Sasha carefully extracted herself, trying not to wake her. She needed air, space, and possibly a very cold shower to process what had just happened and calm herself down a little, and to stop her jumping Victoria over breakfast.
Last night had been… Christ, last night had been spectacular. Multiple times. Victoria Sullivan, it turned out, was as thorough in bed as she was in everything else. Also surprisingly vocal,which had been both incredibly hot and mildly terrifying given the paper-thin walls and the family sleeping mere meters away. There had been many hands clamped over many mouths, not to mention many hands in many other places.
She quickly showered and pulled on yesterday's clothes, slipping out of the room, leaving Victoria to sleep. And before she realized what was happening, another kind of excitement bubbled in her stomach. She was looking forward to getting outside, looking forward to being in the gardens. It was an odd feeling that, to look forward to doing something in the morning. A feeling she wasn’t sure she’d had before.
The gardens were quiet in the early morning light, dew still clinging to the grass. Cathy was already at work among the vegetable beds, and Sasha found herself gravitating toward the familiar comfort of plants that didn't ask complicated questions. And that definitely didn’t remind her of Victoria. Although those tomatoes were looking a wee bit suggestive, now that she thought about it.
"Morning," Cathy said without looking up. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep," Sasha lied.
"Right." Cathy's grin was knowing. "Nothing to do with a certain tall brunette then?"
"Absolutely nothing."
"Course not." Cathy handed her a trowel. "Here, make yourself useful. Those marrows need staking."
Sasha threw herself into the work with perhaps more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary. There was something deeply satisfying about the methodical task of tying vines, about working with her hands and watching things grow. It felt real in a way that very little in her life had recently.
"You're good at this," Cathy observed after a while. "Put me out of a job soon."
"Thanks." Sasha secured another vine. "I've been thinking about maybe taking some courses when I get back. Horticulture or something."
"You should. You've got the touch for it."
Just then, there was the sound of Archie walking through the nearby kitchen garden, his voice loud over the phone as he gave someone directions to the house. Presumably yet another woman. Sasha wondered where he met them. Surely not on Tinder? Maybe rich people had their own version of Tinder. Then she caught sight of Cathy’s face.
"He’s an idiot," she said.
"Maybe." Cathy's voice was resigned. "Though you might have a point about me being less invisible. Maybe you’re right that he’s just so used to me that he can’t see me."
Sasha straightened, an idea forming. "What if you weren't invisible?"
"What?"
"What if you… I don't know. Changed things up? Made him actually see you?" She was warming to the idea.
Cathy snorted. "What, like a makeover? This isn't one of those films where the girl takes off her glasses and suddenly she's irresistible."
"I'm not saying glasses. I'm saying maybe stop hiding." Sasha gestured at Cathy's practical work clothes. "You're gorgeous. You're smart. You know this estate better than anyone. Maybe it's time to remind Archie of that. And a makeover is about more than taking off glasses."
"Right. Because that's not terrifying at all."
"Terrifying is watching him parade inappropriate women through here for the rest of your life."
Cathy was quiet, chewing her lip. "I'll think about it," she said finally. "No promises."
"Fine."
They worked in comfortable silence for a while longer, until Sasha heard footsteps behind her. She turned to find Victoria approaching, looking slightly rumpled and entirely too attractive in casual trousers and a loose shirt.
"Morning," Victoria said, her voice carefully neutral. "Thought I might find you here."
"Couldn't sleep," Sasha repeated, acutely aware of Cathy watching them with undisguised interest.
"Mmm." Victoria's eyes were dark, unreadable. "I should get back to, er… work."
"Right. Work." Sasha felt something twist in her chest. Of course. Back to reality, back to pretending last night hadn't fundamentally shifted something between them.
