Page 64 of The Little Island Flower Stall
Bella gave a brief nod. Of course he was right. She’d done nothing but tell him how she didn’t want to get involved afterwhat had happened with Sean. But that was before. Tonight had changed everything. Hadn’t it?
‘You’re right.’ Her gaze went to the people strolling this way and that, some eager for home, some keener to find other places to continue the celebrations. She might have liked to have done that too, but he was right – she ought to take time to figure out what she wanted from this. Was she even ready?
Despite what she’d said all along, she felt ready now. Was it a sign that she’d been less in love with Sean than she’d thought? Perhaps their marriage had been on its last legs even before his final affair. It was strange how little she’d missed him, how quickly she’d found herself distracted by someone else, and not all of that was about revenge, as she might have supposed at first. Try as she might to deny it, she was falling for Rory. She’d been falling for him since the day he came to buy flowers from her. Fast and hard, like she’d never known before. If she thought too much about it, she might start to hyperventilate from the fear, but it felt like a good fear. It was exciting and new as well as being terrifying and unpredictable, like she was hurtling down a mountainside in a toboggan without a brake and no clue of what rocks might be waiting below.
‘You’re upset with me?’ he asked.
She looked back at him. ‘No. Disappointed, I’ll admit. I don’t want tonight to end. But I think you’re right. You’ll call me? Tomorrow? You won’t change your mind?’
‘Why would I do that? I’ll come to the flower stall at lunch. You’ll be able to get away for an hour, won’t you? We can talk then if it’s all right with you. And I do think we really need to talk before…well, I think you’ll agree we need to talk.’
‘I’m sure Celestine won’t mind for an hour or so.’
‘I’ll walk you back?—’
‘It’s miles out of your way. I’ll get a cab – the queue will have calmed down by now.’
‘It’s no bother; let me see you home.’
‘I know it’s no bother, but I’d rather you didn’t.’
‘Youareupset with me.’
Bella shook her head. She wanted to spend those extra minutes with him, but the way she felt now, she couldn’t trust herself not to do something even more impulsive than simply kissing him on a dance floor, and she didn’t want to wake up in the morning with something she regretted on her mind. What they might have, it deserved more than that, and she wanted to do it properly. ‘No, I’m not. But as you said, I need time to process things. It’s better if we save it for tomorrow.’
‘Let me at least see you to the taxi rank.’
‘OK.’
It wasn’t far, and they didn’t say much apart from repeating what a good day it had been. Bella had almost forgotten she was still wearing her army uniform until a young girl with her parents came up to her to say how awesome she looked. After a brief chat, they went away, leaving Bella and Rory to continue making small talk. There were so many things they needed to say, but it didn’t seem like the right time to start on any of them.
‘So I’ll see you tomorrow then?’ he asked as a cab pulled up.
‘Sounds good. See you tomorrow.’
She wondered whether she ought to kiss him, or at least hug him. In the end, she settled on an awkward smile, and he did the same.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Celestine was still up, even though it was past midnight when Bella got home.
‘I hope you haven’t been waiting for me,’ she began as she took off her jacket. ‘Because I thought we said?—’
‘I haven’t,’ Celestine cut in. ‘Don’t worry. I was thinking about things and the time must have got away from me. Did you have a nice evening?’
‘It was interesting,’ Bella said as neutrally as she could manage. She hadn’t been planning to tell Celestine the details of her evening with Rory, but in the next breath it burst from her anyway. ‘I kissed Rory.’
Celestine grinned.
‘Oh,’ Bella groaned. ‘I know. I’m an idiot.’
‘I think it’s wonderful.’
‘You do? But I have a husband at home.’
‘In name only, and from what I can tell, one who didn’t deserve you anyway. Why shouldn’t you have some fun? He’s been having plenty, hasn’t he?’
‘I know, but it just feels too complicated right now.’
