‘You look like I feel,’ Belle told her, smiling despite her pain.
Molly grimaced. ‘I feel so rubbish,’ she said, climbing up the steps to lean against the rail in front of them.
‘Tom said you called in sick,’ said Amber.
‘I had to come in,’ said Molly, rolling her eyes. ‘Kate said she needed some photocopying done and it was urgent.’
‘Snotty cow,’ muttered Belle.
Amber turned to look at her, surprised. ‘Who’s Kate?’
‘Our senior journalist,’ said Molly.
‘I don’t think she’s come into the shop yet,’ said Amber.
‘Don’t expect smiles and compliments. She told me that our pub was a joke,’ said Belle. ‘I mean, she’s got a point, but nobody’s ever rude enough to say it out loud.’
‘She’s not that bad,’ said Molly, although she didn’t sound as if she meant it. ‘And Tom says she’s a really good journalist.’
‘Well, you should have told her to do her own bloomin’ photocopying,’ said Belle.
‘It doesn’t matter anyway,’ said Molly, sinking down slowly to sit on the steps of the veranda. ‘My flatmate has got her boyfriend around for a sneaky morning in bed. So she told me to hop it.’
‘How charming,’ drawled Belle. ‘You should have told her to get stuffed. It’s your flat as well.’
Molly shook her head. ‘Oh no! I can’t do that. She’s been my best friend since we first went to school.’
‘But surely your best friend would understand about you feeling hungover?’ said Amber.
Molly frowned. ‘It’s more important that she spends some time with Taylor. That’s her boyfriend. They don’t get much time together on account of his wife being around so often.’
‘Nice girl,’ muttered Belle, giving Amber a pointed look.
‘My head!’ moaned Molly, holding her forehead. ‘I don’t think I’m going to feel well ever again. What about you?’
‘Same,’ said Amber. ‘I made it downstairs and then Josh sent me outside because I looked so rough.’
‘He’s quite the he-man, isn’t he?’ said Molly, in a dreamy voice.
Amber frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I think the last time I saw you was when he was carrying you across the bridge,’ said Molly. ‘It was like something from the movies.’
Amber sat bolt upright. ‘I’d forgotten all about that!’ she gasped, horrified.
‘Wish I knew someone who could pick me up like that,’ said Belle with a sigh.
‘Oh God,’ moaned Amber, looking at the two other women in horror. ‘I hadn’t really remembered leaving the pub. How am I going to look him in the eye after that?’
‘It doesn’t matter, does it?’ said Belle, with a shrug. ‘We all made fools of ourselves. I even contemplated kissing Dodgy Del before thankfully my last shred of sanity reminded me that it was the worst idea ever.’
Molly giggled. ‘And I danced all the way down the lane before they managed to get me in the back of the taxi to take me back to the flat.’
But Amber was feeling sick to her stomach. ‘But now he’ll think badly of me. He’ll think that I’m an idiot. Which I am, obviously.’
‘What are you talking about?’ said Belle, shaking her head. ‘So you got a bit drunk and he had to carry you home? Most men I’ve dated would have let me fall into the river and then laugh at me.’
But that wasn’t what Amber was thinking. She was now remembering asking him to kiss her. She groaned and sank backwards onto the bench once more.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ urged Molly.
But Amber couldn’t do anything but feel anxious and upset about the way she had acted. The fact that Josh had rejected her on top of everything else made her feel like she had made an even bigger fool of herself.
Despite her hangover, Amber kept busy all day, managing to hide her confused feelings inside.
She would certainly be steering clear of any alcohol from this day forth. Of course, the drink was to blame. When had she ever let go like that? Made a fool of herself? Not for a very long time, she knew.
She wished she could talk to Josh about it but knew that was impossible. He was her friend, that much she hoped after their time together.
But she had crossed a line in asking him to kiss her. She didn’t know what the future held, but she was pretty sure that it wouldn’t involve the both of them working together in the shop.
She was so cross with herself for ruining what had been a perfectly nice friendship. And for what reason?
Because you wanted to kiss him, said her innermost thoughts. And you’ve wanted him to kiss you for a long time.
She gulped back her feelings, trying to wish them away. But it was no good. She’d have to face him at some point.
Thankfully it was Halloween and they had quite a few people coming into the shop for sweets and pumpkins. Amber found she could keep busy serving them, as well as preparing a tub full of jellied spiders and chocolate frogs to give away to any trick or treaters later that evening.
In fact, she managed to have avoided talking to Josh about anything other than work for the whole day, mainly by way of leaving a room every time he entered it. Once or twice she had caught him looking at her and he even began to make conversation, but she had quickly made the excuse of having to restock some shelves.
It was only once she was standing on the veranda with Josh, saying goodbye to the last of the trick or treaters that they were finally alone.
For a second there was silence and then Amber went to turn around. ‘That was fun,’ she said, her words coming out in a rush with nerves. ‘I think I’ll head up and have an early night.’
But he was too fast for her and had already moved to block the doorway into the shop.
‘We’ve hardly spoken all day,’ he told her.
‘I just feel rubbish, that’s all,’ she said.
He stared down at her, his eyes boring into the top of her head as she looked anywhere but at him. ‘Amber.’
She gave a small start as he took her chin in his fingers and slowly drew up her chin so that her face was close to his.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, finally, when she could bear the silence no longer.
‘For what?’ he asked, smiling.
‘Last night. All of it,’ she said, closing her eyes in mortification.
‘Well, everyone was drunk,’ he said softly.
Her eyes flew back open at that. Perhaps she hadn’t been the only one to make a complete fool of herself.
‘Of course, nobody else asked me for a goodnight kiss,’ he added.
She groaned, blushing. ‘Oh God, it was the punch. That stuff was lethal.’
He stared down at her for a long time. ‘I’m sorry to hear you say that,’ he said finally.
‘Why?’ she whispered.
He smiled. ‘Because I was hoping that it wasn’t just the punch,’ he said softly, his thumb brushing her lower lip.
Then he let go of her and left her even more confused than ever.
30