Her Mistletoe Wish by Lucy Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

enough.’ He smiled brightly. ‘Isn’t that what you always used to say?’
    ‘Flynn, stop it.’
    ‘Stop what?’
    ‘Trying to take us down memory lane.’ She spread her arms wide. ‘What are you doing here?’
    He stared at her as though she’d gone completely loopy. ‘Did you hit your head last night? Are you feeling all right?’
    ‘Flynn,’ she growled, her teeth gritted, her tone filled with warning. He had the audacity to laugh.
    ‘Reg, I’m not exactly sure what you mean.’
    ‘Here. In
this
particular town house.’
    ‘It was listed on the bulletin—’
    ‘I know. I know it was listed but why did
you
, of all people, have to move in?’
    ‘I don’t follow.’
    ‘Sunainah used to live here and Richard lived here before her and before that Richard’s parents and before that…I don’t have a clue, but the point is, you’re living slap bang in the middle of my three closest friends.’
    ‘And the problem with that is…?’ he asked, carrying the frying pan towards her and placing a perfectly round, perfectly cooked pancake onto her plate.
    ‘Thank you,’ she said politely. ‘It’s just odd that
you
, the man I was once going to marry, is living
here
. Among my friends. In the town house they wanted me to move into. Joining the cul-de-sac crew.’
    ‘There’s a crew?’ His eyes were alive with delight at this news. ‘Do they get together for movie nights and dinners?’
    ‘Flynn, be serious.’
    ‘I am. Do You know how much I’ve always wanted to be accepted as just part of a crew, part of a team?’
    That stopped her. ‘You have?’ She was surprised at his words and stared at him for a moment, realising there was still so much she didn’t know about him.
    ‘Anyway, you were saying your friends wanted you to move in here?’
    ‘Yes, but I was more than happy where I…was.’ Reggie sighed as the weight of the previous evening’s events fell on her shoulders like a tonne of bricks. She slumped forward and buried her head in her hands, not even the delicious scent of the pancakes able to help in this situation.
    Flynn put the frying pan back on the stove top, adding more mixture before coming over, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently starting to massage them. ‘I’m sorry your place burnt down, Reg.’ His words were simple, effective, perfect.
    ‘So am I,’ she said, leaning back a little to grant him more access to her neck, her eyes closing at the touch of his hands. How did he still manage to know exactly what she needed? Straightforward words and a bit of support. No flowery sentiments, no immediate solutions to problems. Just support. That was all she needed at this moment and he was offering it in a caring and gentle manner.
    ‘You still have magic hands,’ she sighed after a few minutes. ‘And thank you for the pancakes. They’re my favourite.’
    ‘I remember.’
    ‘They do make me happy, Flynn, I just can’t…’
    ‘You can’t show it the way you usually do. The ever optimistic, happy and bubbly Reggie. I get it.’
    ‘Get what?’
    ‘With me, everything’s different. You think there’s too much water under the bridge between us. That it would be impossible for things to move forward between us.’ He nodded. ‘I understand.’
    ‘Do you?’ Did he really understand just how much he’d hurt her all those years ago?
    ‘I might even be so bold as to declare that I understand
you
, Reggie.’
    She laughed without humour. ‘I’ve changed.’ She shifted a little in her chair, acutely aware of the way he was making her feel with his hands on her shoulders, massaging gently. The air between them seemed to be charged with unspoken conversations, things they should have said but hadn’t…things they shouldn’t have said but had.
    ‘Everyone changes, Reg, but hopefully not in essentials,’ he offered, releasing her shoulders. ‘I think you’re still the same Reggie, wanting to help others, smiling, laughing, spreading sunshine wherever