Free One Summer Night At the Ritz by Jenny Oliver Page A

looked like in comparison. Flabbier. Ruddier from so much time at the allotment and trying to fix all the problems with the boat. She didn’t want to dry off in front of him. Didn’t want him to see her body the way she could see his because she felt she would be judged and found wanting.
    ‘I’ll have the grilled chicken sandwich,’ she said, handing him the menu. ‘Do you want to have a shower?’ she asked.
    He paused, then slung the towel round his neck and said, ‘Together?’
    ‘No.’oShe rolled her eyes.
    He laughed. ‘OK, well you go first, I’ll order the food.’
    Even though the door was shut, Jane undressed like she was in a school changing room. Holding the towel tight round her and pulling off her damp clothes and underwear, then almost jumping into the shower cubicle. She knew he’d already seen her half-naked swimming in the lake, but suddenly here, back to the stark reality of the hotel where they had first met, she felt hugely self-conscious. So much so that, after the shower, she stood taking deep breaths at the door, psyching herself up to cross the room in her towel to go and find some dry clothes.
    When she walked out of the room, he was phoning through the room service order. His head didn’t move but she could feel his eyes follow her across the carpet. She didn’t look at him, just headed for her suitcase which was an open mess of stuff on the sofa and, keeping one hand firmly on the knot in her towel, rummaged through for something vaguely acceptable to wear while trying to surreptitiously pack her tatty belongings away at the same time.
    ‘I’ve seen it all before, you know? At the lake,’ he said with a nod towards her clutched towel as he put down the phone.
    ‘Doesn’t mean you’re going to see it again,’ she said with a raise of her brow and he laughed.
    ‘That’s a shame.’
    Jane swallowed and had to look away from his pleased-with-himself grin. Focusing on her clothes, she found that the only things she had left to wear were her denim shorts and an old white hoody that she wore instead of a dressing gown at home. Never had she wished that she’d listened to Emily more and packed a whole host of possible outfit choices.
    Will went to have a shower, and proved himself to have a great deal fewer inhibitions – he left the door open for the whole thing and then just strolled out the bathroom dressed only in a white Ritz robe and threw himself lazily down on the sofa. ‘This is the life, isn’t it?’
    Jane was sitting cross-legged, a touch awkwardly, on one of the straight-backed chairs and jumped to attention as soon as the waiter knocked on the door with their dinner.
    ‘Hi yes, great, er, just over there,’ Jane said, pointing to the coffee table, ‘Thank you.’
    She saw the waiter glance towards Will, who was really playing up his whole relaxed dressing gown look and loving how flustered it was clearly making her. Her fingers fumbled in a purse for a tip. The waiter did a sort of bow and Will raised his hand in a cheery goodbye, his bare feet up on the pouffe.
    When she smelt the food, however, all Jane’s inhibitions were gone. She was not someone who did well without food and, lifting the silver cloche from her sandwich, she was already taking a bite as Will sauntered over.
    ‘What did you have?’ she asked mid-chew, tucking her bare legs underneath her so he would see less of them.
    ‘The burger,’ he said, lifting the lid and sighing happily at the site of the huge steak burger, its brioche bun glistening under the lights.
    He sat down next to her on the sofa, legs open, the gown just covering him, clearly uncaring how much she saw of him. She shifted slightly, having expected him to sit opposite.
    ‘That’s a damn good burger,’ he said as he took a bite, then turned and looked at her. ‘You know, I can barely remember why we’re together,’ he said.
    ‘You said you wanted to buy me off,’ she replied, licking mayonnaise off her lips as she put