‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Charlie grinned, ‘worse things happen in Parliament. But, seriously, I can’t keep snagging freebies off you. You have a business to run, after all.’
‘Fair enough.’ Holly smiled back. She got to her feet and ambled over to her counter where the till was. ‘It’s twenty-five pounds please.’
‘Reasonable at twice the price,’ Charlie said, handing over his debit card.
As their hands touched, Holly felt a jolt of electricity. She glanced up at Charlie and noticed his eyes widening. There was definitely something between them; something more than the artificial intimacy that the massage had provided. But perhaps he still felt weird about landing on top of her in the way he had.
Holly rang through the sale and then presented him with a receipt, ‘Just in case you can claim it on your expenses!’
Charlie laughed. ‘I’m sure stranger things have been claimed. Not that it was strange at all,’ he added hastily. ‘In fact, it was lovely.’
Holly cast around for something, anything, to keep this moment going a little longer. ‘Look, er, about what happened earlier… I feel really bad about you being in that situation.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Charlie said. ‘It wasn’t your fault. Although Arthur might not be getting any catnip from me for a while!’
‘I don’t blame you!’ Holly laughed. ‘So, I’m cooking dinner for Mum and Dad at their place on Sunday. Their kitchen’s a million times bigger than mine, and I do it about once a month. Rachel and Harry usually come over too. Would you, er, like to come over and have lunch with us? By way of an apology for Arthur’s poor behaviour?’
The minute she’d said it, she felt herself blushing at the absolute dorkiness of the invitation. Asking him for a drink at the local pub on the High Street would have been a far more sophisticated and grown-up option. Why the hell had she invited him to lunch with her parents? He looked surprised by the proposition, to say the least.
‘You know what, don’t worry, it’s a stupid idea. You’ve probably got loads to do anyway, and we should maybe just forget this whole thing happened—’ She hated it when she babbled.
‘Holly,’ Charlie cut over her monologue calmly, ‘I’d love to. It’s been ages since I’ve had a proper Sunday lunch. In fact, I don’t think I have had one since I got this new job. It would be a pleasure.’
‘Oh, OK. Well if you’re sure,’ Holly said. ‘And I do cook a mean roast lamb!’
‘Really?’ Charlie asked. ‘I was expecting some kind of vegan nut roast.’
Holly grinned, realising immediately that he was teasing. ‘And why would you think that?’ she asked, pretending to rise to the bait.
‘Well, I mean this place… I just kind of assumed that being vegan was all part of the package.’ Charlie shook his head. ‘Shows what I know.’
‘Sometimes you can’t put everyone into neat little boxes,’ Holly chided. ‘Much as I’m sure you’d like to as a politician. Things aren’t always that clear-cut.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Charlie replied. ‘The more I find out about this place, the more it confounds me.’ He was warming to the subject, she could tell. ‘I mean, you couldn’t get two more different towns than Willowbury and Stavenham on the face of it, and yet they expect their MP to navigate between them effortlessly.’ He shook his head. ‘There’s more to this place than meets the eye.’
‘And there you were, thinking it was going to be all crystals, hippies and ley lines!’ Holly teased. ‘It’s a bit harder than you thought, is it?’
‘Like you wouldn’t believe.’ Charlie admitted. ‘In fact, I find myself having sympathy for Hugo Fitzgerald at times.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ Holly said darkly. ‘Rumour has it, he was more interested in feathering his own nest than helping other people build their own.’
‘I’d heard that, too,’ Charlie said. ‘But from my point of view it’s better not to know too much. I don’t want to get dragged backwards into whatever his affairs were, or weren’t. I just want to do the best by Willowbury and its residents as I can.’
‘I’m happy to hear that,’ Holly answered. ‘After all, everyone’s sick of politicians who have their own self-interest at heart. If you do mean what you say, it’ll be a relief.’ She wondered if this would be the right time to talk to Charlie about Rachel’s campaign to get the new drugs for Harry but decided to leave it for now. Rachel would raise it with him officially, in her own time.
‘So, can you give me your mum and dad’s address?’ Charlie was saying as Holly hurriedly zoned back into their conversation.
‘Sure, sorry,’ she said, giving herself a mental shake. She scribbled the details down on the block pad near the till. ‘Come round for about one o’clock.’
‘I look forward to it,’ Charlie smiled. ‘I’m not much of a cook, so I tend to make the wrong choices at the weekends. In London it’s a bit easier because of the canteen at work, but I really must get my act together.’
‘You make it sound a lot cosier and less exclusive than I bet it really is!’ Holly said wryly. ‘I’ve read Edwina Currie; I know the food’s great and there’s wine on tap.’
‘Not so much any more,’ Charlie countered. ‘At least, not for those of us who take the job seriously. Things have changed a bit since she wrote those novels.’
‘I’m sure,’ Holly’s tone was still teasing. ‘But that’s what you would say to a constituent.’ Aware that she was probably being a little too snippy for someone who was just, at this stage, a good acquaintance rather than a friend, she smiled apologetically. ‘Sorry. I’m just used to doubting everything politicians say these days.’
‘I understand that,’ Charlie said quietly. He looked at her intently. ‘But I do mean it, Holly. I didn’t take this job for an easy ride, no matter how safe I was told the seat was. I want to make a difference here. And I really think I can, too.’
‘I hope so, Charlie,’ Holly said softly. ‘There’s a lot you can do here, in your position.’ She again dithered on whether to tell him about Harry, but thought better of it. There would be another occasion, she was sure of it.
His serious brown eyes were still locked on hers, and she found herself looking from them to his mouth and back again. God, he was attractive.
Suddenly awkwardly aware of their intensity, Holly shook her head and looked across to the door of the shop. ‘Well, I’d better lock up properly and barricade myself in upstairs with Arthur until one or other of us finds this mouse!’
Charlie took the hint. ‘Good luck with it. You’ll understand if I don’t offer to help.’
‘Sure,’ Holly laughed. ‘See you on Sunday.’
‘I look forward to it.’ Giving her another smile, during which Holly quite perceptibly felt her insides flutter, Charlie headed for the door. ‘See you soon.’
‘See you,’ Holly said, still rooted to the spot behind the counter. She watched him walk through the door and close it quietly behind him. Somewhere, buried deep within that man, was the teenager she’d met all those years ago. Holly was shocked at how much she wanted to find him again.