Page 50 of The Romance Library

Maybe it wasn’t water I needed. It was coffee. To bring me to my senses, because clearly I wasn’t thinking straight.

Theo was my competitor. He was the one thing standing between me and securing the site that would help bring Mrs Davis’s dream of a romance library to life and give me a decent, secure salary rather than having to juggle three jobs.

Having illicit thoughts about Theo was wrong. I needed to focus on winning, not on his biceps. Although, I’ll be honest: they really were impressive.

When his sweaty shoulder brushed against my arm, I should’ve been disgusted. But instead goosebumps erupted across my skin.

Bloody hell. There I went again. Thinking about Theo.

I was glad that Edwin was coming over soon. It’d be a good distraction.

Until then, I needed a shower.

A cold one.

When I came downstairs, Theo was already chatting to Edwin. I thought getting here fifteen minutes early would be enough, but yet again Theo had beat me to it. He must’ve gone down when I was still in the shower. This would be the last time he got a head start on me, though.

‘Jessica!’ Edwin stood up to greet me, a wide grin spread across his face. ‘Lovely to see you!’

‘Same!’ I mirrored his big smile.

‘Did you enjoy Dreamland yesterday?’

‘It was… fun!’ My voice went up several octaves. Some of it was. Just not the roller coaster. But I wasn’t going to tell Edwin that.

‘Excellent!’ He clapped his hands together. ‘The photos of you two certainly came out well.’

‘You… you’ve seen them already?’ I asked.

‘Of course! Nancy sent them straight over. They’ll look lovely in our community newsletter in a few weeks. Speaking of the community, you were both a big hit with our residents yesterday. Especially you, Theo.’

‘I wonder why!’ Glenda laughed.

Great. Edwin had just handed Theo the perfect opportunity to start gloating and basking in the glory that literally everyone on that trip was swooning over him.

‘Jessica was really popular too,’ Theo replied, and my eyes bulged.

Wait. Theo had an opportunity to brag and he chose to big me up instead?

‘Yes. Nancy mentioned how well you bonded.’ Edwin smiled at me. ‘They’d love to see you at more of our gatherings. Which brings me neatly onto the reason for my visit.’

From the corner of my eye, I saw Theo shuffle in his seat like he was bracing himself for whatever bombshell Edwin was about to drop.

‘I can’t wait to hear more!’ I gushed, knowing that Edwin loved enthusiasm.

‘That’s what I like to hear! So, as you saw, we have a lovely pub called the Seaview Arms. Every Monday we have a talent show. And all the residents thought it would be a lovely idea for you both to take part!’

My brows almost hit the ceiling.

‘A… a talent show?’ Theo stuttered.

‘Yes.’

‘So, we… you want each of us to do some sort of performance? Like juggling or…’ I struggled to speak.

‘Yes. Whatever you both decide will be great.’

‘Both?’ Theo frowned.

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