Page 33 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘Pizza?’ suggested Archie, scrolling through the options on his phone
‘Great,’ said Bea and Jess in unison.
‘Pepperoni okay?’ he asked. Bea and Jess nodded. How’s all this going?’ he said, pointing towards the laptop.
‘Good,’ Bea nodded. ‘There’s still a long way to go, but I’m getting there.’
‘We’re painting at the weekend, if you fancy helping?’ said Jess.
‘I’m around, so sure, I’ll help,’ said Archie, tapping away on his phone
‘Thanks, Arch,’ said Bea.
‘Food’s on its way,’ he said, shoving his phone back in his pocket.
‘Excellent!’ said Bea.
‘I’ve got some work to finish. Can you listen out for the door?’ he asked.
‘Sure,’ said Bea, as Archie headed back upstairs. ‘That was weird. Offering to help with the painting? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was up to something…’
‘Like what?’
‘I’m not sure exactly,’ said Bea, eyes narrowed.
‘How’s it going, the two of you living together?’
‘To be fair, we’ve not seen that much of each other, we’ve both been so busy. He finally seems to have figured out how to load a dishwasher, though, so that’s a bonus.’
‘That must be a relief,’
‘Yeah, it is.’
‘Anyway, what I really want to know is, how was the date with Lochlan?’ Jess asked.
‘Good, I think. It always feels a bit strange at first, doesn’t it? Small talk, awkward silences—’
‘There were awkward silences?’ Jess asked, looking concerned.
‘Well, no, not really. We both seemed pretty comfortable with each other.’
‘Comfortable? Bea, is that what you want from a first date?’
‘Well, not really, I suppose.’
‘Was there any chemistry?’
‘I think so. He’s gorgeous, he makes me nervous—’
‘And?’ said Jess, leaning forward.
‘When he climbed out of the river, wet T-shirt clinging to his chest… it was like something out of a Diet Coke ad.’
‘Well,’ said Jess, ‘that sounds sexy.’
‘It was,’ Bea sighed, picturing the moment.
‘Just make sure you’re not rushing in, though,’ Jess warned. ‘I get that he’s good looking, and right now he probably seems perfect but—’
