Page 44 of Flowers Go Flying in Crumbleton

Milly snorted. ‘Did you just young lady me?!’

‘Well, someone’s got to!’ said Jo. ‘Sorry,’ she added, not sounding in the least bit sorry.

‘It’s just… I… the windows,’ said Milly. It was something she’d been meaning to talk to Jo about since the weekend – and right now it might just help her kill two birds with one stone. She needed to keep Jo safely inside the shop for a little while longer. If she could distract her trainee and keep the coast clear for about ten more minutes—

‘The windows?’ said Jo. ‘What about them?’

‘Cactuses!’ said Milly.

‘Eh?’

‘Remember a few weeks ago you wanted to buy in a collection of cactuses and carnivorous plants?’ she said.

‘You hated that idea!’ said Jo.

‘Change of heart,’ said Milly. ‘And I want you to design a full window display with them. You can curate your own Jo Burton Collection!’

‘Amazing!’ said Jo, her eyes lighting up with excitement. ‘But… why the change of heart?’

‘Those teeth,’ said Milly. ‘You and all the weirdos who wanted to find them…’

‘The kind of weirdos who’d love my grumpy plant collection?’ said Jo.

‘Exactly,’ Milly nodded. ‘New clients.’

‘Yes!’ said Jo with a victorious fist-pump. ‘Way to go, toothless best man!’

Milly rolled her eyes. She’d just managed to bring the conversation straight back round to the one subject she was trying to avoid.

‘Ooh this is going to be brilliant,’ said Jo, skipping towards the windows. ‘I’ll get a new set of shelving here, and then…’

‘And then?’ said Milly, cringing slightly as Jo paused to stare through the shop window.

‘Milly Rowlands!’ she gasped.

‘What?’ said Milly, doing her best to look curious rather than well and truly horrified.

‘Why is there a man doing the walk of shame out of your flat?’ said Jo.

‘What man?’ said Milly.

‘That one!’ said Jo. ‘The one about three feet away - wearing shorts and a tee shirt and bed hair!’

‘I don’t see him,’ said Milly, lying through her teeth.

‘Him!’ said Jo, pointing at Murray.

The man in question had clearly noticed Jo’s finger pointing straight at him. He paused and waved at her sheepishly.

‘Oh – that man!’ said Milly with a little smile.

There was no point denying it any longer. Murray was still wearing the same outfit he’d turned up in for their date the day before, and he looked deliciously crumpled. Just the sight of him was doing something strange to her stomach… or maybe that was the vat of ice cream they’d overdosed on the previous night. She’d never be able to look at salted caramel the same way again.

‘So,’ said Jo, turning her back on Murray to stare at Milly. ‘You guys enjoy a sleepover, huh?’

‘Shh!’ hissed Milly as Murray poked his head inside the shop.

‘Erm… you two fancy a coffee?’ he said, running a hand through his tousled hair. Milly’s knees turned to treacle as she remembered doing that herself just a few hours ago. Their kisses had tasted of chocolate brownies.

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