Page 29 of Only Ever You

How was she supposed to ask her best friend to leave her bed when he was …incapacitated,as such, without sounding like an idiot?

She inched backwards towards her doorway. “I’m going to get changed in the bathroom. You can leave if you’d like or you can wait and have breakfast with me?”

That got Bash moving. “No, no, I’ll get out of your hair.” He raked his fingers through his own, then he and the hoodie shuffled out from under her fluffy duvet, saying, “I should probably go home and shower anyway.”

“Right … ” Faye’s lower lip slowly curled between her teeth. The hems of his trousers were still turned up, keeping the flecks of dirt he’d gathered running over here away from her bedding.

Why was the tiny detail of consideration so adorable?

Bash drew himself up to his height and inhaled. “I guess I’ll see you in two days then.” At her crinkled brow, he added, “To pick you up.”

Right. Christmas.Four days away from London with Bash and his family.

“Bright and early.” Faye beamed. “I’ll be ready.”

9

FAYE

“Thank you.”Faye smiled at the young couple who took their doughnuts from her stall and disappeared into the crowd.

The Christmas market was alive; the busiest it’s ever been inBaked By The Dozen’s few years of participation, and a treasure trove for a Christmas fanatic. There were so many stalls that Faye hoped to find a minute to wander, most of them were small businesses selling crafts and homewares, along with clothes and festive decorations.

Now that she was going to Bash’s family home for Christmas, she thought she should find a couple of gifts for his parents to thank them. What to get would be a wild stab in the dark, but she’d retainedsomeinformation about their interests over the years.

Sheltered beneath a marquee, loops of dough sizzled inBaked’sportable fryer for fresh sugared doughnuts to go. Gooey brownies, peach turnovers, and stuffed cookies stayed warm in the mini oven, and an array ofBaked’smost popular festively decorated doughnuts gleamed within the glass display they owned for the purpose of these events.

Baked’s stall wasn’t one of the largest. Faye knew when she submitted her stand’s reservation deposit that there would be otherfood and beverage stalls larger than hers, so she’d banked on the chance shoppers might see those longer queues and divert to her, instead.

And she’d been right. Hardly a free minute went by where she was able to continue her fragmented conversation with?—

“Do you think Bash will come and say hi to us?” Maisie asked. Her brightly patterned dress with a gingerbreadtheme (because it wasonlya week before Christmas) dipped below the hem of her long winter coat they both very much needed this evening.

With Faye busy with thefoodside of the operation, Maisie had offered to take over from Gem – who worked atBakedbetween her study hours – to help with the customer service for the market’s evening stint.

“I’m not sure,” Faye said. “I haven’t seen him since the other ni?—”

Okay, that detail wasn’t meant to have come out.

“Since?” Maisie pressed, her nose and cheeks chilled red like her hair.

There wasn’t a less incriminating way to shyly say, “He stayed at mine the other night.”

Maisie’s eyes widened until they was more white than hazel.

“It’snotwhat you think.” Faye intended to make thatveryclear when an eager, beaming grin shone like an over-decorated Christmas tree on Maisie’s freckled face.

Another group approached; a family whose children’s wide, twinkling gazes plead for theSnoughmendoughnuts at their eye level in the display – decorated with white chocolate glaze, chocolate drops for eyes, and pieces of twig-like biscuits dipped in honeycomb chocolate for arms. The parents gave in with a laugh and bought twoDoughmas Wreathsfor themselves.

Two minutes later, Faye explained – much to Maisie’s impatient relief – what had happened with her non-existent intruder and Bash’s sleep over, quickly skimming over the part about how exactly she’d woken up.

The glint in Maisie’s eyes said it all about what she was thinking.

“Don’t say it,” Faye moaned.

Maisie threw back her head and laughed. “He issoin love with you too.”

“He’s not in love with—wait, what do you mean ‘you too’?”

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