh. Oops!' She pushed her lips together as her frown deepened. She glanced around for her trolley to see it had been pushed out of the way and was now next to an elaborate display of chocolate biscuits. ‘Sorry about that.'

He followed her gaze. ‘No worries, it's easily done.'

‘So it would seem.' She hitched her black designer bag up on her shoulder and bit down on a smile, refusing to soften towards him despite what her insides were telling her, not to mention her thudding heart.

‘So, is this a shopping dash in your lunch break?' he asked.

‘Not quite, I just managed to finish early for the day.' Stella cut a striking figure in a fitted, crisp white collarless shirt and smartly tailored trousers which, thanks to the addition of her high heels, made her legs appear to go on forever.

‘In that case, I hope you're going to do something more exciting with the rest of it than have a whizz around a supermarket.'

Was he hitting on her again? she wondered, her hackles rising. ‘Yes, I most certainly am. And now, if you'll excuse me, I really must get on,' she said curtly.

His smile fell as she went to reclaim her trolley.

‘Stella, can you just give me a moment, please?'

She turned to him, meeting his eyes, noting the frown that now furrowed his brow. ‘Why? I can't imagine we have anything left to say.' He's a tryer, I'll give him that.

‘Oh, wow! Blunt! I kind of get the feeling I've done something to annoy or upset you – which, if I have, has been completely unintentional.' He raked his fingers through his hair. ‘I mean you were friendly one minute and in the next you were giving me the cold shoulder. Forgive me if I got the wrong end of the stick, but I kind of thought we had a connection.' He pushed his mouth into an uncertain smile.

Though the appealing look in his eyes tugged at her insides, she was determined not to fall for it. ‘I'm not in the habit of flirting with, never mind dating, men who are in a relationship,' she said sharply.

‘Sorry, you've lost me.' He rubbed his fingers across his brow.

‘You have a girlfriend, or have you conveniently forgotten about her – again?'

He looked utterly confused. ‘What girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend to forget about. I've been single for the last six months.'

It wasn't the response Stella had been expecting. As she marshalled his words, she searched his face for any telltale signs that would reveal he wasn't telling the truth, her senses screaming at her that he was being honest. If she was wide of the mark, then he was a convincing liar. The thought that Rhys could be fooling her mum in such a way flashed through her mind. Blinking, and telling herself that her eyes hadn't deceived her – she had seen him with another woman – she said, ‘What about the girl you met at the Jolly last Friday. You know, very attractive, dark ponytail, petite? The one you were apparently overjoyed to see.' She hitched a questioning eyebrow at him. ‘Surely she can't have slipped your mind.'

A smile slowly spread across his face. ‘Ah, that one.'

‘Yes, that one.' Why was he smiling like that?

‘Zara.'

‘I've no idea what she's called, you didn't introduce us – not that I'd expected you to under the circumstances, that would've been way too weird.'

She watched in confusion as Alex threw his head back and laughed heartily.

‘I'm not sure why you find that so funny.'

‘That explains it,' he spluttered.

‘Explains what?' Stella narrowed her eyes at him. She was beginning to feel really rattled now.

‘Zara's not my girlfriend.'

‘Oh really?'

"Really.'

‘What is she then? You looked pretty close to me.'

‘That's probably because she's my sister; my twin sister. She was coming to see my new place but was late – as Zara always is.' He rolled his eyes affectionately. ‘So I'd arranged to meet her at the Jolly. She'd only just landed when you and I were talking at the bar.'

‘Oh. So… so, does that mean you're single?' A feeling of relief washed over her mingling with a generous dash of embarrassment. It was quickly followed up by an unexpected surge of happiness.

‘Yup, well and truly. Well, unless you count Fred, we come as a package, I'm afraid.'

‘Sounds like a nice package.' Stella smiled at him, her heart dancing, he had a way about him that she found herself drawn to; a mix of his easy manner, his friendliness, not to mention his sense of humour. That, along with the fact there was no edge, or arrogance to him – unlike most of the men she encountered in the robing room – all added up to make him undeniably appealing.

‘Why thank you, you're not the first woman to have complimented me on it.' He gave a mischievous grin.

‘I didn't mean that!' She giggled. Though she had to admit, she wouldn't mind getting a bit of first-hand experience of it. He did, after all, look mighty fine, even more so with this new information he'd just shared.

They stood smiling at one another for several moments, emotions swarming around Stella's insides. Alex was the first to break the silence. ‘So,' he said, ‘if you're free this afternoon, don't suppose you fancy grabbing a coffee somewhere, do you? Or a bite of lunch, even? I quite like the idea of playing hooky for a few hours.'

Her mind went to the boxes back at her apartment, waiting to be unpacked. She figured they could wait a little longer. Smiling, she said, ‘I'd really like that.'

‘Great.' He beamed at her. ‘Don't suppose you can recommend anywhere? With me being new around here, I'm still finding my feet as far as eateries are concerned.'

‘How about the Jolly? They do a great Lite-Bite menu that runs from lunchtime right through to about five p.m. I was planning on heading down to the beach this afternoon anyway.'

‘Sounds good. Shall I meet you down there, say, one o'clock?'

‘Perfect.'

‘Great.'

They struggled to break eye contact, both grinning inanely until an impatient voice broke into their moment. ‘S'cuse me, you're stopping anyone getting to them chocolate biscuits.'

‘Oops, sorry.' Alex flashed an apologetic smile as he stood back, Stella doing the same. ‘See you at one then. Oh, and do you mind if I bring Fred?'

‘I'd be disappointed if you didn't,' Stella replied.

‘You mean there's two of you?' asked the woman reaching for the chocolate biscuits. Before Alex could answer, she turned to Stella and said, ‘By, aren't you a lucky lass?' She gave her a saucy wink before ambling off, leaving Stella and Alex dissolved in a fit of the giggles.