Page 59 of Play On

“As it should be,” Amelia says. “Kids are a tough audience, so if you got them excited about the project, then you did an excellent job. But let’s go back before your event on Thursday. Like to Wednesday. And oh, you being spotted withNoahat Wisteria House and then leaving with him?”

“Oh, that,” I say, waving my hand dismissively in the air. “We shared an Uber. No biggie.”

“Violet!” Amelia cries, laughing. “Tell me!”

“Okay,” I say, as I am eager to talk about Noah. “I went out with an old friend of mine from my St. Andrews days. Aimee. We decided to go to Wisteria House, and out of the blue, I bumped into Camden. He happened to be with Kieran. And Noah.”

“Ooh!” Amelia says, her eyes sparkling. “What happened?”

“I confessed to Noah that I was an idiot,” I say quietly, an embarrassed flush heating my cheeks. “And I pushed him away out of fear.” I pause for a moment, studying her. “But I’m sure Nicholas already told you that.”

“Don’t be mad at him,” she says gently. “Nicholas was worried you had made a big mistake by not giving Noah a chance. He didn’t want you to regret it.”

“My brother has the annoying quality of being right about a lot of things,” I tease.

“Don’t I know it?” Amelia grins.

“Well, as you can tell fromDishing Weekly, we worked it out. We were set to have our first date on Friday, but I came down with an awful head cold after being exposed to the kids at school. I cancelled, but Noah wasn’t having that. He came over, brought me soup for dinner, and hung out with me at my family’s home in Kensington.”

Amelia’s face lights up in approval. “Oh, that’s so sweet!”

“I know, he’s so kind. And fearless. Noah wasn’t worried about catching my cold in the least.”

“So when are you going to see him again?”

I smile. “Wednesday. He’s rented a cottage on the coast so we can spend some time together and have a proper first date, not one with me sucking down lozenges and blowing my nose.”

“Really? That’s fantastic!”

“We need this time because he’s going to start training again soon, and then he’ll be off for the Stonebridge United Australia tour.”

“Oh, that’s right. I’m sure the season will be crazy once it starts.”

I don’t say anything. That’s something—if we hit it off this week—we’ll have to discuss. Logistically, if I don’t find a job in London this summer, I’ll most likely be the one having to visit him from Dorset, as Noah will be tied to Surrey, training if he’s not playing.

But I don’t feel like flittering away from that challenge or hardship.

This butterfly has found a place to land if my gut is leading me the right way.

“I asked Maria if she can pick up some of my shifts this week so I can spend time with Noah,” I say. “Just because I know timeis going to become very precious in a matter of weeks. If she doesn’t want the shifts, I’ll see if Diane or Ellie wants them.”

“If neither one of them can take them, I can,” Amelia volunteers.

“No, Amelia, you aren’t here to fill in for me,” I say firmly. “You’re here to help Nicholas and learn about estate management.”

“Well, that means running a gift shop.”

I smile gratefully at her. “Okay, but before you say that, I have shifts on Saturday and Sunday.”

“So? It’s not like Nicholas won’t have a million things he can do whilst I’m working up here. So there you go. Whatever the girls won’t take, I will. Now you are free to explore things with a certain footballer.”

I reach across the till and squeeze her hand. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I don’t know how I can return the favour, but anything you need, ask me.”

Amelia squeezes my hand back. “I’m the one who owes you. As soon as you heard from me, you could have ignored my request to meet out of loyalty to Nicholas. But you didn’t.”

“My gut told me not to,” I explain simply. Then I grin. “And I’m so glad I didn’t.”

“Me, too. Hey, do you want to have lunch with me and Nicholas today? What time is Diane covering you?”

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