“Right. Let’s go, then.”
“Zoe, I said no.”
“Just not loud enough,” Jay added.
She was hauled out of her chair and just had time to say goodbye to Jay before they were outside the cafe.
“What was that?” Phoebe then demanded as they headed up the street, with Blue wedged between the two women.
“Which part? There were plenty of things you could question,” Blue said. “The chocolate, or the arrival of the Bandits, which I think Ryder handled well. Then there is?—”
“Jay Haddon,” Zoe snapped. “What was that between you and him?”
Blue made herself frown as she looked from Zoe to Phoebe in apparent confusion. Had she given something away?Surely not? They just had a conversation, was all.
“Him protecting you from that head Bandit guy, and then the tension between you at the table,” Phoebe explained.
“Phoebe, what are you talking about? Jay and I have known each other for years. He was protecting both of us, and there was absolutely no tension between us,” she lied. “You two need to get out more. Clearly being loved up is doing weird things to your heads.”
They stared at her a few seconds longer.
“I know what I saw and felt,” Zoe muttered. “But seeing as you’re a good liar, we’ll leave it—for now.”
“Me and Jay Haddon.” Blue pretended to think it over. “I’m just not sure he’s my type.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re perfect for each other,” Phoebe said. “Both a bit uptight in a perfectionist kind of way and secretive. Both hot and single.”
“Sounds like a match made in heaven to me,” Zoe added.
“Because you’re in a relationship, suddenly I have to be?”
“He’s a good guy,” Zoe protested.
“Did I say he wasn’t?”
As they’d arrived at her shop, Petticoat Home Decor, the conversation halted, but she knew it would only be a brief respite.
Blue had found that when people were loved up, they wanted everyone to be that way. She was not ready for that.
“It looks great in here, Zoe,” Blue said, glad they’d dropped the Jay conversation. She’d need to be more careful around him in future—or avoid him completely.
The place flowed seamlessly now and looked aesthetically amazing. A few people were browsing. The surprise came when Blue saw Betsy Regal behind the counter.
“She’s got a great eye,” Zoe whispered, clearly seeing her shock. “And is working out well. With training, she’d be amazing.”
“Who knew?” Blue said under her breath.
They’d gone to school together, and Blue remembered Betsy as not being the sharpest crayon in the pack. Clearly she’d been wrong in that assessment.
“Through here,” Zoe said, opening a door at the rear of the building that led to another room.
“I’m not interested, Zoe.”
“Just move your big feet,” Phoebe said, shoving her in the back.
Light filtered into the room from a window set high in the wall, which she guessed overlooked the parking area behind the shops. The walls needed a paint job, but it smelled clean. A few boxes sat piled on a bench that ran along one side, and there was a floor-to-ceiling cupboard for storage.
“So?”
