Page 29 of Coming Home to Crumbleton

‘Ta!’ he said. ‘There’s ketchup in there for you too.’

Ruby grinned at him. She couldn’t help it. The fact that he’d always kept a bottle of ketchup in his rucksack just for her had been a long-standing joke. It might also explain why she hadn’t eaten ketchup in six years.

She really was a headcase!

‘Thank you!’ she said, reaching into the basket for the bottle.

‘My pleasure,’ he laughed. ‘I wasn’t about to face the wrath of Ruby by forgetting the red stuff. Made that mistake once… never again!’

The “once” in question had been one of their early study sessions. Oli had returned from the bakery with the usual haul… and a bottle of salad cream. She’d nearly called things off right there and then. It had taken a lot of making up. Not that either of them had minded that bit.

Ruby gave herself a mental kick and helped herself to a dollop of ketchup.

‘So,’ said Oli, taking a bite of his sausage roll. ‘Like I said… we need to talk.’

Ruby nearly choked on her first mouthful.

‘We do…?’ she spluttered.

Oh hell, did they really? She had so many questions… but couldn’t they just sit there in silence, eat their sausage rolls and pretend nothing bad had ever happened between them?

Couldn’t they pretend she hadn’t just spent the loneliest six years not living her life - because he hadn’t been there with her.

‘Drinks!’ she said, shooting to her feet, jostling the table and setting the plates rattling. The bottle of ketchup fell over with a dull thud.

‘Oh!’ said Oli. ‘Let me-’

‘I insist!’ said Ruby, her voice slightly too loud.

Oli looked suspiciously like he was trying to smother a smile.

‘What do you fancy?’ she added in a strangled voice.

‘I’ll take a pint of lager, please.’

Giving him a curt nod and doing her best to ignore the fact that his lips were twitching, Ruby darted towards the bar. She stood with her back to Oli and their little picnic, desperately trying to pull herself together. She was being ridiculous - and if she didn’t calm down, it was just going to go from bad to worse.

This was a business meeting, for heavens’ sake! All she had to do was talk to him calmly. Like an adult. She needed to stick to the plan – play it nice and safe, stay away from the past, and focus on the ins and outs of the event.

The problem with this most excellent plan was that she had so many questions… and now that he was right there across the table, they felt more important than talking about book stuff.

Ruby really wanted to know what he was doing back in Crumbleton… and why had he bought the bookshop, of all places? She shook her head. No. She just needed to get this job done - stay on topic - and then get the hell out!

‘What can I get for you?’

Ruby glanced at the young girl who’d just appeared in front of her and was relieved to find it wasn’t someone she knew. A touch of anonymity was exactly what she needed right now.

‘A pint of lager and a ginger beer please,’ she said, making a snap decision to stick to soft drinks. The last thing she needed was for her already slender grip on things to be loosened even further by alcohol.

‘Wow,’ said the girl, as she started to pull Oli’s pint. ‘I can’t believe I’m serving the Ruby Hutchinson! I’m Kendra, by the way.’

Ruby’s smiled awkwardly at the girl.

So much for anonymity!

‘You’re an awesome writer,’ breathed Kendra. ‘I love your book. It’s just amazing. I can’t wait for you to sign it for me!’

‘Well, thanks,’ said Ruby. ‘So… you’re coming to the event?’

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