‘Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll come out.’ Lucy began leading the way towards the path before glancing over her shoulder at her friend. ‘Although I do feel you owe me an explanation. What happened?’
Gemma threaded her arm through Lucy’s and picked up the pace, waiting until they’d turned the corner into the next street before answering her. ‘So, you know I thought he hated me? Well, I think he’s just stressed as the school is in financial trouble. I went round there, to his cottage, last night and we ended up getting food and worked on ways to save people’s job and we kissed.’
Slowing to a stop, Lucy turned to face her and frowned. ‘You do know I only got half of that, don’t you?’
‘Sorry, I just.’ Gemma shoved her hands in her pockets. She could hardly make sense of last yesterday’s events herself, how did she expect Lucy to get up to speed after spouting a jumble of incoherent words to her? ‘I don’t think he, Jonathan, my new boss, does hate me after all. I don’t know. We kissed last night as we were trying to think of ways to save the school.’
Lucy blinked, obviously trying to make sense of it all. ‘Save the school? Kiss? You kissed him?’
‘Yes, no. I don’t know, I kissed him, or he kissed me. Well, we didn’t. We almost did.’ She took a deep breath and began walking again, hoping the movement would help to clear her head. ‘We didn’t kiss. We almost did. You know when you both lean in to kiss, then pull away?’
‘Right. You pulled away.’ Lucy nodded slowly as she matched Gemma’s pace.
‘How did you know it was me?’ Gemma continued without waiting for an answer. Lucy knew her too well. She knew how much Reece’s affair had taken its toll on her, and she knew her go-to was to protect herself and her heart. ‘He’s my boss, and the school is in financial trouble. What would people think if I were in a relationship with him and he made someone else redundant?’
‘A relationship? So, this wasn’t just an almost kiss, then? You’ve actually got feelings for him?’
‘What? No. No, of course not.’ Had she? Even just the thought of him made something flutter in the pit of her stomach, but that wasn’t because she had feelings for him, that was just because of the whole sorry situation and the stress of the position the school was in, wasn’t it? Besides, they’d hated one another until yesterday, hadn’t they? Turning, she clambered over the stile into the field at the edge of the village before taking Alfie from Lucy as she passed him over. Lowering him to the ground, she waited until Lucy had climbed over before passing the lead back. ‘He thinks he’s going to have to make redundancies because the school is in a financial deficit. Nothing can happen between us, even if we wanted it to. Which we don’t.’
‘Uh-huh, sounds like it.’
‘It’s true. You know I don’t want another relationship yet.’ She shrugged. Whether it was to Tania, Annie, Lucy or Sophie, she felt as though she were constantly defending her choice.
Holding her hands up, palms forward with Alfie’s lead drooping from her wrist, Lucy raised her eyebrows. ‘I know, I know. Besides, it sounds as though it wouldn’t exactly be a match made in Heaven, anyway.’
They walked along the track in silence for a few moments before Gemma cleared her throat and hoped her question wouldn’t betray the weird feeling she felt in her stomach. ‘Why?’
‘A million reasons.’ Lucy held her hand up and ticked them off as she listed them. ‘For a start, he’s your boss. And your neighbour. Neither of those would be good if you got together and then broke up. You’ve just said the school is in financial trouble. If redundancies are involved and it’s not your head on the block, then people will gossip and wonder if your intentions are honourable. Or his, of course.’
‘Exactly. It would just be wrong.’ Gemma nodded firmly. ‘Completely wrong.’
‘And that’s without mentioning the glaringly obvious, the small fact that you are most definitely not ready for a new relationship.’ Lucy said softly.
Watching her out of the corner of her eye, Gemma sighed. By the look on Lucy’s face, she believed that as much as Gemma felt it. ‘I’m not.’
‘There’s one thing you should bear in mind, though…’ Lucy glanced at her.
‘And what’s that?’ Furrowing her forehead, Gemma shrugged.
‘That sometimes even if the relationship looks as though it shouldn’t work on paper, such as dating your best friend’s brother, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth fighting for or that it won’t work.’ Lucy’s voice was soft, but her tone firm.
‘But I don’t…’ Gemma’s voice trailed off. She didn’t what? She didn’t want to march home and wait on Jonathan’s doorstep until he came back, speak to him, feel his arms wrap around her, feel his lips against hers… She didn’t want to go back to that moment when he’d leaned forward, and she’d done the same, her face upturned to his, expecting, wanting. She buried her face in her hands. ‘I’m quite literally doomed.’
‘You do like him then.’ Lucy’s warm tone told Gemma it was a statement and not a question.
Gemma nodded, and they both slipped into a comfortable silence as they walked down the track beside the fields. Gemma would miss this when Hannah came back. She’d miss the chance to clear her mind, to feel the cool breeze against her cheeks, and to fill her lungs with the clean country air.
Chapter Fifteen
With her class seated cross-legged on the front row of the hall, Gemma lowered herself to the plastic chair and twisted to look behind her, her eyes focused on the door leading out of the hall. She’d hardly slept a wink last night, thanks to the conversation she’d had with Lucy being on repeat in her mind. Yes, she did like Jonathan Higgs. Yes, she could see a future with him. And yes, Lucy was right, if both she and he felt the same way, then maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to make things work.
Maybe.
‘Miss Murray.’ Rueben, one of the oldest in the class with his birthday in September, called out.
Turning back to her class, Gemma smiled at him. ‘Yes, Rueben.’
‘Trudie feels sick.’ Rueben pointed to the girl next to him.
