He shook his head. ‘That wasn’t what I meant.’
‘Well, you should say what you mean,’ she told him, feeling a bit cross-eyed. ‘It’s very confusing otherwise.’
‘And you should go to bed,’ he told her. ‘You’re going to feel ghastly in the morning.’
‘But I feel lovely now. Do I get a goodnight’s kiss?’ she asked, feeling hopeful. After all, it was dark and they were alone.
She felt brave and full of confidence as she looked up at him expectantly.
He stared at her for a very long time as if struggling internally with some monumental decision. Then he bent forward.
Amber found herself holding her breath and opening up her lips slightly.
But at the last second, he moved his face and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Even in her drunken state, she could feel the disappointment seep through her.
He stepped backwards, his face almost hidden in the dark shadow of the door now.
‘Goodnight, Amber,’ he said.
‘Goodnight,’ she replied, hoping her words weren’t quite as slurring to his ears as they were to hers.
Then she went into her bedroom, lay down on the bed fully clothed and passed out, still wearing her witch’s hat.
28
Josh was not entirely surprised to find that he was alone for the first hour or two in the shop the morning after the Halloween party. But he was feeling cheerful as he reflected back on the previous evening. Whatever truth serum Mike had put in his Halloween punch had certainly brought out a completely different side of Amber. He smiled to himself as he thought about her staggering around on the dance floor before asking him for a kiss when they had returned back to the flat.
Well, at least he knew that she liked him romantically on some level, he thought. Whether she would regret the whole evening remained to be seen.
Although he got the answer to that half an hour later when Amber appeared at the bottom of the stairs at the back of the shop. She was walking extremely slowly, as if she was in danger of falling over.
‘Good morning!’ he called out, deliberately loudly.
She immediately staggered, clutching her head. ‘Not so loud,’ she moaned, hanging on to the door frame for support.
She slowly drew up her head and gazed at Josh, who stared at her red-rimmed eyes and pale face.
‘Coffee? Paracetamol?’ he offered. ‘Or do you want to choose a painless death instead?’
‘Definitely death,’ she groaned, slowly walking over to the counter and feeling her way around until she sank onto the chair behind.
He made her a coffee from the machine, glancing over at her once in a while. She really did look very pale.
‘Good morning!’
Amber jumped at the cheery greeting that came from Tom in the doorway and gave a soft cry out in pain.
‘Ah, I see Mike’s home-made punch has left its mark on you,’ he said, grinning. ‘At least you made it into work. Molly called in sick!’
‘Well, it is Saturday,’ groaned Amber. ‘Lucky her.’
Josh handed her a cup of coffee which she held between her hands.
‘I recommend a plate of bacon sandwiches and an awful lot of water,’ said Tom.
Amber shook her head. ‘Don’t think I could eat anything,’ she muttered.
The doorbell rang and Belle walked very slowly into the shop before pausing to lean against the gleaming red tractor.
‘Help me,’ she whispered.
Amber looked at her. ‘You too?’ she moaned.
Belle nodded before wincing.
‘Listen,’ Josh told her. ‘Why don’t you both take a coffee out into the fresh air? It might help wake you up.’
‘What about the shop?’ asked Amber, looking at him through bloodshot eyes.
‘Yes, you really look as if you’d be up for the job this morning,’ Josh told her.
She shuddered, shaking her head. ‘Maybe you’re right. Are you sure you’ll be OK on your own?’
‘I’m sure.’
She gave him a small smile and then very slowly rose from her chair and moved back around the counter, still clutching her coffee.
Amber made it as far as the tractor before reaching out to hang on to Belle. Then, clutching onto each other, they slowly made their way outside.
Once they had left, Tom turned around to face him, grinning. ‘I must say, it makes a change for someone else to be suffering with a hangover around here. You’re OK, I take it?’
Josh nodded. ‘I stuck to the beer.’
‘Wise move.’ Tom glanced at the front veranda where Amber and Belle were now sitting on one of the benches. ‘It could work, you know,’ he added softly. ‘The two of you working and living together.’
‘We do that anyway,’ Josh told him.
‘You know what I meant,’ said Tom in a pointed tone. ‘She’s lovely, single and she’s a great partner for you here in the shop.’
But Josh found he was shaking his head. ‘She’s just passing through. As soon as my mum gets home, Amber will be off to join her parents in New Zealand.’
Tom frowned. ‘Has she booked her plane ticket yet?’
Josh shook his head. ‘No. I don’t think so.’
‘You’d think if she really wanted to leave, she’d have booked it by now,’ said Tom. ‘You know, if she wasn’t enjoying her time here? She looked pretty happy last night, don’t you think?’
Josh had a brief memory of her asking him to kiss him in the darkness of the flat upstairs. It had taken every bit of his self-control to not take her in his arms. It was the fact that she’d asked for a kiss when she was drunk that was the problem. And he was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of her like that.
‘Think about it, yeah?’ said Tom, whilst Josh stayed silent. ‘Don’t become full of bitterness and regrets like me. There’s only room in this village for one broken heart at a time.’ He picked up his coffee and walked out of the shop, leaving Josh still standing behind the counter.
Was Tom right? Was Amber really delaying booking her ticket because she wanted to stay? Had drunken Amber revealed her innermost feelings by asking him to kiss her? Or was it just the home-made punch putting words in her mouth?
Josh hoped he would find out sooner or later. And that it hadn’t just been the punch. Amber had got under his skin. And he found he rather liked it.
29
‘Whose stupid idea was it to come outside?’ said Belle, closing her eyes to the bright daylight as they sank onto the bench together with a groan.
‘Not mine,’ muttered Amber, pulling Grandma Tilly’s blanket around her shoulders in deference to the cold air. ‘What on earth was in that punch?’
‘Not my fault,’ moaned Belle. ‘My relatives can take the full blame for that monstrosity. I don’t know what they put in there.’
Amber leant back against the seat and sighed. She didn’t want to admit it, but she did feel a little better for being outside. She listened to the birdsong and felt the gentle breeze across her face. The countryside was certainly growing on her.
‘Hi.’ They both looked up to see Molly hanging onto the handrail of the steps. ‘Help me.’