Page 64 of Winter at Wishington Bay
‘Tough crowd.’
‘Come on, I’ll buy you coffee to make up for it.’
He caught the hand I’d freed from my pocket to wave at Pete, and we stopped at the side of the pavement. ‘I already called dibs on that one.’ His voice was softer now and the green eyes focused on me as his fingers lightly held mine.
‘Fair enough,’ I agreed. ‘There’s a lovely tea shop just up here. How about we start there and maybe make a plan of attack for your present shopping.’
‘I have a confession to make.’
‘Oh dear. That sounds worrying.’
‘No, I just thought, in the interests of being completely open, I’d better confess that my main reason for coming here was to see you.’
‘So you’re not Christmas shopping?’
‘I am… if I saw something. But I really just wanted to see you again.’
I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. It had been a long time since someone had said anything like that to me.
‘You seem surprised,’ Billy said, his expression half smile, half puzzlement. ‘I didn’t think I was particularly subtle at the workshop.’ He shrugged. ‘I’ve been told subtlety isn’t exactly my strong suit.’
‘No, it’s not that. I mean, yes, I suppose I am a little but not…’
He waited. And I waited too, trying to get my brain to finish the thought but it refused to. Probably because it had no idea where it had been going with that sentence in the first place.
Billy gave a roll of his shoulders. ‘OK. Let’s start with this. Did your heart sink when I walked in the door?’
‘What?’ I looked up, horrified that might be what he thought. ‘Of course not.’
‘Good. Then that’s a good starting point. Now, where’s this tea shop?’
I pointed up the road and he held out a hand, inviting me to start walking again, the relaxed expression back on his face as we headed towards Miranda’s warm, cosy tea shop, talking about our weeks and stopping occasionally to look in the decorated windows of some of the tea shop’s closest neighbours.
* * *
‘So?’ Eloise pounced when we had a momentary lull the following lunchtime. ‘You were very vague on your message when I asked how it went.’
‘It was… nice.’
Eloise’s face fell. ‘Nice?’
‘Yes,’ I shrugged. And it had been. ‘Lovely.’ I tried to exude a bit more enthusiasm but her expression remained.
‘Oh dear.’
‘Why oh dear?’
‘Are you seeing him again?’
‘I… don’t know.’
She pointed a shocking pink nail at me. ‘That is exactly why “oh dear”. What’s wrong with him?’
‘Nothing.’ I shook my head and avoided her eye. ‘Nothing at all. He’s lovely. You know that.’
‘I do. Which is why I don’t understand why you’re not seeing him again. He’s obviously pretty keen on you.’
If I was honest, I didn’t understand it too well myself. Everything Eloise had said was true. Billy was lovely. And we’d had a great time. He was relaxed and comfortable with who he was, not to mention funny and cheeky and bright.
