Page 26 of Coming Home to Crumbleton

No - the first thing you think about is her smile, her laugh, her lips – and what it was like to kiss them!

Oli shook his head, hoping it might dislodge the rogue thought and send it packing. He needed to keep his head on straight – otherwise, he risked screwing things up even further.

‘Do you think she’ll sign something for me?’ said Kendra, looking frantic. ‘I don’t have my book with me but… maybe she’ll sign my bag? Or my arm? Or… maybe I could run home real quick and grab-’

‘I’m sure she’ll sign anything you want,’ said Oli calmly, cutting across her, ‘at the signing!’

He really needed to get Kendra to calm down before Ruby turned up. Otherwise, Ruby might take one look at the girl and run for the hills. Something told him she wasn’t exactly comfortable with her newfound celebrity status, and unfortunately for Ruby – Kendra was a super-fan and about as rabid as they came.

‘Aw!’ said Kendra, sticking her bottom lip out. ‘But-’

‘If you promise me you won’t leap on her this evening,’ said Oli, ‘I’ll make sure you get a quarter of an hour alone with her at the shop to talk about writing, and the book… and whatever. Deal?’

‘Seriously?!’ breathed Kendra, her eyes going wide.

‘Seriously,’ said Oli, though he was already wondering how Ruby would feel about him playing fast and loose with promises of her time.

‘Okay, deal,’ said Kendra. ‘Erm… can I ask one more thing?’

‘Go for it,’ said Oli, unable to hide his relief.

‘What’s with the basket? You look like Little Red Riding Hood!’

‘It’s a picnic,’ said Oli. ‘I was going to buy Ruby dinner – and I forgot the kitchen’s closed at the moment.’

‘Oh,’ said Kendra, raising her eyebrows. ‘You know, that’s kinda romantic.’

‘Seriously - stop!’ said Oli, shaking his head frantically. ‘It’s just good manners – besides, it’s not like there’s anywhere else to go for a meal in town, is it?!’

‘Okay, fair point,’ said Kendra with a shrug. ‘So… what’d you get?’

‘Sausage rolls,’ said Oli.

‘Eww!’ laughed Kendra. ‘Okay, you’re right… definitely not romantic!’

‘Buzz off!’ he laughed, wafting his hands at her in the hope that she might get the hint.

‘Fine!’ sighed Kendra. ‘I’m going, I’m going! Have a great date-’

‘Kendra!’

CHAPTER 13

RUBY

The smell of fish and chips was all-pervading as Ruby stepped out of her bedroom. The tang of hot vinegar had been teasing her and making her stomach growl for the last ten minutes… and she was starting to regret turning her mum down in favour of shlepping down the hill to the Dolphin and Anchor.

Ah well, it was too late to change her mind now!

Ruby was freshly showered and – after obsessing about it for far longer than was necessary – she’d pulled on a pair of smart black jeans and a top she’d bought to wear at her Milan signing. She’d decided to go for a look that was pulled-together and business-like. Or… that’s what she was aiming for. It had to be better than “dithery mess” – a look that would be far closer to the actual truth.

Above all - she didn’t want Oli to think she’d dressed to impress him. Those days were long long long gone. Long gone. And the more she repeated it to herself… the more she might actually believe it. Now all she had to do was escape the house without ending up stinking of hot vinegar and chip fat.

Pulling her bedroom door closed behind her, Ruby pelted down the stairs and made her way past her father’s study, peeping inside as she went. The familiar sight of his greying head bent over a book while he absently nibbled on a chip brought a lump to her throat.

It was really no wonder that she had a thing for books - not when her dad practically lived in a cave full of the things, and preferred their company to actual people.

With a little sigh of regret that she couldn’t join him in his blook-lined hermit hole, Ruby wandered through to the kitchen only to find her mum’s version of exactly the same scene in progress. Her portion of fish and chips sat abandoned on the kitchen table, while she stood at the kitchen sink, scrubbing away at a pile of muddy objects with an ancient toothbrush.

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