Page 13 of A Poisonous Plot

“Sorry, I can’t stay longer,” Flynn said when he returned from the kitchen with a single slice of toast.

“Don’t be daft. You have to get to work. I really appreciate you coming over at all.”

“Message me later and let me know how you’re feeling. There’s soup in the kitchen if you feel up to it later.”

“Thank you. I hope work is busier for you this afternoon.”

He arched an eyebrow. “I’m going to have a busy afternoon making a bed for a stray cat.”

“That sounds like fun,” she said, her lips curving into a smile.

“You have a weird idea of fun.” He gave a quick wave before leaving her alone.

The visit perked her up, as did the tea and toast. Watching a film while snuggling with a hot water bottle felt lovely and indulgent now. By the time the credits rolled up at the end, she felt her appetite returning and was lured by the thought of a nice, warm bowl of soup.

In the kitchen, she stopped in front of the table. When she’d moved in, Mirren Treneary had given her a pretty white vase as a housewarming gift, but it had never been used. Not until now, when cheerful giant daisies rose out of it.

Beside it was a note in Flynn’s messy handwriting which simply saidGet well soon.She lowered her face and inhaled the faint scent of the flowers, then moved to warm up the soup.

It was a shame he was such a womaniser. He’d make someone a great boyfriend if he felt so inclined.

Chapter Six

After another day of rest,Lily felt completely normal again. Flynn messaged her in the morning to ask if she was feeling up to a run, but she declined. She might feel normal but she wasn’t feeling overly energetic. Besides, now that she was feeling better she had to face the reality that she’d be opening the shop soon. She needed to prepare.

As had become her habit, she went down to the shop to tackle anything work related. First on the agenda was finalising the menu for opening day so she could put in an order for the ingredients she’d need and get to work building up a supply of ice cream.

She was scribbling away in her notebook when Flynn wandered in in the middle of the morning. Given his jeans and T-shirt and his fresh appearance, she gathered he hadn’t come straight from his workout.

“How was your run?” she asked.

“Good.” He glanced through the window. “Beautiful blue skies this morning. You missed out. How are you feeling now?”

“Fine. Just not quite up to a run. Besides, I decided I better get to work if you’re going to insist on bullying me into opening in a week and a half.”

“I am.” He dropped a stack of papers in front of her and pulled out a chair. “I’ve just printed these out. What do you think?”

“They’re great,” she said, picking up a flyer and forcing a smile. Rhys had done a brilliant job creating a simple, but effective design – with all the information about the opening of the ice cream shop, along with some cute graphics. “Thank you.”

“You’re really worried about this, aren’t you?” Flynn said softly.

“No.” She shook her head but wasn’t fooling herself, so knew there was no way she was fooling Flynn. “Okay, I am,” she amended. “And I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.”

“It’s not stupid. Of course it’s nerve wracking, but it’s exciting too, isn’t it?”

“It should be, but I guess I’ve been too busy worrying about it to be excited.” She set the flyer down. “I’ve always worked for someone else, and I don’t think I ever did anything that required me to take a lot of pride in my work. I really want this to do well.” She sighed heavily. “What if I open and no customers turn up? Or if they hate the ice cream and never come back?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Flynn said with absolute certainty. “The shop will be a success. You’re too stubborn for it not to be.”

That drew a smile from her. “You may have a point there. Though I think you mean I’m determined, not stubborn.”

His mouth twitched at the corners. “Sure. If that’s what you want to call it. Anyway, are we going to plaster this island with flyers, or what?”

“Now?”

“I don’t see why not. The weather is gorgeous.”

“Okay.” She nodded, but her eyes flicked to the door.

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