Page 14 of Just a Little Crush
“Oh jeez, as if we needed anything else to add to his list of heroics.”
“Is it true he caught you watching porn?”
“Oh my god, NO!” I throw my head back but it barely moves with this stupid beige bastard strapped around my neck. “I was listening to an audiobook. He just happened to appear during a pivotal scene.”
“Shit babe, how mortifying.” Alyssa is no stranger to spicy romance herself, and we’ve spent many a slow afternoon singing the praises of our latest book boyfriends.
“Please tell me about work. Tell me the weddings were OK.”
“I haven’t heard a peep from either of the weddings, which means they were fine. Today was your day off anyway, and when I get in and open up, I’ll arrange cover for you for the rest of the week.”
“I forgot my laptop. Can you head up to my flat and pick it up after you close?”
“What do you need it for?”
“Work! I have orders to submit, invoices to pay, wedding enquiries to book in.”
“I refuse to let you do any of those things. I’ll handle it.”
The idea of sitting on the sofa all day and not doing any work is making me feel itchy. I’ve barely spent a day away from the shop since I was a child. I don’t know if I can just let someone else take over for me.
“What about cheese and wine tonight?”
“I’m hosting. You know I wish you’d let me do those anyway.”
“What about the sandwiches? Nobody else has ever made the sandwiches.”
This is not about the sandwiches. It’s not even the work, it’s the place. The calming green walls, the window displays I spend hours tinkering with, it’s my shop and my home, and I miss it.
“Don’t be such a control freak, Bec,” she says, patting my leg. “I’ve seen you do these things a million times. I’ve got it. Let us look after you the way you look after everyone else.”
“Do you need anything before I go?”
“Actually, while you’re here, I have a huge favour to ask.”
“Anything. What do you need?”
“Do you have time to help me have a quick bath? I’m so gross, and I can’t ask Rennie to do this for me.”
“Oh, I bet Rennie would love to wash your dirty bits,” she laughs as she heads for the bathroom.
When the water is ready, she helps me along the hallway and I start to clam up. Alyssa is my friend, but she’s also my employee, and this is not a normal request from your boss. I try to push down my embarrassment by reminding myself that I’m a mess and I was in a car accident. I genuinely need this help.
Getting me into the tub is a mission and a half. Alyssa has to remove my sling and my ankle support, undress me, then help lower me into the water without getting herself soaked. I soap up a washcloth and clean where I can reach, but she does my back and grabs a jug from the kitchen to wash my hair. The heat of the water is heaven and I can feel some of my aches being soothed already.
“So what’s it like staying with Rennie?” she asks, rubbing conditioner into the lengths of my hair. I forgot to ask him to pack mine, so now I’ll be cursed with smelling like him all night. “Does he walk around in his pants? Does he do naked yoga? Does he eat whipped cream straight from the can?”
Don’t think about it, don’t think about it.
Too late, I’m thinking about it. Rennie. Naked. With a can of whipped cream in his hand, threatening to use it on me. I’m also naked in this scenario.Snap out of it, Rebecca.
“What the hell is going on in your head? Why is everyone so obsessed with him?”
“Come on, you know how hot it is,” Alyssa says. “The big hunky firefighter rescuing you. It’s like something from a book.”
“He was just doing his job.” I swallow thickly and squeeze my eyes shut while she rinses my hair.
I’ve never told anyone about my crush on Rennie. In fact, I generally refrain from engaging in conversation about him at all. When people mention his name in the shop, I just smile and carry on working. When they ask me if he’s single, I say“I wouldn’t know”and change the subject.
