Page 24 of Suddenly Desired
You’re thinking about him again, said her brain, and she slapped herself gently on the side of the head.
Her phone buzzed, Lissa’s message appearing.
Sure, hon, after yesterday I don’t blame you. Take the day if you like.
She was about to reply when another text came through.
And be careful. Josh sent us all the video. Remember, you deserve better. You deserve the best. Love you.
She fired back a thank you, then poured herself some coffee. Sunlight flooded the room and she basked in it, her mood lifting. Yeah, she’d take the day, clean her little flat and work on some designs for LifeWrite, then maybe the next time she met Blake she’d have something concrete to show him.
Enough about Blake!
It wasn’t like she’d ever see him again. The odds were practically non-existent — he hadn’t left her his number, hadn’teven hinted at wanting to see her again, aside from those fleeting, soul-igniting looks. Sure, he’d mentioned a few places he frequented, but what was she supposed to do? Stalk every café in the city, hoping for a chance encounter?
Even if she did see him again, would he even remember her? Probably not. Guys like Blake Fielding didn’t have time to linger on ordinary women like her, no matter how much she wished otherwise. She needed to get a grip, forget about him, and bury the memory of yesterday deep in her mind where it couldn’t haunt her.
But then there was that damn smile.
Curled at the corners of his mouth like a secret she needed to know. It hit her low and hard every time she remembered it.
Her cheeks flushed, a soft heat spreading through her that she hated to admit was entirely Blake’s doing. She could almost hear his low, velvet voice again, the way he’d said her name, the way his lips had curved as if he’d known exactly what kind of effect he had on her.
“Stop it,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head as though she could physically dislodge him from her thoughts.
She grabbed her phone and called her mum. She’d barely scratched the surface in last night’s rushed update, and she definitely hadn’t wanted to say too much with Blake right there. But now, maybe spilling the whole story would help her shake this . . . whatever it was.
“Honey,” said Mum. She could hear the idyllic sounds of cows lowing and birds singing in the background. “I’m so glad you called. It’s not like I spentallnight wondering whether your date had thrown you into the sea.”
“One, he wasn’t a date,” said Ellie, crunching toast as she spoke. “Two, we were nowhere near the sea, and three, he definitely wasn’t a date.”
“How would I know?” asked Mum. “You never tell me anything. Are you off to work today?”
“Yeah,” she lied. Her mum had instilled in Ellie a strict work ethic, and she didn’t tolerate any excuses for slacking. Especially not excuses of the boy variety.
“I’m sure the café would fall apart without you,” she said dryly. “Just remember, there’s plenty of work back here at home, I can set you up in a good company — they’re looking for bright young things. And you’re always welcome back on the farm. I could use you.”
“I’m fine, Mum,” Ellie said, not feeling particularly young or bright. “I’m working on something big. There’s been some . . . interest.”
It wasn’t a complete lie, was it?
“Well do what you have to do,” said her mum. “You know I believe in you. And Ellie?”
“Yeah?”
“You seem pretty insistent that the man you were with last night wasn’t a date. But if that was the case, why did you sound like a giddy schoolgirl when you spoke to me?”
Ellie’s cheeks blazed. “Gotta go,” she said. “Love you, Mum.”
She ended the call. How ridiculous was her mother? She hadn’t sounded like a giddy schoolgirl at all. She’d just been tired, and Blake had caught her by surprise.
Definitely not a date.
She finished her coffee and toast then showered, dressing in a light, summery dress and flats. It would be nice to sit and work here all day, but she knew that as soon as Josh found out she wasn’t in the café, he’d come over to keep her company. There were plenty of other cafés nearby she could use, but she found the hustle and bustle distracting. A bookstore was out of the question, too, because she’d end up returning home with a pile of new books and she was poor enough as it was.
No, she needed somewhere quiet, somewhere where she’d be surrounded by books but wouldn’t have to pay for any. Somewhere she wouldn’t be interrupted by Josh.
Checking she had enough money for the bus, she grabbed her bag and headed for the library. It was only as she was walking out the door that she remembered to pick up her laptop too, scolding herself for not focusing.
