Page 33 of Coming Home to Crumbleton

‘No,’ said Oli. ‘No, I mean… can we spend tomorrow… together.’

‘Oh!’ said Ruby.

This was a bad idea.

The worst.

She should definitely say no and get out of there asap.

‘Okay then.’

CHAPTER 15

OLI

‘What if she doesn’t come?’ said Oli, running his fingers through his hair for what had to be the thousandth time that morning - and it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet.

‘Dude, she’ll come,’ yawned Caroline, sinking into her office chair and rubbing her face. She looked like she’d quite fancy a nap on her desk. ‘I cannot believe you talked me into traipsing all over Crumbleton before breakfast!’

‘You owed me one,’ said Oli.

‘Erm… how exactly?’ demanded Caroline.

‘Because you’re my cousin,’ he said simply. ‘Anyway… you’re right… she’ll come…’

After more than an hour of dashing around, making sure everything was ready for his grand plan, the pair of them had retreated to Caroline’s office for a much-needed coffee. As tempting as it was, they couldn’t risk heading into the café in case they bumped into Ruby. That would spoil everything.

‘But… what if-’ Oli started again.

‘Oh my sainted granny pants!’ huffed Caroline, glaring at him. ‘If I’d known the pair of you being back in the same town was going to mean I’d end up losing sleep, I’d have talked Ruby out of coming myself!’

‘To be fair, I don’t think it would have taken much doing,’ said Oli with a sigh.

He already knew for a fact that Ruby had done everything in her power to wriggle out of coming back to Crumbleton. Her publishing team had been surprisingly open about the fact that they were having a hard time getting her to agree to it… and that was when she’d thought she’d be dealing with Reuben! If she’d known the truth, there was no way she’d be in town right now – no matter how much pressure her publishers applied.

Still - here they were. Not only was Ruby miraculously in town – but she’d agreed to spend a whole day with him.

She’s not going to show! You know she only said that to get rid of you last night.

‘Caaaar?’ he whined, fixing his cousin with a beseeching smile.

‘What?’ she muttered. ‘Actually, scratch that. Whatever it is, the answer’s “no.”’

Oli stuck his bottom lip out until Caroline let out a long sigh. ‘Fine - what?’

‘Will you text her for me? Just to put me out of my misery?’ he said.

‘And say what?’ she laughed. ‘Oh I know - “I’ve just spent the last two hours helping my idiot cousin set up the most ridiculous date ever, so you’d better turn up. Oh – and you owe me sleep.”’

‘Erm - no - definitely not that,’ said Oli. ‘Urgh, I’m so nervous!’

Caroline stared at him for a long moment, then her face softened. ‘You are the softest, daftest idiot in the world - you know that, right?’

He smiled and nodded miserably.

‘Fine,’ she sighed. ‘I know what to say.’

‘You do?’

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