Free Playing the Playboy's Sweetheart by Carol Marinelli

glass of wine that he’d wanted since Emily had first poured hers.
    ‘You’re driving!’ Emily reminded him.
    ‘Emily, you surely don’t expect me to drive back tonight and then come here again tomorrow.’ Before she could answer that, yes, as unreasonable as it was, she expected just that, Hugh spoke over her. ‘If I do that then you’ll complain that I left shopping and all the meal preparation to you.’ When still she said nothing Hugh let out a sigh. ‘All right, I’ll see if I can get a bed and breakfast for tonight.’
    With a martyred sigh he went back to his phone and started looking for accommodation.
    ‘Did you suggest this to Alex?’ Emily asked.
    ‘I swear that I didn’t. Alex was actually saying the other day that he was going to make a bit more effort with his marriage.’
    ‘Are they having problems?’
    ‘Why do you jump straight to they must be having problems?’ Hugh asked.
    ‘Because isn’t that what it usually means?’
    ‘Not in their case. As far as I know, they are very happy, and not by accident.’ Hugh added, ‘You know how Alex always has a project on the go and he’s decided it’s time to make it about Jennifer.’ Hugh carried on looking through his phone. ‘Right, there’s a bed and breakfast two doors down from here with a vacancy.’ He carried on reading. ‘I get a full breakfast served by a very friendly host, which is more than I’ll probably get here.’ He gave her a wicked smile. ‘But I’m taking back the marmalade.’
    ‘No, you’re not,’ Emily said, and as he went to book his reservation, she gave in. ‘Okay, you can have the spare room tonight just so long as you change the sheets and get it ready for Jennifer and Alex tomorrow.’
    ‘Change the sheets?’ Hugh frowned. ‘I’m only going to be sleeping in it for one night, I don’t have the lurgy.’ Then he saw her expression. ‘Fine, I’ll change the sheets.’
    Emily did her very best to sulk for the rest of the afternoon but it proved impossible.
    It started to rain and so they went shopping in the village for tomorrow’s dinner and planned the menu as they went along.
    ‘There’s a slow cooker at the cottage,’ Emily said as they looked at the meat. ‘We could do Greek-style slow-cooked lamb on a nice salad, or is that too easy?’
    ‘Easy sounds good.’ Hugh nodded but shook his head as Emily went to add tzatziki to the trolley. ‘I’ll make it.’
    They got all the usual things for breakfast as well as some amazing bread but Emily was adamant about one thing. ‘They’re not having my marmalade at breakfast.’
    ‘We’ll hide it,’ Hugh agreed.
    They decided on strawberries soaked in Cointreau and cream for dessert and, yay, they’d found the easiest dinner to prepare in the world.
    ‘We’ll have plenty of time to relax,’ Hugh said.
    ‘Oh, I intend to,’ Emily said, ‘but what do I wear?’ It was the age-old problem but a real one this late afternoon. ‘I packed shorts and shorts and shorts.’
    ‘It’s fine,’ Hugh said, but when they passed a little boutique Emily wandered in and after a quick look found a dress that might just calm the sunburn that by tomorrow would be raging—it was pale blue and loose and the fabric was so sheer it felt like a sheet of ice as she slipped it over her head in the changing room.
    It was gorgeous.
    Too gorgeous perhaps for Hugh.
    ‘Emily?’ he called from behind the curtain. ‘Let’s have a look.’
    ‘Oh, you have to approve, do you?’ Emily said, slipping it off and pulling on her shorts and top and then stepping out.
    ‘No,’ Hugh said, ‘I just wanted to see.’
    ‘You’ll see tomorrow.’
    ‘I’ll get it,’ Hugh said.
    ‘No!’ Emily said, and then smiled. ‘Actually, if I’m playing the part of your tart then I
should
have a clothing allowance.’
    It was fun, just fun, no matter how much she tried to sulk.
    The shower passed and the sun came back out for its final gasps before it set. They refilled the