Page 16 of Love Grows

I shook my head. “Lucas and Kahlia don’t grab their boss.”

Steph laughed. “Consider it an intervention by a staff member who doesn’t want their boss to lose sales which would result in that staff member losing their job. I was going for self-preservation.” She grimaced at me then rolled her lips together, all sparkly eyes and cheekiness.

I laughed. “Fine”. Then I realised that I hadn’t actually minded Steph grabbing me around my waist. She had lovely arms. Strong. I imagined Steph riding pillion on my motorbike, holding onto me as we rode through the hills outside Melbourne. Yum.

“Are you mentally finishing your monologue of pissed-off-ness?”

I blushed. I wasn’t about to tell Steph what I had been thinking. That would have been awkward. Things like motorbike rides and picnics and maybe dates at the movies were not for open discussion.

* * *

The weird thingabout attraction is that you can’t keep your eyes off the person you’re attracted to. Nor stop your body from being in their space. It’s a phenomenon that people should study. Perhaps they had and I should spend some time down Google rabbit holes. I needed to know, because all I was doing for a week after the let’s-grab-Angel yummy moment was gravitating towards, looking at, and thinking about Steph.

“It’s very distracting,” I muttered into the bonsai cupboard as I checked on the plants.

Jules’ revelation only a couple of hours prior only increased the delight that was Steph Thatcher.

“So, you’ll be interested to know that Steph speaks Greek,” Jules had said, leaning over the counter at her cafe.

I frowned. “She does?”

“Yep.”

“And you know this…” I faded off.

“She was chatting with Mrs G when I popped in to get a couple of battered pineapple rings for Pip. You know how she gets those cravings when she has several readings scheduled.”

“Okay?” I rolled my hand to move her story along.

“Well, Mrs G was saying that she hadn’t followed all of the meeting debate and had taken such a dislike to Benjamin Walker that she tuned him out. Then Steph launches into fluent Greek to fill her in, then Mrs G hugged her!”

“Looks like there’s more to Steph than meets the eye.”

“Your eye, anyway. I’ve seen your eyeballs wandering, mate.”

“I do not have wandering eyeballs.”

“When it comes to Steph Thatcher you do.” Jules waggled a finger at my face. “You’re attracted to her.”

“No,” I lied.

“You’re lying. If you sat down with Pip right now, she’d be pulling out the Lovers card and laying it in its position.”

My understanding of Tarot fortune telling was very poor despite our community of shops possessing a resident expert.

“‘The what?”

“The Lovers Card in the Future position. It means a future destined by love.”

“Oh, good grief.” I sighed dramatically. “I love you and Pip but I am not heading towards a future with my employee.

I returned to my chat with the bonsai, my thoughts meandering about Jules’ revelation that Steph spoke Greek and how she was convinced I had a thing for Steph. Then I looked up and my gaze landed squarely on Steph, who was looking right back at me. She quirked a smile, gave me a wave, then held eye contact until we both blushed and looked away.

Maybe I was attractive to Steph for her to blush like that. Or she was early menopausal.

If we were a Netflix series, the lesbians would be yelling “Just kiss already!” at their screens.

I wandered over.

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