Page 57 of A Colourful Country Escape
Ben looked up at the statue. ‘Somebody would probably chop our heads off.’
When his gaze drifted back to Lexie, she was sure she’d caught an unfamiliar glint. What was that – rebellion? A ‘let’s do it and see’? Or was that just what she wanted to find, in her cheeky gin-fuelled mood?
He linked his arm through hers and pulled her close again, in the warm glow of the old-fashioned streetlamps. ‘Well, this is almost romantic,’ he conceded.
It would be all sorts of other indecent-in-a-public-place things if she didn’t keep her mind on track. She needed to cool it. This was her boss. He belonged in a world where she would only ever bestaff, and when they weren’t softened by alcohol they generally found each other annoying.
Didn’t they?
Anyway, he was rich. He was invariably rude. She did not intend to be slept with like common people until his Princess Sidebottom came along.
As though sensing the need for a dousing of flames, Ben added, ‘Don’t worry, this place with the not-quite fortune cookies is not going to sweep anyone off their pixie boots.’
They moved towards the aptly named Cheapside and back into the side streets, Ben leading the way. Lexie was expecting a little restaurant, and laughed when they landed in front of the intermittently buzzing, cracked sign of Sinbad’s Corner Shop. Or Corner Ship, as the crack would have them believe. This would be the most down-to-earth place she’d ever seen her well-heeled boss enter.
Inside, Sinbad looked as miserable as the proverbial sin. Lexie gave him an over-exaggerated thumbs up and he shoved his head back inside the paper he’d been reading.
Ben steered Lexie towards the back of the shop, past the bottles of gleaming alcohol that she tried to ignore. There was nothing like artificial strip lighting to make a girl realise quite how drunk she was.
‘I really need crisps,’ she hissed at Ben. ‘And maybe a pasty. Have you ever eaten a pasty?’
‘I have been to Cornwall,’ he whispered back. ‘And, indeed, Waitrose.’
‘Waitrose,’ she mouthed sarcastically behind his back. ‘Get you.’
She had to admit she enjoyed this joshing between them. It set off little sparks of excitement, like being a kid and prodding the boy you quite fancied. Not that she fancied Ben, of course, but …
He gave her a quick look over his shoulder, his suit jacket pulling taut across his back.
Argh, she sometimes did. But she would not grab any part of his rear area. That was just not polite.
As they neared the back of the shop, which had felt like the longest ‘trying to walk in a straight line and definitely not ogle anyone’s derriere’ journey, it seemed that the strip lights had given up hope. It was invitingly dark here, apart from the glow from a large arcade machine.
Lexie gasped. ‘Zoltar. FromBig! What’s he doing here? I love that film –– how did you know? Wow, does it work?’ She rattled Zoltar’s glass box a little too enthusiastically, making his bearded chin clatter.
‘He won’t tell us anything if you break his jaw off.’ Ben removed her hands to a place of safety. ‘And I heard you chatting to my crisp-munching, telly-addict of a brother. Growing up with him, I’ve endured more cheesy films than you can imagine.’
She gave him an exaggerated wide-eyed look and poked his shoulder gently.
‘Ooh, you might just be human.’
‘I try. Anyway, I couldn’t let the night end without your fate being decided by a scraggy piece of paper. It’s your favourite tradition.’ He pulled out a pocketful of change. ‘Ladies first. If you’re not going to wallop me for offering to pay, that is.’
‘I’ll pay the price for your fate, and you for mine.’
‘It’s a deal.’
Chapter 29
Lexie’s heart flipped with delight at Ben’s small Zoltar-shaped gesture. He’d said she wouldn’t be swept off her pixie boots, but once again he’d underestimated himself. They were in the darkened end of Sinbad’s shop, and Lexie, for one, was intrigued to discover her fortune.
She selected the shiniest coin from Ben’s hand, blew on it for luck, then rolled it into Zoltar’s eager possession, hoping for something magical. Or at least that she wouldn’t turn huge and hairy overnight, and burst right through her outfit like Tom Hanks inBig.
Zoltar’s eyes flashed red and wild as he accepted the payment and considered Lexie’s fate. He gawped and groaned like a beast possessed, his hands encircling his crystal ball, his turbaned head lurching forwards.
‘Mwaaa haaa ha ha haaaaaaaa.’ With one final shudder, as though he’d just given birth to a particularly bothersome egg, the fortune teller released Lexie’s fortune down the spout and into her outstretched palm.
She held it for a moment, eyes tightly shut, willing good energy into the ball. Then she gave in to temptation, prised it open and unfurled the scroll.
