Page 22 of Could It Be Magic?
Thea’s gaze met his, and she was suddenly hit with such a sense of longing and desire that her knees wobbled. ‘Um, sure,’ she stammered. ‘About what?’
‘You know what,’ Nick replied softly.
Just as Thea was about to reply, a ‘Hellooooooo? Service?’ came from the shop counter.
‘Bugger.’ Nick rolled his eyes and Thea, taking the opportunity to escape a conversation she wasn’t quite ready to have, eased her way past him. ‘I’ll go. We can chat later, can’t we?’
Nick nodded, and Thea hurried out to the front of the shop. Mollie Wakefield from Purrfect Paws was standing at the counter. Thea greeted her and rang up her purchases.
‘It’s such a gorgeous, sunny winter’s day outside,’ Mollie said, smiling at Thea. ‘One could almost forget we’re in the midst of winter. We see so little sunshine at this time of year, don’t we? My cats all perk up when there’s a bit more light and warmth in the air.’
‘I know the feeling!’ Thea joked, but she was half on autopilot. She heard Mollie mentioning something about a long-range forecast for snow in the West Country, but she didn’t take much notice. Snow was a rarity in this part of the county, blessed as it was by south westerly winds from the Gulf Stream. Thea couldn’t remember the last time they’d had more than a smattering of the white stuff in Lower Brambleton.
As Mollie left, there seemed to be a steady stream of afternoon customers, so much so that by the time there was a lull, Nick had disappeared again, ostensibly off to one of the other barns on site. Thea huffed in frustration, and not a little confusion. That interaction in the doorway had made her pause. She had a very strong sense that seeing Tally kissing Nick under the mistletoe had been a bit of ‘moment’ for her, too, but she also knew she couldn’t trust her own instincts right now. There was too much going on for her to think straight.
20
Closing time came around, and Thea hung up her apron gratefully. She’d been nervous all afternoon about talking to Nick, and now she just wanted to speak to him and get home. The thought of another tense day tomorrow made her try to be more patient, though. The atmosphere between them had added another layer of stress that she just didn’t need. As she closed out the till and put the drawer into the safe, she straightened up again and let out a long sigh. She was tired. Really, really tired. Thank goodness Cora was going to cook dinner tonight.
‘Everything OK?’ Nick asked as she went back through to the shop, having picked up her bag from the back office.
‘All good,’ Thea replied. ‘Er, you said you wanted to talk to me?’
‘Yeah, is now a good time?’ As Thea watched, Nick rubbed the back of his neck, a classic nervous gesture she’d seen him do a thousand times before. Tonight, though, it irritated her.
‘I do have to get home, Nick,’ she said quickly. ‘The kids have been on their own since they got back from school and I’d like to see them sometime tonight.’
‘Sure, sure. Sorry.’
‘Well?’ she said, a little more sharply than she’d intended. ‘What is it, Nick?’
Nick, obviously catching her tone, got to it. ‘Look, there are a couple of things, actually. The first one is about what you saw the other night. It was nothing, honestly. Tally took things into her own hands?—’
‘And you, it would seem,’ Thea interjected. ‘You were very much in her hands from what I saw.’
Nick looked pained. ‘She grabbed me before I had the chance to do anything!’ he protested. ‘And all right, she’s a very attractive woman, but I keep telling you, she’s not for me.’
‘Not so much that you didn’t hook up with her last time, though,’ Thea observed. ‘You must fancy her a bit.’
‘Honestly?’ Nick paused. ‘I did then, but I don’t any more. And that stupid kiss proved it to me. I think it might have proved it to her, too. She didn’t exactly look thrilled afterwards.’
‘I wouldn’t know. I left pretty sharpish, but you probably didn’t notice.’
‘I did notice, and I wanted to explain.’ Nick’s tone was gentle, but firm, and Thea found her pulse beating a little bit faster.
‘You don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m your friend, not your—’ She broke off, and started to blush. ‘Look, I really do have to go.’
Nick shifted a little. ‘Not my what?’ he asked softly.
‘Nothing,’ Thea muttered. ‘Forget I said anything.’ She didn’t want to admit to herself just how much seeing Nick kissing Tally under the mistletoe had affected her. She was frustrated she’d reacted so strongly, and it didn’t make any sense, in her mind at least. Nick could kiss whomever he wanted; why, then, had a huge part of her wanted to be in Tally’s place?
‘Thea…’ Nick murmured, and his tone made her look up from the floor, where she’d been resolutely staring. ‘Would it help if I said I was sorry?’ His eyes showed concern, affection, and an obvious desire to make things right between them. She didn’t doubt his sincerity, in that moment, but she was still unsettled by her own reaction to the kiss she’d seen.
‘It’s not that,’ Thea muttered. She didn’t want to admit how she felt to him: she was terrified about losing the connection they were beginning to strengthen. ‘Honestly, Nick, it’s fine.’
Nick’s expression communicated all too clearly that he didn’t believe her. Just as she was about to speak, again, he beat her to it.
‘Come here.’
