Page 47 of Love Grows

There was a gasp from Mrs G. “No moment. Look. They are in the love. What is this moment business? Pah. They kiss, everyone is happy, we eat.”

I hung my head as everyone fell about laughing. It was like a dam had burst. Then I felt Steph’s other hand sandwich mine.

“Can we? Can we talk, please?”

I looked at her and nodded, leading her to the chairs near the discounted crystals in their glass cabinets.

We sat with our knees almost touching.

Steph smoothed my cheek, and I nestled into her palm. Gosh, she was so pretty.

“I missed you this week,” I said softly.

“I missed you terribly. I’d lost you and I couldn’t bear it. I wante—whatareyou doing?” she repeated from before.

I’d begun making soft beeping noises just like the metal detector did when nothing was underfoot but it was tracking.

“Angel?”

I leaned forward into Steph’s space, close enough to lean in for a kiss.

“I’m finding you, Steph. You’re my precious metal and it took me ages to work that out. I want to be your lover but now I’m in mid air with nowhere to land. What do I do with this information? Can’t you see how hurt I am? Well, I was hurt. Not so much now. But I was. I felt betrayed, because it felt like I fell in love with Steph Thatcher and suddenly you were Steph Walker.”

Steph’s eyes sparkled with tears. “You love me?”

“Yes!”

“But I’m the same person.”

“You’re Steph Thatcher-Walker,” I said.

“I’m your Steph. I just wear a fancy business suit on some days.”

I couldn’t help it. I leered. “Really?”

Steph threw her head back and laughed and it was the most delicious sound in the world.

I brought my head closer to hers, feeling her breath. Then I felt it. A tiny kiss on my skin, just above the spot where my dimple started near my cheek.

“Hey, Angel?” Steph murmured.

“Yeah?”

“I love you, too.”

My heart exploded with confetti and dancing cats in top hats and canes. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“I want to grow a tree with you.”

Steph tilted her head. “Like…an actual tree?”

I was so bad at this. “Well, okay, if you want to but I was speaking metaphorically. I want us. I want this.” I brushed her sternum and then mine and I was positive that I’d spoken softly but apparently we had a captive audience with listening devices.

“Put the soil in and grow the tree, Angel!”

Ted sounded like he was yelling for his favourite football team.

I blushed, then yelled back. “I own a nursery. I know how to grow a fucking tree!”

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