Chapter 2

"You like him, don't you?" Martha teases, as her youngest daughter perches herself on one of their stools and stretches her arm across the clear white breakfast bar to pluck an apple from the fruit bowl. It was a bright Pink Lady, with almost sunset coloured hues on its flesh before Cora takes a careful bite and swallows before answering. "A friendly guy at the beach?" Cora quips, skilfully despite knowing exactly what her mother was getting at. "Why wouldn't I?"

Martha smiles as her husband comes up from behind her wrapping his arms around her waist with a grin. "What am I missing?" Isidore asks both of his girls to be greeted by a kiss from his wife and an eyeroll from their twenty-five-year old daughter who swivels her chair playfully, taking another bite of her apple and trying not to think about how badly she wants to run to her room and sketch Robert Crawley with her new pencils. The cool shower she had when they had arrived back at their condo had refreshed Cora's body but had failed to dull the excitement bundling all around it. She could throw on a pair of jeans and her baggiest t-shirt every day and her parents would still not be fooled. "Our daughter has a British beau." Her mother swoons causing Cora to drop the apple in astonishment. "A British beau. I think you've been reading too many Austen novels Momma."

"Oh really?" Martha replies. "Really." Cora is indignant however, her mother is prepared eyes shining. "Then why are meeting him again tomorrow sweetheart?"

Because- because. Damn she's good. Cora thinks. Completely bested but before she can admit defeat her father interrupts. "You're meeting my future son in law tomorrow? Where? When? Should I wear a tie?"

Her parents make her guffaw as she gets up. "I love you guys!"

"We love you more." They say together. As she heads to her bedroom to fill her day with sketches of an English fellow she hears her father whisper. "Is he more handsome than I was when we met?"

"I give it a year and we'll be planning a wedding and picking out baby names."

"I heard that!" Cora shouts jokingly.

"You were supposed to." Martha laughs.

In contrast, Robert had no such questions to answer unless, you count what he wanted for dinner in a few hours. He strolled in humming a happy tune. No messages or emails from his secretary. Good and on the plus side, he'd managed to find a return flight in a week's time. Alright, maybe he'd deliberately picked the latest flight but, he had a reason to now. A stunningly perfect, absolutely wonderful reason named Cora. And he was seeing her tomorrow!

"I should get something sorted out." Robert said to himself, he only had a few days' worth of clothes but, the hotel laundered upon request so he was never going to be short of shirts or under-wear. He selects a crisp, blue shirt with white trousers and sets them aside. He knows he's no Casanova but, at the very least, he knows how to greet a friend. Even though, he hopes somehow, she'll be more than that. No. She is more than that. More than that to him.

He woke early, showering, dressing and eating a light breakfast of summer fruits before making the short journey down to the beach. It was only five minutes away. Again, lucky. But, not as lucky as he feels when he sees who is waiting for him.

"Cora," He smiles, taking in her image. In a light powder- blue dress and wonderfully bare foot.

"Robert! Hi!" Cora says ecstatically pulling him into a surprise hug that leaves them both with a lovely feeling of familiarity.

It shouldn't be this easy. But it is.

They spend hours just talking together, laughing, grabbing lunch and stopping to use the bathroom jointly before returning to the beach. She asks him about his work, what it is like being a CEO of a multi-million-pound company. "It has its charms. My father started as an investment banker and then decided to give it all up to manage the family estate when my grandfather died. I was only twenty but some-how he believed in me. So, I travel the world selling our wine, investing in new technology and hoping it pays off. We do a little bit of everything."

"It sounds like a lot of pressure." Cora admits, enjoying the new feeling of his arm in hers. "It can be, but, then it can also bring a lot of surprises like being here with you for instance."

She beams and then he changes the subject to her. "You said you are an artist? Have I seen any of your work?"

"No, I'm a free-lancer. I do sketches and commissions for locals. I paint a little but I don't think I'd be brave enough to approach a gallery." Cora chuckles but he holds her gaze. A magical idea forming in his mind.

"Cora?"

"Yes Robert?"

"Would you sketch me?" Cora feels a blush creep up her neck and onto both of her cheeks. She tries to shy away but he pulls her close so that she is considering his bright blue eyes. "Please. Cora."

"I- okay." She admits defeat. "If it's terrible I'll blame you." Cora says seriously making his face fall. "Me? Why?"

"Because, I plan to spend most of the time trying so hard not to kiss you. And believe me that's difficul- "Suddenly, Cora finds herself completely cut off by Robert's lips. They are soft and insistent and so freely move with her own. He cups her face with his hands and strokes her cheeks as she giggles giving him one last peck before they part for air.

"Now you can sketch me." Robert teases pecking her forehead sweetly until she sighs.

"Can I?" Cora says mysteriously before dashing out of his reach and towards the water. He dashes after her, grabbing her by the waist and spinning her around before they both get caught by a small wave. They are soaking by the time they surface, laughing as they gravitate towards each other. Her arms cling around his warm neck and she smiles up at him. "So, how was your official first day in Newport Mr Crawley?"

"Hmm. Absolutely marvellous." Robert sighs, before sealing his assessment with an equally marvellous kiss.

Cora feels like she in heaven. "Okay, we're doing that again."

Robert chuckles. "As you wish."

He has her home just after six having exchanged numbers and given him the name of his hotel. She's agreed to meet him there tomorrow for lunch and then take him to a local gallery but, somehow her parents have managed to organise a family dinner and have insisted she bring him when they are done.

"Momma, we've been on one date give me a chance to get to know him before you scare him away."

"It's just family dinner." Martha says exasperated.

"And what if I never see him again? When he goes back to England what then?" Cora's arms fall in despair and she begins to sob. Tears smart her eyes as her mother pulls her close. "My baby." Martha lifts her chin gently. "You follow your heart. And something tells me if you feel like this, he already has it."

"Oh Momma." Cora sniffs, calming. "I hope you're right."

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