Page 53 of Just a Little Crush
My mouth hangs open, the room slowing around me as I take in what she’s said. “You’re not serious?”
“I am a very serious person Rebecca, have you ever known me to joke?” I shake my head. “Our town almost lost you and we’d have been a much worse place if we had. I think it’s only proper that we show you how much we appreciate you and everything you do.”
I look across to Rennie, his beautiful, beaming face. He knows I’ve wanted to turn on the Christmas lights since I was a little girl. Since the Christmas they brought in someone from a reality TV show about an airport and they called the town by the wrong name. Our primary school class had been asked to write questions and obviously mine was“What’s your favourite cheese?”. Gramps and I had stared at each other in horror when the so-called celeb had said “string cheese”. I’ve never gotten over it.
“I’d love to,” I say, “I would be so honoured. Thank you so much.”
“Well, I’m thrilled, and frankly a little embarrassed we never asked you sooner,” she says with a nudge and a wink.
I can’t speak, too caught up in the excitement and the vision of me standing on that platform pressing that big red button like I’ve always dreamed of.
“Well, I won’t keep you, but I must say I’m very glad to see this is happening at long last.” She waves her hands back and forth between Rennie and I. “Just delightful.”
Then she’s gone, leaving us to continue eye-fucking each other over the rim of our coffee cups.
“Did everybody know about us, except us?” I ask him.
“I think we knew all along, baby. We just needed a little push.”
27
Bec
Six Months Later
Onthefaceofit, nothing has changed at all. Rennie fights fires, entertains toddlers, teaches teenagers how to stick up for themselves, and helps old ladies across the street. I serve cheese and wine and daydream about all the ways I want to take his clothes off. Together we busy ourselves with jobs around the town before the Easter celebrations begin. But at night, everything is different.
Sometimes Rennie stays at mine, sometimes I stay at his, but wherever we are we eat together, we laugh, we play, and Rennie, on my instance, always sleeps naked. In all my years of fantasising about him, I never had any idea it would be as good as this. When I’m with him I feel completely, truly myself. And when I’m not with him, I’m counting down the minutes until I’m back in his arms.
I left Rennie in bed this morning, begrudgingly I might add, to head up to the Fenwick estate before I open the shop. Alyssa set everything up for a fairytale wedding yesterday, the first of a busy spring season, but it’s my turn to collect all our tableware. Even though I’ve passed that gap in the treeline a few times since the accident, it always makes me hold my breath. I’m not sure why. Partly fear of what could have been, partly gratitude for that old oak that changed my life forever.
I’m heading outside with the last crate of decorations and find Rennie leaning against my van. His arms are folded across his chest and I thank my lucky stars it’s mild enough for just a t-shirt. The sight of those biceps straining at the sleeves sends heat straight to my core.Yum.
“What are you doing here? Oh god, was there a fire?”
“Only in my loins,” he winks. “I’m here because I have a surprise for you.” He takes the crate from my arms and carries them for me, loading them into the side door of the van.
I must say, I loved my old car, but having a work van is an absolute godsend. It has so much space! I don’t need to unload everything and store it in my flat at the end of each day, and with our logo and contact information on the side, it’s free advertising everywhere I go. Our wedding catering diary is busier than ever.
“Close your eyes, baby,” Rennie says, closing the door and turning back to me. Standing behind me, he clasps one hand over my eyes, the other on my hip and nudges me to walk ahead. I step slowly, both of our feet crunching in the gravel, excitement building in my chest. There’s nothing here, I have no idea where we’re going, or what he’s doing. We walk a little and then he turns me, on a little further and then another turn. We’re around the side of the building, I think.
“Stop here,” he says, releasing me and pressing a kiss to my temple. “You can look now.”
I open my eyes and I’m certain I must be dreaming. My car! My Grandpa’s beautiful old Ford Cortina, she’s here, right in front of me.
“Oh my god, Rennie, you did this?”
“Jack did this. I helped a little, but he gets all the credit.”
Tears burst from my eyes, I can’t help it, I never thought I’d see her again. “I thought she’d been scrapped.”
Rennie steps up behind me, wrapping me in his warm arms. “I know you did. I couldn’t let that happen, so I had her picked up. We’ve been working on her in secret for months.”
That’s it, I’m gone, full, snotty, uncontrollable sobbing now.
“Shhh, baby, it’s OK.”
“I know,” I shudder, and wipe my face with the back of my hand. “These are happy tears. I’m just so lucky. Lucky to be alive, lucky to have you, lucky, lucky, lucky.”
