Page 75 of Read Between The Lines

And then he turned on his heel and strode off down the street, quickly disappearing into the crowds.

‘He’s a busy man, obviously much in demand,’ said Blake.

‘Yes, he is.’ I was far too aware of that fact.

‘So, how about it? A proper date, this time?’

‘Thanks for the invitation, that’s really kind of you. But I’m afraid my feelings are engaged elsewhere.’

Blake smiled and shrugged. ‘I wondered if that was the case. Ah well, I had to ask. Perhaps you’ll let me know how you get on,’ he added.

‘Sure, let me have your number and I’ll drop you a text when the detective gets back to me. I would DM you on SO Ox, but I’m not sure that’s going to be around for much longer.’

Blake laughed. ‘I think you might be right. Actually, I was hoping you’d let me know how it goes with your friend Leo. I’m an old romantic at heart. I can see a love story in the making.’

‘That obvious, is it?’ I said, aware I was probably blushing.

‘He has it bad for you,’ said Blake, nodding after Leo’s retreating form.

I sighed. ‘Actually, sadly it’s the other way round. I have it bad for him, and he… well, I really can’t tell.’

Blake laughed again. ‘Oh dear, I’ll leave you to work that one out for yourself, then. But if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Or in my case, you do ask, and you still don’t get. The difference is at least you know you’ve asked.’

‘Thanks. I’ve been coming to that conclusion myself. And I really appreciate you sticking your neck out to make the statement about Dom.’

He brushed away my gratitude. ‘No problemo. I’ll have quite the tale to tell my fellow cast members when I get back to the theatre. I bet they’ve spent their break doing boring stuff like the crossword and catching up on sleep. See you around.’

‘See you.’

I watched Blake walk down the street in the same direction that Leo had gone. Then I turned the other way and wandered across town towards the canal. I needed to plot out my next move.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Itook a deep breath and savoured the vanilla-sweet smell of ageing paper. I always thought better surrounded by books, and the newly opened Oxford Bookship, which was moored by Isis Lock, seemed the perfect place to consider my next course of action. The canal boat’s main cabin was crammed to the brim with an eclectic mix of new and second-hand volumes, and I instantly felt calmer standing in the embrace of so many words of wisdom and comfort.

‘Are you looking for something in particular?’ The friendly proprietor called through the doors from the deck where she was sitting in the early evening sunshine with an extremely large and very hairy dog.

‘Just browsing,’ I said.

‘Sorry to disturb. It’s my first week of doing this, and I still haven’t worked out whether it’s best to leave the browsers well alone or try to point them in the direction of something interesting. And now I’m disturbing you still further. You should complain to the manager.’ She looked about her then pointed at her chest. ‘Which would be me, Molly.’

I laughed. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Molly. Your bookshop is beautiful.’

She smiled proudly. ‘Thank you. I love her, but then again, I’m biased. I was hoping the novelty factor of a bookshop on a boat might attract a few more sales, but it’s early days.’ Then she put her hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry, that sounded like I was trying to guilt-trip you into buying something, which was really not my intention. Ignore me, I promise to shut up now.’

I took pity on her. ‘Perhaps you could recommend something, after all.’

She jumped up eagerly, and hurried down to join me in the cabin, the dog following her closely.

‘Don’t worry, Hilda’s very friendly. Now, what are you in the mood for?’

I scratched Hilda’s wiry coat, grinning at the grunt of appreciation I got in return.

‘I’m not sure. That’s not very helpful, I know.’ I paused, then decided there wasn’t any harm in asking. ‘Actually, what I’m looking for is something to help me feel confident ahead of an important conversation.’

Leo had once said to me, ‘Romeo and Juliet could have solved all their issues by just having a good chat.’ I knew that was what I needed to do. The prospect of laying my feelings bare and exposing myself in that way still felt utterly terrifying. But I was resolved to find the courage to do it.

Molly frowned thoughtfully. ‘A challenge. I like it.’

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