The physical effect of seeing Alyssa, even for a couple of seconds, is overwhelming. All I want to do is leap over the stall, barge through the crowd and kiss her again. But I don’t do that. I need to think of Langstones’ reputation. I have to be professional. But her gorgeous eyes and soft curves keep popping into my mind, even when I’m helping people fill out membership forms and handing out leaflets.
Our stall is one of the most popular during the day, eclipsed only by the salon stall. Alyssa and her boss appear to be doing makeovers and handing out free fizzy wine. As it starts to get dark, they switch on some disco lights and it looks like there’s a party going on. Not that I’m looking, of course.
Aron glances over at the salon stall and then back at me, then raises an eyebrow. ‘Concentrate, Cole.”
There’s a lot less to do now it’s getting dark. The wind has picked up and there’s a flash of lightning above the trees, so Aron starts taking stuff out to our truck. As he walks back I see he’s been waylaid by Alyssa’s sister Maisie. She’s wearing a glittery, plunging red dress with a sash and a tall, sparkly crown for some reason.
There’s a tap on my arm.
The guy with the purple hair from the salon stall is standing there with two fluorescent beakers of fizzy wine. “Hey, I’m Dale, would you help me out? Can you take this over to Alyssa for me if you’re not busy? I need to find an extension cable.”
I nod and take the wine. Aron is distracted and I can’t bear not to see Alyssa for a moment when we’re both here together. I weave through the crowd dancing in front of the stall.
Alyssa looks beautiful in jeans and a pink puffy coat, her hair in long waves down her back. I walk over and her eyebrows shoot up when she sees me.
“Drinks delivery. Dale sent me over.” I hand a glass to her.
“Thank you. I’ve had two of these already.” Her cheeks are flushed. I can’t get over the sparkly, deep blue color of her eyes.
“How’s it going? Your stall looks pretty popular.” I take a seat next to her behind the stall. The little dog on her lap eyes me warily.
“Yeah, I think the fizzy wine is the biggest draw. Although everyone loves Dale’s makeovers. Would you mind letting Cindy sniff your hand? She’s a bit suspicious of bearded men for some reason. She had a bad home before, bless her heart.” Alyssa strokes the little dog on her lap as I hold out my hand. Cindy sniffs it and then gives a tiny wag of her tail. There’s a rumble of thunder nearby.
Alyssa smiles. “She thinks you’re okay. You can relax now. How’s it going with you?” She gazes at me for a couple of seconds and then takes a swig of her wine.
“Good. We had lots of sign-ups and met plenty of folks. Although quite a few just wanted a free balloon.” I take a sip of the wine, since there’s no sign of Dale.
Alyssa reaches under the counter and hands me a muffin. “You’ll need this to go with the wine. It has a surprisingly high alcohol content.”
I take a bite. “Wow. This is amazing. Cheese and…something else?”
“Jalapeno chillies. I’m into my savory muffins at the moment.” She smiles. There’s a flash of lightning overhead and the tiny dog trembles in her lap. “Don’t worry, Cindy.”
Dale runs up to the stall and Cindy jumps into his arms. “Going to get her inside. You two should head for cover too, storm’s nearly here!” He turns off the music. “Party’s over folks. Y’all come back to the salon for the after party. I have a case of wine there and the speakers are better!”
Suddenly the heavens open and a sheet of rain pours down from above, accompanied by a blinding white flash of lightning. Dale runs towards the parking lot as the crowd shrieks and dissipates. We’re partly sheltered by a canvas cover, but it won’t hold up for long if the rain gets any heavier. Alyssa’s laughing at the same time as she bundles stuff into boxes.
I put my arm around her shoulders. “Come on, let's get to shelter before this gets any worse.”
“Okay, let me just check I’ve got everything.” She looks around as the lightning flashes again. “I can’t find my keys.”
I join her hunting for the keys and use my cell to shine some light under the table. Nothing there. She says something that gets drowned out by the loudest blast of thunder yet. She holds up her keys from inside her coat pocket. I grab the box as we stand up and take her hand. “Let’s make a run for the parking lot.”
Giggling, she joins me as we make a dash for it. I can’t get enough of the sound of her laugh, it makes me want to pick her up and spin her around, just to hear it some more. We both skid to a halt. There aren’t any cars. “I guess my brothers have already taken the stuff back to the gym. Nice of them to let me know!” I shout over the thunder.
Alyssa pulls my hand as the rain streams down. I follow her as she jogs out of the parking lot, turning the corner by the square where there is a row of terraced houses in a neat line. She runs up the stairs of the second one, under the porch over the door.
“Come inside and have something to eat. Who knows where Maisie is? I guess everyone just ran for cover…” She opens the door, wringing out her wet hair with the other hand.
I pause for a second. I really shouldn’t be doing this. Stepping into her house means I’m definitely breaching the trainer/client rule.
But then Alyssa turns around, her deep blue eyes sparkling, and my resolutions are blown away in an instant. Her apartment is cozy and warm, and she hands me a towel since I’m soaked from the rain. She pours us both a glass of wine and heats up some pasta, talking me through how she makes the tomato sauce. I feel completely relaxed for the first time since my parents’ accident, like I’m meant to be here.
“So, how are you finding Darlinton?” She asks after we finish eating and I put our plates in the sink. She tried to get up to do it but I wanted to help out.
“To be honest, I didn’t like it at first. Too cold, too small. Big change from Arizona. After my parents passed, I couldn’t stay in our hometown. It didn’t feel like home anymore without them there. But Darlinton is growing on me now.” I smile at her.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m sorry about your parents. That must have been a huge shock.” She puts her hand on mine. It’s soft and warm.
