Christ, what was I thinking?
That was the problem, though; last night it hadn’t been her brain doing the thinking. With just a hint of touch, Jules had set her alight. Panic had Catherine picking up her phone to text Penny.
Help! Accidentally offered to take Jules wild swimming. Today!
Now she’s going to see me in next to nothing, looking about as attractive as a wet mop.
What do I do?
Penny instantly responded with a large laughing-face emoji.Great.Catherine sighed and flopped her phone, screen down, onto the bed. She pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering whether she could summon a migraine or some other such excuse to get out of the plans they’d made. Her phone pinged.
Penny:
Stop being ridiculous, babe. You’ve got a great body — flaunt it. She’d be mad not to bang you the second you slip out of your Dryrobe x
“Oh my God, Penny!” Despite herself, Catherine grinned at her phone as another text pinged through.
Penny:
Wear the black cozzie, your tits look great in that one xx
P.S. Lawrence says hi.
Why is my best friend such a pervert?
Hi to Loz xx
Okay, that’s good. I can do this.
With Penny’s bolstering pep talk — if you could call it that — front of mind, Catherine bounced out of bed to prepare for the day ahead. Even though she normally didn’t bother until after a swim, she showered because she wanted to shaveeverything. As with the lacy underwear, she had no expectations other than being prepared should she need to be.
She planned to take Jules to the secluded spot she’d discovered last summer, when she’d forced herself to go on a solo hike for blog content inspiration. It would be ideal for wild swimming and perfect for a picnic on a second date. Catherine pulled on her nicest, most flattering hiking clothes, then rummaged around in the depths of her closet for her picnic blanket.
“Aha!” She pulled out the folded tartan rug and threw it into a bag with her usual swim kit, making sure to pack her black bathing suit, because who was she to ignore Penny’s advice?
The morning light inflated the day with possibilities and an air of everything that could go right…or wrong.But Catherine shrugged off the weight of her expectations and power-walked to M&S to source some delicious picky bits for the picnic. Of course, she panic-bought too much of everything from stuffed vine leaves to marinated mozzarella, at least three different dips, and several cans of gin and tonic in every flavourthey stocked.
Back at home, she set her bags by the main door just as Jules was making her way downstairs. Catherine felt her face splitting into a smile as the other woman reached the bottom step. She wore Lycra pants with bold patterns, brighter than anything Catherine owned, and a loose white T-shirt that flowed over her form. Her hair was bundled into a high ponytail, and she fidgeted with the pair of oversized sunglasses perched atop her head.
“I’m blaming the wine, but I really didn’t think this through,” Jules said, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink. “I don’t even know what to wear for a wild swim. It’s not a naked thing, is it? I texted Will, but he replied with a screen full of aubergine emojis, whatever that means. Do I need a towel?” She gestured to the bulging holdall flung over her shoulder. “I packed two just in case.”
Catherine couldn’t help but laugh. Jules was even more nervous than she was.
“Stop worrying; it’s fine! No, it’s not a naked thing. Yes, you’ll need a towel. And if my friend Penny is anything to go by, I think Will is being naughty with the aubergines.”
Why are we like this? We’re just two grown women, hanging out for the day.At this stage, they were little more than new neighbours getting to know each other.
Jules puffed out a breath. “Okay, good. That all sounds good. Do we need snacks?”
“All sorted.” Catherine pointed to the bags she’d set down by the door.
“I’m impressed. Aren’t you Ms Prepared?”
“It’s Doctor Prepared, thank you very much.”
“Of course, my bad, Doctor!” Jules said, with a playful elbow-nudge.
Catherine tried to hide her smile at the face Jules made when she realised the sleek black car parked across the road from their building was hers. And she took great satisfaction watching Jules’s reverie as the engine roared to life.
