Page 19 of Once Bitten, Twice Fried
“You’re very welcome. I’ve got an important phone call right now so I’ll let you two enjoy your coffee.” He disappeared upstairs as soon as his sentence ended.
“How does he have so much energy?” Nicki was baffled.
“I’ve no idea. It’s so tiring when he’s like that and I’m exhausted.” Zoe grimaced. “I shouldn’t say that. He’s very nice.”
“Of course he is, but I’m with you on this one. It’s tiring.”
Zoe smiled as she sipped her coffee. “Do you have any big plans for your holidays?”
“My main plan is to spend a lot of time with my girlfriend. She’s becoming jealous of you.”
“Really?” That was one of Zoe’s biggest fears - that she was asking too much of Nicki.
“Oh sorry, Zoe.” She put a hand on her arm. “I was joking. My girlfriend is one of your biggest fans. She has a busy job as well so we don’t spend as much quality time together as we should, but we’ve planned to go to Switzerland for two weeks. She loves cheese and the mountains, so that was a no brainer.”
“That sounds very nice. I’m so happy for you.” Zoe’s smile was tired, but genuine. Nicki was one of the most important people in her life. She only wanted the best for her.
“Are you gonna be alright in Belgium?”
“I’m heading to Brussels for Yasmine’s hen do later this week and then I’ll be off to the racetrack. It will be a nice break after our Italian adventure. I think it’s going to be quite fun.”
“Will Julie be there?”
“Surely.” The word sounded more eager than Zoe intended.
Nicki leaned towards Zoe, her voice low. “Are you excited to see her?”
Zoe found herself whispering back. “I am! I’m excited to know about her life, you know? Catching up and all. Where she lives, if she has a girlfriend or a wife.” Zoe’s heart tugged a little.
“That’s great.” Nicki paused. “Zoe, please know that if you ever need me, you can call me. Not necessarily for job reasons.” She looked intently into Zoe’s eyes, to show she meant it.
“I wouldn’t want to annoy you during your vacation.”
“Good to know. But if you really really need me, I’ll answer my phone.”
“I think I’ll be fine, Nicki. I don’t see what could go wrong.”
* * *
A loud noise woke Zoe up, followed by a hand pulling at the covers around her face.
“Hi love! I made you breakfast!” Tom was shifting the tray around on Zoe’s bedside table. He took a cup of tea and sat on the bed, at the exact same spot Nicki had sat weeks ago while Zoe couldn’t stop the room from spinning. Zoe propped herself up, still half asleep, her luscious dark brown hair a mess. She didn’t even remember when she’d fallen asleep last night.
“Thanks, Tom. That’s so sweet.” Zoe said, her voice still hoarse from sleep. She leaned over and grabbed the other cup of tea. Toast and marmalade were neatly piled on the tray.
Zoe sipped her tea and looked back at Tom. It was so easy to be with him, she thought. How he was always in a good mood.How he was always fond of grand gestures. How other women looked at her with envy when she was out in public with him. She patted the spot next to her in bed, inviting him to come sit closer to her. Tom immediately crawled to the spot and settled there, very pleased with himself. Zoe leaned against him.
“How long was I asleep for?”
“I think a good twelve hours? It’s 10 am now.” He planted a kiss on her head.
“I hope Nicki didn’t miss her flight to Switzerland.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” Tom wrapped an arm around Zoe. She pulled away and angled back towards her bedside table, picking up a piece of toast. Being in Tom’s arms felt weirdly overwhelming this morning. Maybe because they hadn’t spent a lot of time together lately and this was all too much.
“Zoe, I thought about it while you were in Italy. Let’s do it.”
“Do what?” Zoe said, confusedly.
