The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft (not Croft)

Chapter Forty Four

Lara found herself in an enormous, double-ceilinged space. It would have seemed cavernous but for the beautiful furniture – an inviting L-shaped sofa, an antique coffee table, tribal art decorating the walls and beautiful rugs scattered across the floor. To her side, a staircase led to a mezzanine floor. And at the far end of the apartment, a space-age style kitchen, complete with a huge wooden table and benches, made her gasp out loud.

Light flooded in from skylights in the ceiling, dousing the space and making it look like the set of a movie, or Vogue shoot. Lara drew in a breath. Now this was the kind of place she’d like to call home. Maybe if she had some success with her novels…

‘Hello?’ Lara called out, wondering where everybody was.

A noise from upstairs made her look up. She drew in a breath and staggered backwards. There, leaning against the railing, stood Jamie.

Lara blinked in astonishment, not understanding.

‘Hi,’ Jamie said.

‘Er, hi,’ Lara answered, checking again the address on the package. ‘I… I’m delivering this package. I had no idea it was for you.’

Jamie nodded and then headed towards the stairs.

Lara’s heart had started to beat faster in her chest. What was going on? She didn’t get the joke. And where was Lucy? Was this the place that Lucy had helped decorate? Had she picked out the tribal masks on the wall, and helped him order the Persian rugs?

Jamie was striding towards her now across the length of the room. His shirt was untucked and Lara couldn’t help but notice how good he looked in his jeans and how a day’s stubble really added an extra veneer of sexiness to his gorgeous features. The features she’d missed so much.

His expression though, was odd. Strained, she thought.

‘Can I get you something to drink?’ he asked, turning and heading across the football-pitch sized room towards the kitchen.

He headed straight for a giant chrome-coloured refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. Lara nodded, speechless, following behind him.

‘This is your place?’ she asked, confusion mounting. Didn’t he live with his parents?

‘Yeah,’ Jamie answered. ‘I just bought it. It took me a while to save for it because I didn’t want to have a mortgage, but business is going well. What do you think?’ he asked her, looking a little anxious.

‘It’s great’ Lara said truthfully, glancing around, ‘It’s really, really nice.’ And it must have cost a fortune…

Jamie smiled, seeming relieved that she liked it. In truth she didn’t just like it, she loved it. She envied it, even more so when she pictured her box room back in Catford.

She took the glass he offered her with a downcast flicker of her eyes and downed half of it before remembering that she was driving. It was looking likely she was going to have to leave fairly soon… or as soon as Lucy appeared and started getting all lovey dovey over Jamie in front of her.

She glanced at Jamie through her eyelashes. ‘I thought I was coming to meet Calibre Concierge,’ she said, clearing her throat and waving the package at him briefly. She put it down on the breakfast bar behind her.

Jamie crossed the room towards her and filled up her wine glass. To hell with driving, Lara thought, swigging some more. She’d take a cab.

‘I’m so sorry about what happened to you in Africa,’ Jamie said then. ‘Lara, if I’d have known… if I’d have had any clue I would never have let them send you…’ He closed his mouth quickly, but Lara was practically choking on her wine. What did he just say?