Laura's eyes grew wide. "Oh. Well. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He perched on the edge of her bed. "How are you feeling now?"
"Better, I think. Just tired." She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. "Daniel! Your meetings!"
"Don't worry about them."
"You cancelled? You shouldn't have!"
"I'm the boss—I can do what I like, remember? I went to the first one, since you made such a fuss about it, but to be honest, I had plenty to do here anyway. You provided me with a solid excuse."
Laura's lips twitched. "Glad to be of service." But she didn't quite believe him.
He patted her hand. "Shall I go up to the house and get you some lemon tea or something?"
She nodded. "That would be good. Thanks." Anything to get him out of the room for a minute. She needed to think.
He rose from the bed and headed to the door. "Behave!" he ordered as he left.
Laura clambered out of bed. Her legs were a little wobbly, but her stomach felt more empty than queasy. Thank goodness she hadn't thrown up—fainting was undignified enough! The headache was still there, but she could live with that.
When she'd washed her face, glared at the state of it in the mirror, and brushed her hair and teeth, she got back into bed, knees pulled up to her chin.
Daniel had cancelled his meetings to stay by her bedside. What did that mean? That he was worried about her was obvious and not unreasonable for a friend, but she wasn't sure she dared hope he had feelings for her beyond that. For all she knew, she had just provided him with a good excuse to get on with some work.
He returned with a tray of lemon tea and an array of plain biscuits, crackers, and grapes for her to nibble on, placing it on her lap and returning to his chair with a cup of tea for himself.
"What are you working on?" she asked, curious about the scribbled notes scattered around him.
Daniel sighed. "When a client books a holiday with us, we provide an information pack tailored specifically for them and the places they plan to go," he explained. "Tourist info, practical stuff, along with some personal experiences and descriptions of places, recommendations for trips and places to eat, so they know we've been to that area. A lot of it is available on the Internet, of course, but they like to have it handed to them on a plate, so to speak—the personal touch. So when I visit somewhere, I draft what I can, then Natalie pulls it all together with facts from the Internet, keeps it updated, and puts together a relevant pack to send to clients a few weeks before their trip."
"I had no idea." No wonder he was tired: travelling, meetings, business deals, and a personal travelogue to compose.
He shrugged. "It's part of the business."
"So, what did you have planned for tomorrow?" she asked, painfully reminded he would be leaving the day after that.
"I have a lunchtime meeting at a hotel near Barcelos. I thought I ought to go to the Thursday market in the morning. I gather it's quite a sight?"
Laura nodded and took a sip of tea. "Yes, it is. If you're writing about personal experiences for your clients, it would be a good one." She hesitated. Tomorrow was his last full day, and she wanted to spend it with him. "I'd love to come with you."
"And I would love to take you with me, but I don't want to be responsible for your demise. Besides, I assume I'd have to get to Barcelos early to stand any chance of parking."
"That's true." Laura bit her lip. If she didn't finish at the hotel until ten thirty, by the time they drove there the place would be heaving.
"Do you think Teresa would be willing to stand in for you tomorrow morning as well as this evening?" he suggested.
"Maybe." She could only imagine what Maria and Teresa would say about her neglecting her duties to spend the day with Daniel—absolutely nothing! They would probably be delighted.
"You can ask her later—she's bringing you some broth for supper." He pulled a face. "But I don't want you to come if you're not well enough. Understood?"
Laura nodded. She was too tired to argue.
"I have something else to ask you while you're a captive audience," Daniel said quietly.
"Oh?"
He hesitated. "I was wondering if you would consider coming down to Porto with me—if not for the week, then maybe a few days."
Laura's heart leapt, only to sink again as he went on.
"You've been such a help this week, and it's good not to have to do this on my own. I'd appreciate your company . . . and your expertise."
Laura slowly let out a sigh. This whole thing was impossible. She knew he appreciated her company, and that was heartwarming—but he also wanted her for her language skills and local knowledge and to ease the burden at his meetings. That might have been flattering before she realised she was in love with him. Now it felt . . . inadequate, somehow. And the thought of spending so much more time with him when she was swamped by these new feelings, knowing nothing could come of them . . .
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I can't just leave the hotel."
"Your friends will be back soon," he pointed out.
"I know, but they'll still need my help while they catch up with things. And it's my only opportunity to spend time with Rachel. We've been looking forward to it all year." And, Laura thought, it was more important than ever with Rachel's pregnancy. Besides, what would she tell them both?
Daniel nodded. "I understand. But it was a worth a try."
****
He finally left Laura in the early evening, after she'd eaten all her soup and fallen sound asleep.
At a loose end, he called at the Hursts' room and offered to take them out for a meal.
