was a porch, he thought; otherwise he would have been soaked to the skin by then.
Finally the door opened. âOh!â Kay said.
âHello,â Adam said, noticing her face was flushed and her long toffee-coloured hair had been piled on top of her head in a funny sort of bun.
âI was under the bed,â she said.
He gave her a quizzical look.
âVacuuming,â she explained. âDid you forget something?â
âNo. Can I come in?â he asked, knowing he was the kind of guy who girls didnât automatically invite into their homes. âItâs a bit blustery out here.â
âOh, right,â Kay said.
âThereâs something I want to ask you,â he said as he walked inside, waiting for her to close the door behind them. âTheyâve broken off filming at the Cobb. The weatherâs too bad. Theyâre going to do some of the Uppercross scenesâup in the Marshwood Vale.â
âWhere you live?â
âNearby, yes. I was going to drive up there and wondered if you wanted to come along.â He paused, his heart thudding in his chest. This isnât a date, he told himself. Thereâs no need to get tied up into nervous knots about it.
âRight now?â she asked, her bright eyes widening.
âYes.â
âI donât know,â Kay said. âThereâs so much to do here. Iâve got beds to make and towels to wash and carpets to vacuum and sinks to clean. And Iâve got to prepare a meal for tonight.â
Adam watched as she puffed out her cheeks.
âOkay,â he said.
âMaybe another time?â
âNo. I meanâokayâIâll help you,â he said. âIâll make the beds and wash the towels and vacuum anything that needs vacuuming.â
She gave him a quizzical look. âWhy?â
âBecause I think you should come and see Persuasion being filmed, and I want to show you the Marshwood Vale.â
Kay looked thoughtful for a moment.
âAll the cast will be there. Iâm sure theyâd be happy to see you,â he added, and he watched as Kayâs expression changed.
âYouâll really help out here?â she asked.
âOf course. Just point me to the nearest sink that needs scrubbing.â
A smile broke across Kayâs face, and Adam found himself mirroring it. Heâd known this would be a good idea.
Chapter 12
There followed a mad frenzy of vacuuming, dusting, and scrubbing as Adam and Kay worked their way around the bedrooms of Wentworth House. Bed sheets were straightened and tucked, pillows and duvets were shaken and fluffed, towels were swapped and washed, and everything else was cleaned until it shone.
Finally, when Kay was quite sure everything looked perfect, she turned to Adam. He was ready with a smile for her.
âI think we deserve the rest of the day off, donât you?â
Kay nodded. âThatâs certainly a job well done,â she said. âThanks so much for helping. If you ever give up the film world, thereâs a job for you right here.â
âI might take you up on that,â he said, thinking how wonderful it would be to work alongside Kay all day. How distracting it would be too. No, he decided, he probably wouldnât get any work done at all, if he knew she was just in the next room, because the temptation to down tools and take her in his arms andâwell, it just wouldnât be viable, would it?
âLetâs get going, shall we?â
âIâll just get changed,â Kay said.
Adam nodded and decided to take himself downstairs to the living room. Being on the same floor as Kay getting changed was more than any sane man could bear.
It was a funny little room with its nicotine-coloured wallpaper and flowery carpet, but Kay had made it wonderfully homey. There was a glass vase of freesias on the windowsill, and two big lamps promised a warm glow once evening set in. Sheâd also