Free Playing the Playboy's Sweetheart by Carol Marinelli Page B

to herself that possibly Hugh was that for her.
    Emily gave up trying to sleep and took her phone from the bedside table and stared at the picture they’d taken that evening. They looked happy and carefree, which was how she actually felt when he was around.
    When
he was around, but how would she feel when he was gone?
    After her break-up with Marcus, Emily had boxed up his stuff to return to him with much the same emotions as when she took the Christmas tree down. A little sad that it was over but ready to start afresh.
    With Hugh it would be agonising and looking at her phone, staring into his green eyes, seeing her smiling face beside his, Emily finally understood the meaning behind a well-known saying.
    Don’t start what you can’t finish.
    It would kill her to be finished with Hugh and that was the reason she chose to stay alone tonight.

CHAPTER FIVE
    E MILY WOKE THE next morning to the sound of a knock on her door, and Hugh scored no points for good behaviour even though he brought her in a mug of tea.
    ‘Why did you wake me up?’ Emily asked.
    ‘It’s ten o’clock.’
    ‘But I wanted to lie in.’
    ‘Which is why I waited till ten o’clock. How long do you usually lie in for?’
    ‘I don’t have to answer that,’ Emily said, taking a sip of tea and wishing he wouldn’t sit on the bed.
    ‘The lamb is in the slow cooker and I’ve made the tzatziki,’ Hugh said.
    ‘Did you make any toast with that blood orange no-peel marmalade on it while you were down there?’ From beneath the sheet Emily kicked his thigh with her foot.
    ‘Will all my sins be forgiven if I make toast?’
    ‘Nearly all of them.’
    He made some for himself too and brought up his own mug of tea. Yesterday they had been too busy avoiding their attraction to each other to spend time working out the nuts and bolts of their charade but agreed to do it now so they wouldn’t get things wrong at their little dinner party.
    ‘How long have we been seeing each other?’ Hugh asked, as they munched through the nicest toast in the world.
    ‘Well, I said to Louise that we’d been on and off for a couple of months.’
    ‘Okay.’ Hugh nodded but then he gave a small wince. ‘Have you heard the rumours...?’
    ‘Yes, yes,’ Emily dismissed. ‘I know that you got off with Gina after the emergency do.’
    ‘But I didn’t get off with her. Gina and I are just friends.’
    ‘Friends who just can’t keep their hands off each other in the car park.’ Emily smirked.
    ‘Emily, there really is nothing between Gina and I. There never has been.’ Hugh hesitated. Again he wanted to tell Emily what was on his mind but in fairness to Gina he couldn’t. ‘It is going to make things a bit awkward, though. People are going to think that I cheated on you...’
    ‘I’m sure I’ll survive.’ Emily laughed and Hugh frowned.
    ‘It doesn’t bother you?’
    ‘If we actually were an item then, yes, I might want to know the details, but we’re not an item and anyway...’ Emily started, but then changed her mind. She really didn’t want to reveal to Hugh that she was thinking of leaving her job and so people talking about them wasn’t going to be an issue for her. ‘Don’t worry about work for now,’ Emily said instead. ‘Let’s just sort out what we’re going to say tonight.’
    ‘Well, I’m guessing that Jennifer might talk about Rima and Matthew’s wedding, which is in July. Do you know Rima?’
    Emily shook her head.
    ‘I think she got sick just before you started at The Royal. Okay, Rima and I went to med school together, along with Gina. Matthew’s a dentist,’ Hugh said as Emily yawned. ‘Pay attention, Emily, they’re good friends of mine and if we are going out then Alex and Jennifer would expect you to be going to the wedding with me and to at least know a little about them.’ He had a sudden thought. ‘When is your dad’s wedding?’
    ‘The last week of June, but you don’t have to come to that.’
    ‘It will look