Holiday In the Hamptons (From Manhattan with Love 5)

“Less stiff. I might live to annoy you for a few more years.”

“I’m counting on it. And so are your friends. You still have several seasons of Sex in the City to get through. Wouldn’t want to miss that.” She poured herself coffee and suppressed a yawn.

Her grandmother glanced at her. “Someone is in a good mood. Do you want to tell me about it?”

Fliss curved her hands around the mug. “Definitely not. Your heart couldn’t take it.”

“My heart’s as strong as yours.” Her grandmother measured flour into a large bowl. “It’s good to see you smile.”

“Why wouldn’t I smile? The sun is shining, I have eight clients in the Hamptons and two more calls to deal with. I like spending time with you, and it turns out I’m not such a bad cook. Life is good.”

“So you’re not planning on going back to Manhattan anytime soon?” Her grandmother made a well in the center of the flour. “I expected you to stay a week.”

“Well, it hasn’t been that long.” Fliss made a calculation in her head and felt a stab of shock as she realized just how long. How had that happened? One sunny day had flowed into another until the whole summer seemed a blur of sunrises and sunsets. “I enjoy living with you. You’re good company.”

Her grandmother studied her over the rim of her glasses. “Are you trying to convince me you’re here because of me? Because entertaining though the Poker Princesses are, I have a feeling the reason for your continued presence might be a certain young sexy male who is good with animals.”

Not just animals. “He’s part of the reason. And you were the one who pushed me toward him, so you can’t judge.”

“Do I look as if I’m judging? I’m pleased for you. Now stop talking and get peeling. There’s a knife on the table. Peel the apples, then slice them. And I want them thin. No shortcuts.”

“What time are the Poker Princesses arriving?” Fliss stole a pecan from the bowl on the counter. “I need to prepare myself for the inquisition.”

“They’ll be here at midday. And if you stop picking at the food there might be something left for them to eat.”

“You’re a hard taskmaster. I like cooking with you.” And no one was more surprised about that than she was. It wasn’t so much the cooking, she thought, as the shared activity. “Harriet’s going to be surprised when I make her pancakes. At home, she’s the one who does the cooking. Daniel and I do the eating.”

“She’s a real homemaker, your sister. Now that Daniel is with Molly, there’s only Harriet left alone. I’d like to see her with someone special. Is she dating?”

“Wait a minute. What do you mean, the only one left alone? What about me?”

“We both know it’s only ever been Seth for you.” Her grandmother picked up the recipe to check something, and Fliss stared at her, heart pounding.

“Do we? I never said that. We haven’t talked about a future or anything. We’re seeing each other, spending time together, that’s all.”

Her grandmother put the spoon down. “Does he know that?”

“I don’t know. It feels scary,” she confessed. “He was hurt because of me. And I hurt, too. I’m terrified we’ll end up hurting each other again. I couldn’t put him through that. And I couldn’t put myself through that. It feels like a huge risk.”

“Wonderful things almost always require that you take a risk. And love is a wonderful thing. It’s what adds richness to our lives. Not everyone is lucky enough to find it, or sometimes they find it but they can’t do anything about it. I’d say if it comes your way then you should grab it with both hands. I suspect Harriet would do pretty much anything to have what you have.”

A serious case of the jitters? Sick tension?

She’d never thought love was as simple as Harriet seemed to think it was. Harriet thought all you needed were the feelings and the rest was easy. To Fliss, all of it was hard. The feelings, and what those feelings meant.

But even she had to admit that what she had with Seth was special.

“I’m thinking of persuading her to try online dating. Harriet, I mean. She’s not keen.”

Her grandmother winced. “I don’t blame her. I can’t imagine going on a date with someone I’d never met face-to-face.”

“It’s the way things are done now. It’s not ideal, but it’s hard meeting someone when everyone is busy.”

“She doesn’t still stammer with strangers?”

“Not for years. She’s more confident. In her comfort zone.”