Page 11 of Could It Be Magic?
Tally’s voice was more effective at shattering the moment than a sledgehammer against concrete. Nick hastily removed his hand from Thea’s arm and, with an apologetic smile, turned in the direction of the voice. ‘Yup, no problem, Tally. Just checking on a couple of things. Be there in a minute.’
‘You’d better get out there before she tracks you down!’ Thea gave a slightly nervous laugh. ‘I’ll get back on the counter so you can have a proper chat.’
‘Thanks.’ Nick smiled again, before his face became more serious. ‘I meant it. I’ll keep the cameras away. You just focus on being brilliant behind the shop counter, like you have been all morning, and leave the rest to me.’
Something about the protective tone in Nick’s voice and the way he had taken charge of the disruption of the film shoot, made Thea feel suddenly less nervous. She liked seeing him like this: decisive, in control and, dare she admit it to herself, sexy?
11
Thankfully, Tally was far too preoccupied with setting up the logistics of the TV shoot to spend much time talking to Thea or Nick over the first afternoon. In addition, by the time Friday was nearly over, Thea was also relieved that she’d only been caught on camera in background shots for the documentary, as Nick had promised, so she hadn’t had to take direction from Tally or anyone else. She couldn’t help noticing the way Tally still flirted outrageously with Nick at every chance she got, though. It irritated her, the way Tally kept putting her hand on his back, giggling at his tritest utterance and charming him. Thea wondered what the story was. She tried to put Tally’s OTT behaviour down to natural exuberance and a very PR-focussed way of doing things – after all, Tally needed to get the best out of the people who were appearing on camera, and Nick’s role was going to be larger this time around. All the same, there seemed to be a few too many casual touches, whispers in ears and flirtatious giggles for Thea to completely ignore. And every time she noticed, she wondered why she cared so much. It wasn’t as if she was Nick’s girlfriend: he could flirt with whom he wanted, and Tally was certainly flirting with him.
‘Right, Nicky darling, we’re going to do a few more cover shots today, so if we can follow you about to the barns and back again, that would be great, and then I’ll give you the weekend to rehearse your big piece to camera, which we’ll shoot on Monday, early. Then, if we can do some footage of the Festive Market on Tuesday evening, we’ll be wrapped.’
It was the Nicky darlings that did her head in. But Nick himself didn’t seem to mind. Thea kept her head down and did her job, and when the time came for her to knock off for the day, she hung up her apron gratefully. Working here wasn’t taxing, but being on her feet was hard, and she was looking forward to getting home.
‘Well done,’ Nick said as he closed the front door and flipped the sign to closed. ‘You’ve really helped me out over the past couple of days, and I know it’s been even more tricky with the film crew being here.’
‘It’s been fine,’ Thea replied. ‘I’m trying not to be offended that the camera clearly doesn’t love me, as, unlike you, I haven’t been singled out!’
Nick laughed. ‘Well, I did ask them to leave you alone! I can always tell them you’ve changed your mind?’
‘Definitely not,’ Thea said firmly. ‘I’m more than happy just to bimble about in the background and make you look good.’
‘Well, I’m grateful you’ve been here,’ Nick said, his tone a little more gentle. ‘Um… would you like to go out for a drink? As a thank you for all the help today?’
Thea’s heart gave a little flutter. After their moment at lunchtime the day before, she actually really did want to spend a little more time with him, but she had a lot to do before Saturday arrived. She had family coming over to celebrate Cora’s thirteenth birthday, as well as a couple of Cora’s friends sleeping over, and she really wanted to make it special for her daughter. With a little twinge of regret, she declined.
‘Another time, maybe?’ Nick said. ‘I’ve really enjoyed working with you over the past couple of days, and it would be nice to have a chat away from this place.’
‘I’d like that.’ Thea smiled up at him. They lingered together a while, before Thea looked at her watch. ‘I’d best be off. I’ve got a house full for Cora’s birthday tomorrow, and a lot of balloons to blow up tonight!’
‘You never stop, do you?’ Nick grinned at her. ‘I don’t know where you get the energy. I’m knackered just working here, and there’s only myself to look after when I get home.’
‘I thrive on hard work,’ Thea replied, ‘but yeah, it does get pretty exhausting.’ She stifled a yawn. ‘I’ve really enjoyed working here, though – are you sure you don’t need any more help when Annabelle’s back?’
Nick looked thoughtful. ‘Well, she does keep saying we should take someone else on to ease the pressure a bit. Would you be up for something a bit more long term?’
‘I’d definitely think about it!’ Thea purposely injected a light tone into her voice, but Nick looked concerned.
‘Are things a bit tight?’
‘Well, the wolf isn’t quite at the door, but he’s getting peckish!’ Thea’s quip didn’t sound convincing, even to her own ears.
Nick ran a hand through his hair. ‘If a few more hours after Christmas would help, then I’ll definitely see what I can do.’
‘Thank you.’ Thea was touched and suddenly felt the urge to cry. ‘But only if there’s a need – I don’t want to be taken on as a charity case!’
‘As I said, you’ve done a great job, and with the film crew here it’s been a bit trickier.’ Nick glanced at the clock behind the counter. ‘I’d better let you go. See you next Thursday, if not before?’
Thea nodded, and then they said goodbye. As she was driving home, she couldn’t help wondering, not for the first time, why Nick still only had himself to look after. He was gorgeous, and he didn’t even have to try very hard. No wonder Tally had set her sights on him while she was here.
12
Saturday came, and Thea rolled over in bed and thanked the gods she wasn’t going to be on her feet today. Two full shifts at the shop had been fun, but they’d taken their toll on her back and her feet. She was used to moving around a lot in the classroom, but shop work had put a different kind of pressure on her body, and she was feeling it. This weekend was going to have its own energy, though: it was Cora’s thirteenth birthday, and her daughter was having a couple of friends to sleep over. Thankfully, Thea had bought some pizzas in last month when she’d done a big supermarket shop, and the mobile phone Cora had received at the start of the school year had been a joint birthday and Christmas present, so there wasn’t any additional spending to worry about. Thea felt she could relax and enjoy her daughter’s birthday without the fear of losing control of her finances.
Lorelai was coming over that morning with a home baked birthday cake, and Tristan and Charlotte were also popping round with a present and to celebrate before Cora’s friends arrived later that afternoon. Thea was glad that they would all make it: she never stopped feeling relieved that her family was all nearby. Over the years, especially when the children had been younger, it had been a blessing to have her grandmother and her brother on hand for support, and as Cora and Dylan had grown, they’d felt all of the wonderful emotions that came with having a close-knit family. It wasn’t quite the same as having her parents, still, but it was a near substitute for which she was grateful.
Swinging her feet out of the bed and wincing as they made contact with the bedroom floor, she realised she’d have to toughen up if she was going to cope with even a couple of weeks’ worth of shop work. You’re not seventeen any more, she thought ruefully as she made her way to the shower. Back in the day, when she’d had a weekend job working in the local convenience store, she’d do a shift and then go out on the town straight afterwards. Those days were long behind her, or at least that’s what her aching feet were telling her.
