So that wasn’t what she was crying about. Or if it was, they were the oddest tears of joy he’d ever seen. He walked towards her, bending down to disentangle the strap of her handbag, which was still over her shoulder, and laying the bag on the bed.
‘Chloe...? What’s the matter?’ She hadn’t told him to go yet, and if that wasn’t exactly an invitation to stay, he wasn’t too proud to take it as such.
She seemed to be making an effort to pull herself together, and Jon pulled a tissue from the box next to the bed and handed it to her. Chloe blew her nose and he handed her another for her eyes.
‘Thank you for the kitchen. It looks fantastic.’ She heaved a sigh. ‘You really shouldn’t have done it.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t have if I’d known it was going to drive you to this.’ He’d been telling himself for the whole of the last week that this was just a thank-you. That it was something one friend could do for another. But now he realised that all he’d really wanted to do was make her smile. Give her something that she loved.
He wanted to hug her and dry her tears, but he made do with sitting cautiously down on the bed next to her. ‘What’s the matter, Chloe?’
She shook her head, reaching for another tissue to finish mopping up the tears. ‘I’m sorry. It’s been a difficult weekend.’
‘Want to talk about it?’
She shook her head but didn’t move. ‘I’ve put too much on you these last two weeks. And now you’ve done this...’ She turned her honey-brown gaze on him. Now, more than ever, it reminded him of sweet pleasure, dripping over his senses.
‘I’m here to listen, Chloe.’
‘I know you are. But it doesn’t matter...’ She gave him a teary smile. ‘I’ll make some supper. We have to have something nice to christen that gorgeous kitchen with.’
She stood up, obviously bent on going downstairs and pretending that everything was all right. He couldn’t bear it. Jon caught her hand, pulling her back down onto his lap.
‘Forget the kitchen.’ It had been the centre of all his hopes and efforts for the last two days, but now he didn’t care about it. ‘I’m not letting you go until you tell me.’
* * *
He had hardly touched her, and the force that had impelled her into his arms must have come from somewhere inside herself. And although he was hardly holding her at all, she couldn’t escape. Maybe because her own fingers were clasped tightly together behind his neck.
He must have spent the whole weekend here, working on her kitchen, when he should have been at his place, working there. Of course he’d wanted her to be delighted with it. It was a wonderful present, and she didn’t know how she could ever repay him for it.
One thing she was sure of. Tears were no kind of thanks and sharing what had happened this weekend wasn’t either. Because he’d only feel that he had to stay, when what he should really do was go and get on with the things he had to do.
But she so wanted this. His strength and solidity. The feeling that she could face anything if he just held her for a little while.
‘The kitchen’s beautiful. It’s a lovely goodbye present.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘It was more of a thank you than a goodbye. Why, are you throwing me out?’
‘No.’ She nudged her head against his shoulder. ‘I’m telling you that you’ve done enough. You don’t need to hang around here, sorting out my problems.’
‘So I can stay as long as I want?’
‘Of course you can.’
‘Where’s Amy? Is she back with Hannah now?’
‘No, she’s with James and Carol.’
‘And Hannah?’ Chloe didn’t answer and his arms tightened around her, pulling her closer. ‘You said I could stay as long as I wanted. I’m taking that as an invitation to pry into your personal business as well. I’m not letting you go until you tell me.’
Chloe sighed. There was no way out of this. She was going to have to tell him and then perhaps he’d leave Hannah to her.
‘James dropped Hannah off at her place on his way home. She said she wanted to do some things there, and that she’d come round after lunch. We waited until three o’clock, and when she didn’t answer her phone, we went round there. Hannah had gone.’
‘Gone? Where?’
‘I don’t know. She left a note saying she needed some more time and that it was better for Amy if she was with us right now.’