Page 48

“No,” Lucy replied impatiently. “And give me those secateurs.”

“They’re Michael’s.”

“He’ll get them back later.”

Dylan handed over the secateurs.

“So, should I clean up what I’ve done?” he asked.

“That would be a great idea,” Lucy snapped before turning and marching back indoors.

Her heart was still racing with emotion as she stomped up the stairs to her flat. How dare he just decide what to do with her garden? She’d known something like this would happen, but she’d allowed her stupid pregnancy hormones to get the better of her and she’d let her guard down and been charmed by Dylan. How could they be business partners if he was just going to do whatever he wanted without consulting her?

She flung the secateurs on the table, put the kettle back on to boil and finally made herself a cup of tea. She looked out of the window, blowing on her drink. Dylan was raking up the mess he’d created into a pile. The garden did look bigger. And it didn’t actually seem that he’d cut anything back too much. Lucy sighed as she realised what he’d done had made a big difference already. She hadn’t had any idea where to start but he appeared to know what he was doing.

She turned away from the window crossly and put down the mug. She’d go and get dressed so she wasn’t still in her pyjamas when Dylan came inside and she needed to face him again.

By the time Lucy returned to the kitchen and put her cup of tea in the microwave to reheat, her ire had largely abated. She’d told Dylan that she hadn’t had time to start work on the garden, so he’d taken the initiative. It was his business as well, and having that extra seating would be very useful in the warmer months. And it hadn’t actually looked like he’d done anything other than cutting back some of the overgrowth. Yes, he should have checked with her first, but she’d over-reacted. She checked out of the window. There was no sign of Dylan. Her stomach flipped as she heard the door to the flat open.

Dylan looked sheepish as he entered the room.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” Lucy replied.

“I’m not quite done clearing up, but I feel terrible and I wanted to bring you a peace offering.” He brought his hand out from behind his back and passed her a bouquet of rosemary. “I remember you saying it was your favourite herb. Don’t worry, there’s loads more down there,” he added quickly.

“Thank you,” Lucy said.

“I’m really sorry,” Dylan said. “I thought you’d be pleased. I knew it was something you wanted to do . . . I never would have done it if I’d had any idea it would upset you.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” Lucy said. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.” She’d felt out of control, that he’d decided something and had just gone ahead and done it.

“Then why did you?” Dylan asked gently.

Lucy sat down at the table and pulled the other chair out for Dylan.

“So, I told you that I had a baking business before I opened the coffee shop, which I had to close. That was when I had to move back in with my parents while I saved up money to start again, working two jobs to do so.”

“Sure.” Dylan sat down. His attention completely on her.

“The reason my business failed was because my boyfriend at the time was stealing money from it. It turned out that he’d hidden a gambling problem, and he used money from my business to fund it, making it look like expenses for items he was ordering for me. By the time I realised, it was too late and there was no saving things. I lost a business I loved, my whole livelihood, because of him.”

Dylan’s eyes flashed with anger. “That’s awful,” he said. “How could someone do that? Especially to their partner.”

Lucy gave a little shrug. “He had a lot of issues, and it was a lesson learned and definitely made me toughen up. It’s left me with a need to control things. I know you’d never do anything like that.”

“I’m glad. We both have access to the company bank account, but I don’t need to have a debit card for it. I think the only purchase I’ve made for the coffee shop was the extra Christmas decorations. But those came out of my own account and I gave you the receipt for you to transfer the money to me.”

Lucy nodded. “It’s OK. I trust you.” And, somewhat bizarrely to her, she did, she really did. “It’s more . . . a control thing. When I started up again, I was determined I would be in charge of everything. I’d never let anyone take my business from me again. And then I had to take you on as a business partner—”

“That can’t have been easy,” Dylan said. “What can I do to make you more comfortable? Obviously check with you before doing anything related to the business—”

“Well, yes, but honestly, you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s my issue, and getting the garden area prepared makes sense.”

“Do you want to come outside and we can chat through what to do with the space for a bit?” Dylan asked.

Lucy smiled. “That would be lovely. Just let me grab my coat.”