Amber stared back at Cathy. Perhaps there might just be a different way for her now. As her dad had said, dreams weren’t always the way you imagine.
‘Wait right there!’ she told them all, before stepping forward to give both her parents, Grandma Tilly and Cathy a kiss on the cheek. ‘I’ll go and find him!’
She had faced down her bully. Now she needed to be brave once more.
She knew what needed to be said. She just hoped Josh wanted to hear it.
Josh checked his phone again. It was very strange that he had yet to hear from his mum when she had landed a few hours ago. He hoped she hadn’t had an accident on the way home.
He was just about to dial her number when he saw Amber rushing towards him across the pedestrian bridge. She looked very worried and serious, which made him even more concerned.
He told Mike that he would be back in a while and left the pub to meet Amber on the bridge.
She had a strange look on her face as they drew near to each other and he became even more worried.
‘Have you heard from Mum?’ he asked.
Amber nodded. ‘She’s just arrived,’ she told him. ‘She’s fine.’
Josh relaxed again. ‘Good. I was starting to worry.’
‘I need to talk to you,’ said Amber, glancing around them.
Josh too looked around and found that both sides of the river were absolutely packed with crowds of people.
‘Come with me back to the shop,’ said Amber, abruptly turning around.
But she seemed to slip on the frozen paving stone of the bridge as she spun around. Josh automatically grabbed her arm to steady her, but it was too late.
As if in slow motion, they both fell into the river – again.
46
The shock of falling into the river almost made Amber lose her train of thought as she sat in the freezing cold water.
‘That’s so cold!’ she cried out.
‘I don’t believe this!’ said Josh, sitting next to her as the water spilled around them. ‘We’re in the river again!’
Amber began to laugh at the ridiculousness of them ending up in the river once more. And this time they had an audience, as the crowds on both sides of the bridge were now watching them.
Josh swore and stood up, the water rushing from his clothes and body. He turned and held out a hand to help her up as well. And that was what he did, she realised. He helped her out whenever she needed it. And there was no way she was going to let him go.
Her heart was thumping. Humiliation was no doubt just round the corner waiting for her if he turned her down, but she didn’t care any more. She loved him too much to worry about pride. Besides, they’d just fallen into the river. What could be more humiliating than that?
She let him pull her up and then looked at him.
Josh turned to begin to lead her out of the water, but she stood still.
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked, turning back to her when she didn’t move. ‘Are you hurt?’
She shook her head, staring up into his handsome face. ‘No.’
She took a deep breath to speak before she looked around. Everyone on the riverbanks was still watching on. So she had to do this with an audience? So be it, she thought.
So she took a step forward, grabbed him by the collar and leaned in to kiss him. This wasn’t a gentle, brief kiss on the lips. This was pure passion and love, everything she felt for him.
With a start, he drew his head back from hers.
‘What are you doing?’ he whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the crowd behind her on the lane.
She too looked up and saw that whilst everyone was looking somewhat amazed, a few were also nodding their approval.
‘I’m kissing you,’ she told him. ‘Because I wanted to and because I love you.’
‘You do?’ Josh looked utterly amazed.
‘Yes,’ she said, sounding more confident than she felt.
She then held her breath, hoping beyond everything that she hadn’t got this completely wrong.
‘I, er…’ He blew out a long sigh as he glanced over her shoulder at the waiting crowd. ‘Look, can we talk about this somewhere else?’
She shook her head. ‘Absolutely not. I want to say this right here, right now. I love you. I love him!’ she added, shouting as loudly as she could.
There were a few giggles and mutterings from the onlookers at her announcement.
‘I said I love him!’ she shouted out again, finding that she was smiling broadly now.
‘We heard you!’ called out Tom from the riverbank. ‘We’re just waiting for his reply.’
She turned to look at Josh, smiling at his confusion and, yes, embarrassment. ‘Well?’ she asked softly. ‘Do you have a reply for me?’
‘What’s happened to you?’ asked Josh, dragging a hand through his hair. ‘You’re not ever like this. Have you been at Mike’s punch again?’
She shook her head. ‘Nope. It’s still me. You just helped me change, that’s all. You’ve made me stronger, proud of my work. And I’m able to believe in myself, finally. I’ve made friends, good friends here in this village.’ She reached out to stroke his cheek. ‘But that’s nothing if you’re not here. Because I don’t want to leave Cranbridge.’
‘We don’t want you to leave either!’ she heard Molly call out from the bridge behind them.
Amber turned to give her a knowing wink before she looked back at Josh. ‘So, if you’d like me to stay here and run the shop with you, then that would be great. Better than great. Perfect, in fact.’ She paused. ‘If you love me, that is.’
She held her breath again.
People shuffled from foot to foot in the cold as everyone waited for Josh’s reply.
He looked at everyone staring at them before gazing down at her.
‘Of course I love you,’ he murmured.
‘Speak up, lad!’ cried out Stanley. ‘Some of us can’t hear so well.’
‘I love her, OK?’ shouted Josh, rolling his eyes before he looked at her once more. ‘Despite the fact that you keep trying to drown me in the river. And that you’ve turned my life upside down. And the tractor is now in the shop.’ He took a step forward and brought her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. ‘I love you,’ he told her once more.
The crowd erupted into loud cheering upon hearing this.
And then Josh kissed her with so much passion that the final tiny bit of doubt Amber had held on to was gone forever.
Once they finally drew apart, Amber was aware of the continued whooping and cheering from all around them. Suddenly embarrassed at what she had done, she tried to hide in his coat.
‘Oh no!’ he told her, taking her chin out of his chest and holding her at arm’s-length. ‘This is all on you. You can’t hide now.’
She giggled, blushing furiously. But for once she didn’t mind. After all, she had Josh by her side, the man she loved and who loved her in return. Nothing else mattered.
Josh held her around the waist and as they waded back across to the riverbank, Amber glanced up to see Cathy, Grandma Tilly and her parents nearby. They were all clapping and nodding their approval.
‘Wait a minute!’ said Josh, as he helped her out of the river. ‘Is that your parents next to my mum?’