Page 57 of The Reality of Us
“Not yet.”
“What about—”
“Don’t say Alice,” he cut her off, grabbing for the bag. Lulu held on tightly. Her eyes narrowed, lips pursed.
“What about me?” Alice poked her head out of the storeroom. “Oh, hey.” She clutched two candles to her chest and offered him a polite smile. She was wearing her glasses, ripped jeans and a bright yellow jumper.
Owen looked back at his mum who smirked. Nice of Lulu to mention Alice was here.
“Hi,” he said. Owen had been trying to reach her for days, and now she was right in front of him, he didn’t have the foggiest idea of what to say.
“Owen needs a partner for a charity race in August. You should do it. Be excellent exposure for The Emancipation of Alice and aligns nicely with your new charity objectives. It’s win-win.”
Alice set the candles down on the counter. “Race?”
“It’s an overnight adventure obstacle course thing with some running.”
Her face drained of colour when Lulu said ‘overnight’. Yep. She’d definitely thought the sex was bad. Was he so out of practice he’d imagined how much fun she’d had? He’d only rushed out of there like his pants were on fire because she’d been so worried about Teddy finding them in a compromising position. And he’d tried to call her. Make sure she was okay. She was the one who’d been ignoring him.
Owen slid his phone into his pocket, both hands reaching for the bags on the counter, keen to escape but Lulu refused to let them go. “I’m sure I’ll find someone.”
There.
He’d given her an easy out. He could ask one of the paralegals from his old firm who was obsessed with having zero body fat. This would be right up his alley.
“We’re hoping to raise enough money to do some work out at Kathleen’s Place,” Lulu said. “Be great publicity for us and for you as well.”
Alice fiddled with the candles, her thumb smoothing over the embossed foil logo on the front. The telltale flush spread across her neck.
“Just think about it. Now, can I pinch one of those? I promised Joan I’d save her one.” Lulu pointed at the candles in front of Alice.
“Sure.” She slid one across the glass cabinet top to Lulu before she turned back towards Owen, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. “Maybe we could talk later?”
Was that hope on her face? But … what? She’d made it clear this week she didn’t want to speak to him. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he was still her lawyer. Some of the calls she’d ignored had been about papers that needed signing. “About the race,” she added. “And everything else.”
“Okay.” He nodded.
“All done back there?” Lulu nodded towards the storeroom, and Alice held up her phone.
“Yep. Got a few shots of everything all boxed up so I can share them on my socials. I’ll come back to set up the display the night before. I’ll leave you guys to it.” She picked up an oversized tan leather tote he hadn’t noticed on the countertop and looped it over her shoulder.
Crap. He’d forgotten about her launch next weekend. Owen was such a dick. She’d probably been running around trying to get everything ready, and he’d been bitching to himself about how she hadn’t called him back.
Alice pulled a candle out of her bag and thrust it towards him awkwardly, avoiding his eyes. “This is for you. To thank you for all your help. I thought you might like it better than the other ones.”
Their fingers brushed, and he swallowed before flipping the box over. A small smile tugged at his lips when he read the gold foil that said Sporty McSports Sports Ball. It reminded him of something musky, like the trails before a huge rainstorm, and something citrusy, maybe lemon.
“It’s one of the new scents I’ve been working on. If you like it, maybe I’ll make some more.”
Hope flared in his chest, the first flicker of a candle being lit. “Thanks,” he said. Thanks? Idiot.
“See you Friday,” Alice said to Lulu before hustling towards the door.
Owen stared at the candle. Had she been thinking about him as much as he’d been thinking of her? He grabbed the bags, brushing a quick goodbye kiss across Lulu’s cheek. “Alice, wait. Do you have a few minutes now?”
Lulu snorted. So much for subtlety.
Alice paused, hand on the door handle, shoulders rising as she took a deep breath. Her face was free of make-up, the freckles scattered across her nose reminding him of the constellations he’d been obsessed with when he was a boy. When she looked him up and down, her cheeks flushing the delicate shade of pink he now knew covered her whole body, he readjusted his grip on the bags. If his mum wasn’t watching, and/or texting the Old Girls’ group chat about how she’d been right all along, Owen might’ve asked if he could kiss Alice, apologise for being a selfish ass and check if she needed any help.
