Page 41 of Best Summer Ever

‘No time to explain,’ I told her, feeling flustered and then hot as memories of the night before in Josh’s arms, Josh’s bed, Josh’s bath, crowded in. ‘I need to get home to shower and change. I’m going to be late for workagain,’ I squealed.

‘Go to my place,’ Penny said calmly, reaching behind the counter for her cottage keys. ‘You can get showered there andgo through my wardrobe. There’s bound to be something in there that’ll fit you.’

‘Are you sure you don’t mind?’

‘Of course, I don’t,’ she laughed. ‘One good turn deserves another. Lock up and take the keys with you to the pub and I’ll come in for them later. With any luck, it’ll be a quiet shift and you’ll be able to fill me in onexactlywhat you got up to last night.’

‘I’m not sure you’re ready for it, Pen,’ I coquettishly said, then tried to sashay out, but forgetting the door was locked, walked straight into it.

‘Idiot!’ Penny laughed, letting me out. ‘I’ll see you later.’

There was no time to admire the pretty coastal aesthetic of Penny’s perfect cottage or linger in her shower.

‘I know,’ I panted, as I rushed into the pub. ‘I know, I know.’

In spite of my best efforts, I was a few minutes late.

‘You’re all right,’ Sam said mildly. ‘Josh popped in earlier and said you’d answered a cry for help from Penny down at the café.’

‘I did,’ I wheezed. ‘That’s where I’ve been all afternoon. She was absolutely swamped.’

‘In which case I’ll let you off, but get behind here now so Tess can head back to the kitchen, because it’s about to get busy.’

That was the last thing I wanted to hear. Having had such little sleep, I felt like I hadn’t stopped since I’d turned up an hour ahead of my shift the evening before.

‘Did Josh say anything else?’ I tried to ask casually.

Sam gave me a look.

‘He might have done.’ He winked.

I felt my tummy roll and not because I hadn’t had the chance to eat anything since the earlier pastry.

‘And what might that have been?’ I swallowed, feeling nauseous.

I hadn’t had Josh down as the sort who would kiss and tell and felt disappointed in him. Given that he’d shared such in- timate details with me about his dad, I thought he might have considered me more than one-night stand material to gossip about, but Sam’s knowing wink suggested otherwise.

‘Why don’t you ask him yourself?’ he said, with a nod to the door.

‘Hey,’ Josh smiled, ducking his head as he came in. He still looked deliciously dishevelled. ‘How did you get on with Penny?’

‘Good,’ I said, then had to move along the bar to serve someone.

‘Have you got a sec?’ he asked, once I’d finished.

‘Not right now,’ I said, even though I wanted to get to the bottom of exactly how much detail he’d given Sam. ‘It’s getting busy.’

‘It’ll only take a sec.’

‘I can’t,’ I said, feeling rattled. ‘Sorry.’

It was ages before the bar was quiet again and, in that time, I’d seen three women flirt outrageously with Josh. He hadn’t done anything to court their attention, but it was obvious that he drew people to him like a moth to a flame and as the evening wore on, I became convinced that he had told Sam everything about his first Norfolk coastal conquest. Me.

‘You can take a minute now if you like?’ Sam offered, making me jump. ‘I think Josh is hanging around just to talk to you.’

‘No,’ I said, ‘it’s okay. I don’t think he is and besides, he’s currently occupied.’ One of the women was still talking to him. ‘If I stop, I might not get going again. As you know,’ I more loudly added, ‘I’ve had a long couple of days with very little sleep.’

Josh came quickly up to the bar when he saw there were no customers waiting and that I was talking to Sam.

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