Holden
“Hello, stranger.” Clara greets me when I walk into the store after dropping Reece off.
“How’s it been?”
“Fine,” she says breezily. I look around and everything looks okay, but I knew it would be, which is why I’m more than happy for Clara to manage this store while I set up a second one.
“Eww, you look . . .” she starts. “Are you sure you haven’t been sleeping rough for the last two days?”
“I don’t think I look that bad,” I protest. “I hadn’t planned on staying one day, let alone two.”
“Yeah, about that.” Her eyes shine. “How was two nights with mister handsome and sophisticated?”
My cheeks almost hurt with the grin that spreads across my face. One that gives far too much away, but I couldn’t hide it.
“Oh my god, you didn’t?”
“No.” Well, not really.
“You totally did. You need to spill the tea.” She wrinkles her nose. “Maybe you should go and wash up first . . . No, spill now.”
“I’ll be back in an hour,” I say, taking her advice and walking back out of the store. I do need to change and tidy up, and it’ll give me time to decide what I’m going to tell her, because she’s certainly not getting the truth.
When I get home, the first thing I do is shower, and my mind flits back to the one I shared with Reece this morning. I’m not going to be able to shower ever again without thinking about it. I’m not complaining, though. I make it back to the store in under an hour feeling fresh and clean. The store’s quiet, so Clara makes us coffee and flops down into an easy chair clearly waiting for me to tell her everything. I give her a very watered-down version of events. I don’t even mention that we shared a room or a bed, but I do tell her we kissed and that we have a date.
“So a kiss is one thing, but you’re dating sharp and sexy, who just a couple of weeks ago you were having a panic attack about seeing?”
“Yes,” I say bluntly, because I don’t need her to psychoanalyze my decisions. “I’ve been waiting twenty years for him to ask me out.”
“That sounds dangerous. Twenty years is a long time to hold an image in your head of what people are like. They rarely live up to expectations.”
I think about her words and what I’ve seen of Reece so far. “You’re right, I think he’s even better than I could’ve imagined.”
She throws her hands up in the air. “You’re a lost cause.”
“Aren’t you just a tiny bit happy for me?”
“Yes, of course. But I wouldn’t be your friend if I didn’t tell you to be careful.”
“I know, and I’m grateful. I truly am.”
I find it hard to keep calm the next morning knowing Reece is going to visit. I’m not sure how I’m going to last until our date on Friday.
He comes in a little after ten, while I’m serving a customer, so he pretends to browse until they leave. He comes over to say hi and I see he’s empty-handed.
“Hello. No pastries this morning?” I quip and I see him mock frown.
“So, was it me or the pastries you were most looking forward to seeing?” he says. “Because a guy could get a complex about that sort of thing.”
“Oh you, it’s definitely you,” I say quickly and his face lights up with a smile.
“But I didn’t have breakfast.”
“Oh, did you forget?” This time his frown is full of concern and I nod apologetically.
“Okay, give me a few minutes.” He disappears and returns a short while later brandishing a bag.
“A got you a breakfast burrito. You need to eat properly.”
