Page 68 of Hook, Line and Single

I sigh with relief. ‘Tell me about Robin.’ Although I wanted her opinion, she hasn’t said the things I wanted to hear, so distracting her will hopefully get me off the hook.

‘What do you want to know? We’re in a good place. He’s invited me to stay for the weekend at the end of the month.’

Now it’s my turn to let my jaw drop. ‘So you’re taking it into the real world? What about him being a vicar?’

‘It’s not ideal, but I get why he didn’t tell me to begin with. If I’d known he was a vicar from the outset, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near him, and I’d have missed out on getting to know what a wonderful, funny and kind person he is. The vicar thing is just something we have to work around.’

‘What about the whole “no sex before marriage” gig? How are you going to cope with that?’

She smiles. ‘Without going into too much detail, it turns out there’s quite a lot you can do without actually having sex. It’s surprisingly fulfilling. I don’t think either of us feels short changed at the moment.’ She lowers her voice. ‘Truth be told, I’ve had more orgasms with Robin in the last couple of days than I’ve had with anyone before.’

‘Is that allowed?’

‘It’s probably not strictly in the spirit of the law, but no penetration is taking place. Well, not with a penis, anyway.’

‘What if you get carried away?’

‘Robin’s very matter-of-fact about that. His view is that he’d prefer us not to have actual sex before we get married, but he’s also honest about the fact that he’s a man and not a virgin. He had girlfriends before he felt the call to ordination, so this isn’t his first rodeo. We’ve agreed to take joint responsibility to try not to let it happen, but not to beat ourselves up if it does.’

‘Wait. You’re talking about marriage already?’

She laughs. ‘Only as a construct. Don’t worry, I haven’t hurled myself off the deep end just yet. Anyway, the good news for you is that I’ve blown him out for tomorrow so I can spend the day with you, just the two of us, like we were supposed to before I turned into a selfish cow.’

‘You’re not a selfish cow. You just fall hard when you fall.’

She smiles. ‘Thank you, but I think this holiday has shown me that I kind of am. However, I’m resolved to do better, so where shall we go? What does it say in your little book of plans?’

I smile at her, but the truth is that I’m conflicted. I was expecting to spend the day with Cameron tomorrow, but I’m not sure how to tell her that without sounding ungrateful. Turning down Robin would have been a big thing for her.

‘What?’ she asks, frowning.

‘Sorry?’

‘Something’s off. Are you still mad at me?’

‘Not at all. It’s just…’

Her face clears. ‘You want to spend the day with Cameron, the guy you’re secretly desperate to hump but are determined to be just friends with.’

‘Do you mind?’

She laughs. ‘Not at all. Can I make one request though?’

‘Of course.’ At the moment, I’d happily give her anything for being so understanding.

‘Can Robin and I tag along?’

‘Hmm. Can I interrogate him about his intentions towards my best friend?’

‘If you must.’

I grin. ‘Then you’d be most welcome.’

24

Brad wasn’t wrong; you’d think we were risen from the dead, the way Barry carried on when Cameron and I strolled into the Nautilus lounge last night. Thankfully, he was distracted by two more couples taking advantage of the fact that it was the penultimate night of the cruise to swap their badges for red ones.

‘I love each and every one of you so much,’ Barry had gushed. ‘I’ve never had so many new couples on a cruise. I expect invitations to all your weddings, do you understand? My contact details are in your packs.’

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