he leaned toward her, so only she could hear him, and held a hint of amusement. “But I could offer you so much more fun than a Christmas movie.”
That joy in her belly fled south, igniting a warmth and need right between her legs. She pressed them together, fighting the desire as she forced nonchalance into her voice. “What are you doing here, then?”
“Mum wanted to come.”
Confused, Hannah furrowed her brow as she followed the direction his finger was pointing. Her gaze came to rest on Sarah Brown, her parents’ house cleaner. She would never have guessed this Italian stallion belonged to Sarah. Standing next to his mother were her daughters, who, with perfect blond bobs, didn’t look a thing like their brother. But that was likely due to the different father thing. Hannah couldn’t recall their names—although only a few years younger than her, they’d gone to school locally whereas she’d boarded in Perth and their mother only ever referred to them as the Two Cs.
“Sarah is your mum? I thought Matt stood for Matthew?” Sarah often talked about her son Matt but Hannah had never seen him, until now.
“Logical conclusion. But no.” He held out a hand. “Matteo Della Bosca, but most people call me Matt. You can too. Pleased to meet you.”
She couldn’t resist the opportunity to touch him although every sensible cell in her body told her to resist. “We’ve already met.”
“And don’t think I don’t remember—” he grinned, which only worked to amplify the heat within her “—but I didn’t get your name.”
“Hannah. Hannah Elliot.” It wasn’t a sin to give the man her name now, was it?
“Matteo.” Sarah, blonde like her daughters but not at all as svelte, landed beside them and glowered at her son. “It’s time to go home.”
Hannah didn’t know what that was all about but she smiled at Sarah anyway. “Hi Sarah. I met your son earlier when—”
Matt’s voice was loud, overriding her sentence. “In the bakery. Hannah was buying a gingerbread man.”
She looked at him, confused at his lie but kinda stoked he’d paid enough attention to notice what she’d been eating. “Yes, I must admit a weakness for them at this time of year.”
“Oh, if you like gingerbread, I’ll drop you round some of my Christmas cookies.” Sarah beamed. “I made a big batch this morning.”
“That would be lovely,” Hannah replied honestly. After all, she was eating for two, didn’t she deserve a bit of extra sugar?
“Anyway, we must be going now, come on, Matteo.” Sarah had a viselike grip on Matt’s arm and tried to pull him away. The use of his full name made Hannah wonder what he’d done to displease her.
“Nice seeing you again, Hannah.” Matt nodded and ran his gaze down her body, making her feel as if he had X-ray vision and could see right through the summer maxi dress she wore. Her knees swayed again. “Maybe I’ll see you soon.”
It was a statement, not a question, and Sarah didn’t appear to like the idea. “I doubt that, Matt. Hannah will be far too busy with the emporium this week.”
As Sarah practically dragged her son away, Hannah wondered if she should feel insulted. She got the impression Matt’s mum didn’t think Hannah was good enough for her boy, but instead of being offended, she thought it sweet. It probably wasn’t her—Matt was a good-looking man and she guessed he was quite successful in business as well. Like most mothers, Sarah probably didn’t think any woman would make the cut.
“Who was that?”
“Is that Sarah Brown’s prodigal son?”
Laura and Jayne, each carrying a sleepy child in her arms, spoke at the same time.
Hannah blinked a few times, her gaze still glued to Matt’s retreating behind. His butt looked tight and incredible in those shorts. Man, she was hopeless. Lost cause material. You’d think she’d learn from past mistakes.
“Earth to Hannah? Did that guy hit on you?”
“Yes, twice.” Hannah could never lie to her best friends.
“Then what the hell are you still doing here? Go after him,” Laura commanded.
“And be sure to take notes so you can tell us all about it in the morning,” Jayne added with a suggestive smile.
“You two, stop it.” Hannah tried to look stern. Fact was, Laura and Jayne—although totally happy in their marriages—had been living vicariously through her shenanigans for quite some time. She used to send them daily emails when she was circumnavigating the globe. “I told you, I’m sworn off men after Larry.”
Jayne’s eyes narrowed and she hissed like a wildcat. “I have conflicting feelings about that ex of yours. Half of me doesn’t want to meet him, but the other half of me would love to get him alone, naked, in the salon with a big pot of wax.”
Hannah sniggered. Jayne owned the beauty salon in town and reckoned the best way to get revenge on a man would be to tie him up and then wax his nether regions.
Recovering from her own giggles, Laura said, “Jayne’s right. You can’t let Larry the Loser ruin your life. You deserve good sex as much as the rest of us.”
Why was Matt synonymous with good sex all of a sudden?
“Hey, the blame can’t lie solely on Larry’s shoulders,” Hannah said defensively. Although if they knew the truth, they’d likely take a shotgun to her ex-husband’s head. “He was just the final nail in the coffin, but I think it’s high time I got the message. I’m not talented when it comes to picking men. I think the longest relationship I’ve ever managed besides Larry lasted a week.”
“No, it was ten days,” Jayne said matter-of-factly. “With Tim just before the end of high school.”
“Semantics.” Hannah shook her head. “Bottom line is the same.”
Laura sighed. “Fair enough. I see where you’re coming from, but the way Sarah says it, her son won’t be around for long. Why not indulge in one last summer fling before you join the convent?”
Because I’m pregnant. Hannah couldn’t bring herself to admit this just yet and she knew Laura and Jayne wouldn’t let the matter rest, so... “Look, I promise to give it some serious thought. Happy?”
Her two friends nodded, big grins on their faces.
LAURA AND JAYNE would be pleased, because Hannah couldn’t stop thinking about Matt. Every time the door of Elliot’s Emporium opened the next day, she looked up, her heart skipping a beat at the thought that it might be Matt coming back for something he’d forgotten, and then sinking when she realized it wasn’t. Putting a smile on her face for the customers who weren’t him took serious effort. Luckily most of them were only after small things—a wooden ornament, a rocking horse or a coffee table for a Christmas present—and were on
