Page 63 of Christmas in Mistletoe
Fran knew vulnerable was all the rage. However, it wasn’t normally her thing. She glanced at her pink trousers. Just as colour hadn’t been, until she met Ruby. “Vulnerable wasn’t what I was going for, but I’ll take your word for it.” She paused. “But yes, I would like things to work out with Ruby. But it means Ihaveto get home on Saturday.”
Damian raised an eyebrow. “Home?”
Fran sat up, rolling her shoulders. “Back to my parents’ place. You know what I mean.”
Damian said nothing, just shot her an amused smile.
“Stop staring at me like that.” Fran checked her phone. No new messages from Ruby since her good morning message today.
What was she doing?
Fran had work to do, and she was fretting over a woman and allowing Damian to see it all.
“You’re mooning,” he told her.
“I’m going crazy not being able to talk to her. Also, I’m worried that she’s seen photos of me and Delilah online.”
“So long as Delilah wasn’t pawing you like she was when I came in the other day.” More eyebrow raising.
“It was a momentary thing and it was hardly pawing.” But Damian was right. “Why is real-life dating so hard?” Fran lowered her voice so nobody else overheard the next bit. “Dating Delilah was easy because I just had to pretend she didn’t exist.”
“It’s ironic you’re worrying about being seen with her now you can be, isn’t it?”
The irony was not lost on Fran.
“If you’re going a little crazy, that says to me you’re falling for this woman.”
Fran’s flush began in her toes and hit the very edges of her eyelashes. “It’s a bit early for that. We’ve slept together once.” But she already knew there was some truth in Damian’s words. She couldn’t stop thinking about Ruby. Their sex had been off the chart. She desperately wanted to do it again. It was another reason she wanted to get back to Mistletoe as soon as she could. London, which had always held such glamour, paled beside Ruby.
Damian shrugged. “I knew the first time I kissed Isla that I wanted to kiss her for a very long time.”
“But tell me truthfully: can it ever work with a singer? You’re with a teacher. A far more sensible profession.”
“Ruby O’Connell is not Delilah.” Damian’s words hit home. He lowered his voice. “She’s as far away from Delilah as she could possibly be. She’s sorted and sane. Plus, she has a better voice, but don’t tell Delilah I said that.”
Fran snorted. “Your secret’s safe with me.” She closed her eyes and spun in her chair, still thinking. “But I’ve tried going out with a singer and it was a car crash. I can’t escape that.”
“Thanks very much,” Delilah said.
Fran’s eyelids sprang open, and she jumped up, clutching her chest. “Where did you come from? Shit. I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”Bugger.She threw Damian awhy-didn’t-you-warn-me?look. Had Delilah heard Damian’s comments, too? They’d just got back onto solid ground with their friendship. She didn’t want Delilah to think badly of her.
Delilah shook her head, glancing around the office. There was nobody close by. “I was a car crash, no need to sugar-coat it.” She threw Fran an apologetic look, then glanced at her screen. “Why are you hiring a car?”
“She needs to get back to Mistletoe for Ruby’s concert tomorrow,” Damian replied.
Delilah glanced at Fran, then shook her head. “Don’t hire a car. Take my Porsche. You’re still on the insurance, and I’m not using it.”
Fran’s mouth gaped. “Are you sure?” Delilah was proving more useful this week than she ever had when they were together.
“Positive. I’ll get someone to drop it around to yours in the morning and give you the keys. Just let me know a time.”
“That would be perfect, thank you.”
Delilah shrugged. “Happy to help. I just stopped by to check about Fast Forward’s gig tonight. I can get there for 8pm. Is that okay?”
Damian nodded. “I’ll tell security to expect you.”
Delilah squeezed Fran’s shoulder. “Great. Gotta dash, I’m meeting my new producer. See you later.”
