Page 10 of Could It Be Magic?
‘Is it all right if I take my lunch break?’
‘Sure,’ he replied. ‘I’ll cover the till while you do.’
‘OK then.’ Thea headed to the back office before he could say anything else. She was oscillating between amusement and irritation about what she’d just witnessed between Nick and Tally. The amusement she could make sense of, but the irritation felt odd. She didn’t have any right to feel it… Oh well, she thought as she unwrapped her somewhat soggy cheese and pickle sandwich from its reusable beeswax wrapper.
9
‘So, we’ll do some cover shots of the exterior today when Jez and the boys get here, and then some interior shots when things get a little busier.’ Tally glanced around at the quiet store and shook her head. ‘And if we could get things looking even more Christmassy in here, that would be great.’
Short of hanging huge Santas from every corner, Nick wasn’t sure what else they could do to improve the décor, but he didn’t say anything. He knew from the last time Tally had descended that she threw out ideas like birdseed. Once the rest of the crew arrived, she’d be kept in check.
‘Well, let me know when you need me,’ Nick said, as Tally paused for breath.
‘Oh, I will.’ Tally’s eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘It’s so sad your mum and dad won’t be available this time around, but it means you get to take centre stage.’
‘Hmmm.’ Nick remained to be convinced about the merits of this particular plan, but he figured he could put up with the intrusion for a couple of days. Realising that Tally was waiting for a better response, he hurriedly filled her in on the amendments to the staffing. ‘Thea, who’s just gone on a break, is an old friend of mine who’s agreed to step in and help out, but she’d rather not be on camera if she can help it, so it would be great if you could bear that in mind.’
‘Sure, sure,’ Tally replied. ‘Believe me, darling, my focus will be entirely on you.’ She looked soulfully into his eyes and Nick knew that she was thinking back to the last time she and the crew had been here. They’d shared a couple of very exciting nights together, but both of them had known it probably wouldn’t go any further. He wasn’t the kind to just hook up with someone, but the weather had been hot, and the cider had been cool, and things had just happened. Fun as it had definitely been, though, in the rather cooler light of a winter’s day, he wasn’t sure he wanted it to happen again.
‘Look, Tally,’ he began, ‘last time you were here was great, but, er, I’m not sure I’m in the market for anything like that, this time around.’
Tally grinned. ‘Darling, never rule anything out. These filming days can be long, but they can also be euphoric, as I’m sure you remember. Let’s just see how it goes, shall we?’ She paused. ‘Unless, of course, you’re spoken for? In which case, I shall definitely keep my hands off!’
Nick dithered. This might well be his ‘out’ from Tally, who, while she was incredibly attractive, he didn’t want a repeat of last year’s one-night stand. It was fun for sure, but he just wasn’t looking for a repeat performance. But then, he wasn’t very good at lying, and he felt that Tally deserved better than that.
‘Not spoken for,’ he said carefully, ‘but very, very busy. Mum and Dad are both poorly at the moment, and I’m rushed off my feet here. But thank you, Tally.’ He paused before adding. ‘It really is great to see you.’
Tally’s smile back suggested she wasn’t entirely convinced by his excuses, but Nick put it to the back of his mind. He really didn’t feel like rekindling anything with her, and as he began to think about why, he was caught off-guard when his mind seemed to drift towards Thea.
10
Thea polished off her sandwich and then wondered what else she could do for the remaining break time she had. As a teacher, she was so used to working through her lunchtime that she felt somewhat at a loss. Tomorrow, she’d bring in a book to pass the time. Just as she was putting her lunchbox back into her bag, she saw Nick sidling into the back office.
‘Everything OK?’ she asked. ‘Do you need me to come back out the front?’
Nick shook his head. ‘It’s all right, I can cover the till until you’ve had a proper break.’ Nick was leaning up against the doorframe and seemed in no hurry to get back to the shop. She was intrigued by the connection she’d observed between Nick and Tally when the glamorous TV producer had arrived, and thought about asking Nick what the story was there. While she’d been living away from Lower Brambleton, she’d lost track of many aspects of her friends’ lives, Nick included.
‘Tally seems nice,’ she said, when Nick showed no sign of pushing back off to the shop. ‘Did you two, er, get on well the last time she came down?’
Nick nodded. ‘Yeah. She’s great. She really knows her stuff, and made this place look amazing last time.’
Thea smiled. ‘I know. I saw the programme. The shop looked fantastic. And you did really well, too.’
‘Thanks.’ Nick smiled at her. ‘I get the feeling she wants me to get more involved this time, what with Dad being laid up, but I’m not sure how I feel about that.’
‘Involved?’ She wondered who was looking after the shop while Nick was back here chatting to her. ‘In what way?’
‘I’m not quite sure yet.’ He straightened up and Thea noticed that he kept glancing back towards the shop counter, just checking to see if anyone had come in.
‘Perhaps I should get back out there?’ Thea suggested. She moved towards the door, but as she did, Nick moved towards her, and for a moment they were in each other’s space. Thea noticed, with a jolt, the aroma of a spicy-scented cologne emanating from Nick, a scent she hadn’t smelt before, and wondered, with a little stab of envy, whether he’d splashed on something new because Tally had arrived today. Tally was certainly a good-looking woman; maybe Nick fancied his chances with her while she was down here on the shoot?
‘If you’re ready,’ Nick replied. He smiled down at her and she felt her mouth going a little dry. What was going on? She’d known Nick for years; why, after being around him for a couple of days, was she suddenly physically reacting differently to him?
‘I think so.’ She laughed a little nervously. ‘I’ve got through the morning… how hard can it be with a camera crew watching my every move?’
Thea’s heart sped up as Nick put a warm hand on her forearm. ‘I promised I’d keep them away from you if you didn’t want to be on camera, and I will. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, Thea.’ His blue eyes were sincere, and Thea found herself holding his gaze for a few pulses longer as she saw his pupils widen. She was counting her own breaths as they both stood there, something warm and unspoken hanging in the air between them.
‘Nicky? Are you back there? Can we sit down and have a natter about the shooting order, if you’ve got a sec?’
