‘He’s the one, isn’t he?’ Katrina asked as the taxi pulled away.
‘What do you mean?’ Madison asked.
‘Gorgeous mind, gorgeous heart—and very easy on the eye.’ Katrina smiled. ‘And he’s a fantastic cook. He ticks every single box on your list, Maddie.’
‘Did you like him?’
Katrina nodded. ‘He’s a nice guy. I liked the fact his mantelpiece was full of family photographs—and I noticed he has children’s drawings on his fridge, held there with magnets.’
‘They’re his niece’s.’
‘That’s the only thing. Do you think he’ll change his mind about the issue of kids?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘So where do you go from here?’
‘I have no idea.’ Madison sighed. ‘I don’t even know how he really feels about me.’
‘I think I do,’ Katrina said thoughtfully. ‘Did you realise he watches you all the time?’
Madison frowned. ‘What do you mean, he watches me?’
‘He looks at you as if you’re the focal point in a room—and there’s a special softness in his eyes when he looks at you. When he smiles at you, it’s not the same way he smiles at anyone else. There’s a lot more depth to it. And he calls you “darling” all the time.’
‘No, he doesn’t.’
‘He does,’ Katrina insisted. ‘Well, strictly speaking, “matia mou” means “my eyes”, but in Greek that’s a really romantic thing to call someone.’
Madison gave her cousin a curious look. ‘How come you know so much about Greek endearments?’
Katrina coughed. ‘Someone I met on holiday. Years ago. And it wasn’t serious and it didn’t go further than a kiss and holding hands, so don’t give me a grilling. Besides, we’re talking about you and Theo. He loves you, Maddie. And every time he looks at you, he looks torn. As if he doesn’t want to love you, but he can’t help himself.’ She paused. ‘And you look that way at him, too.’
Madison knew that her cousin noticed more than most people; Katrina had grown used to picking up visual cues to compensate for her poor hearing. And Katrina was also a stickler for the truth. ‘It scares me, Kat. The way I feel about him. It’s even stronger than the way I felt about Harry. And suppose I’ve got it just as wrong this time?’
‘Somehow, I don’t think you have.’ Katrina took Madison’s hand and squeezed it. ‘I’d say hang on in there, hon. Because when Theo’s sorted out whatever the problem is in his head, he’ll be worth the wait.’
CHAPTER TEN
‘I LIKE Katrina very much,’ Theo informed Madison over lunch the following day. ‘I can certainly see the family resemblance.’ The corners of his eyes crinkled. ‘She’s lovely—though my taste runs to smaller, livelier baggages.’
Madison blinked. ‘Did you just call me a baggage?’
‘I might’ve done.’ He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her. ‘What are you going to do about it?’
‘Make you take it back.’
His smile widened. ‘And how exactly are you going to do that, Madison Gregory—given that I’m so much bigger than you are?’
‘I’m coming home with you after work. And when I’ve eaten the rest of that fabulous crème brûlée you made—which, by the way, you’d better not have eaten for breakfast this morning…’
Theo burst out laughing. ‘Maddie, only you would eat pudding for breakfast.’
‘Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Kat’s chocolate bread-and-butter pudding is even better cold—though that’s reserved as a birthday breakfast treat. Anyway, stop distracting me. As I said, when I’ve finished the crème brûlée…then I’ll show you.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘That sounds more like a promise than a threat.’
‘It is.’ She smiled. ‘I didn’t say that it wasn’t going to be enjoyable, did I?’
He laughed. ‘In that case maybe I should insult you more often, matia mou.’
‘Hmm.’ She looked at him through lowered lashes. Kat was right: there was a softness in his eyes when he looked at her. So maybe he did love her. But she needed to hear the words for herself. From him.
‘Actually, I have a better idea than the crème brûlée,’ he said. ‘I discovered that the jazz trio who played at the masked ball happens to be playing at a club in Soho tonight. Let’s go dancing.’