“Nah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He lifted his head, his eyes panning across the town square, but Lucy didn’t want to let whatever it was lie.
“Will …” She tugged gently at his hand and he finally looked at her. She could see the machinations of thoughts processing behind his eyes.
“I do like that movie, although don’t tell Brad. We’re already outnumbered, and he’ll think I’m leaving him in Camp Die Hard all by himself.” He smiled conspiratorially and Lucy felt the breath she’d been holding escape. She returned the smile.
“It’s just that …” Uh-oh. There was a caveat. “I don’t know how to say this …” Will lifted his gloved hand and rubbed at the back of his neck, then bit his lip.
“Seriously, Will, just say it.”
“It’s just … I feel like a bit of a Miles, is all.”
Lucy’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Sorry, what? I’m not sure …” What in the world did he mean?
“You know, Miles? The Jack Black character?”
“Yes, I know who Miles is, but I don’t understand your meaning.”
“Look, you’re like, so beautiful, and you’re British and super interesting. You’re like Iris, and then there’s me, the dorky but—hopefully—loveable American guy—the Miles. And I know that you’re way out of my league, that you’re older and more sophisticated, but …”
He dropped his head and closed his eyes, and Lucy could see his embarrassment. She knew she should say something, but with so many thoughts whirling through her mind, where to start?
“Will, I … I …”
He was shaking his head now, clearly in self-derision. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just that you’ve seemed really distant all day, and I’ve been trying to figure out what I did wrong.”
“Will,” she said firmly. “Look at me.” He did, even though she could tell it was making him uncomfortable. “Do you think we could find somewhere to get a hot chocolate or something? To talk?”
He hesitated for a moment, then replied. “Sure.” He called out to the cousins, who made their way back to them. “We’re going to go grab a hot chocolate. Why don’t we meet you back here in, say, an hour?” He looked at Lucy, as if to confirm the timing, and she nodded.
Lucy caught Briony’s eye and Briony didn’t miss a beat. “Come on you two, let’s go watch the snowboarders.” She pointed to a giant half-pipe where snowboarders were doing tricks for a large audience of “oohing” and “ahhing” spectators.
“But I want a hot chocolate …” Lucy heard Bradley say as Briony herded him and Bridget away.
“Come on,” said Will, taking her gloved hand in his. He led the way through the crowd to a bustling coffee shop on the edge of the square. The bell above the door tinkled as they entered, and the scent of coffee and cinnamon filled the air.
It was toasty warm inside the coffee shop and Lucy could already feel the prickle of sweat under the many layers it took to withstand the outside temperature. She pulled her pompom beanie off her head and slid her hands out of her gloves, and by the time Will had led her to a table in the corner, she had already unzipped her coat and was slipping it off her shoulders.
“You get used to doing that,” Will said. At Lucy’s confusion, he quickly added, “Stripping off every time you go inside. Oh, I didn’t mean strip …” He shook his head at himself, obviously embarrassed, then grinned at his own expense. “Why can’t I say anything right today?”
Lucy grinned back, grateful for something funny to break the tension between them. “I knew what you meant.”
“Uh, yeah, even so, I’m going up to the counter now before I embarrass myself further. What can I get you?”
Lucy looked at the hot chocolate in front of the woman at the next table. It was in a tall glass mug and looked exceptionally rich and delicious. It was even topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. That line from When Harry Met Sally popped into her head, “I’ll have what she’s having,” but it was loaded with innuendo and she and Will were already dancing around what was happening between them.
Lucy pointed to the woman’s hot chocolate surreptitiously. “One of those please,” she said quietly.
“Be right back.”
Lucy watched Will as he manoeuvred amongst the tables, glad to have a moment alone to sift through everything she was feeling. What was she going to say to him? “By the way, Will, your sister was properly ticked off about us kissing, and I think we should go back to being ‘just friends’.”
But if Lucy was completely honest with herself—and she’d been mulling this over ever since talking it through with Steph—she didn’t want to be just friends with Will. He was the first man who she could really talk to and she fancied the pants off him.
If only it would come to that—Will with his pants off. Oh, Lucy, that’s crass, she chided herself.
She watched as Will approached the counter and smiled at the teenaged boy taking his order. As he engaged in the simple transaction, her thoughts tumbled over each other.
He is so handsome. That smile, those eyes, those strong, capable hands. Much more of a Graham than a Miles. Although Miles truly is a lovely man. Just that I don’t fancy him. But I definitely fancy Will. And he’s lovely. He’s like Miles and Graham all wrapped up in one.
So, Lucy was properly falling for Jules’s brother, something that just might destroy her friendship with her best friend, and she had no idea what to do about it. She’d have to decide soon, however, because he was making his way back to the table with her hot chocolate and a smaller mug, which she presumed was coffee.
“Here you go,” he said, placing the hot chocolate in front of
