Chapter Twenty One
“N ever again,” Jules said. “I swear.”
“I’m not buying that,” said Sophie as they walked along the cool street toward the village hall. “Especially if Cass and Amelia are around.”
“They’re a bad influence,” Jules agreed.
“They’re certainly not a good one,” said Sophie. She sighed. “But I was all in, and they were just trying to help. I’m not entirely sure how we ended up locked in McKeefe’s barn, though.”
“He thought we were cattle rustlers or something, you know how much Yellowstone he watches. He didn’t press charges though,” said Jules. “And it was your idea to go up there. You said we should revisit the scene of the crime. Anyway, it all worked out alright in the end, didn’t it?”
Sophie grinned. “It might have,” she said, not wanting to jinx anything.
“Oh, come on, you and the Constable are getting on like a house on fire now. You’ve got an arrangement, right?”
“We do. She does her job, I stay out of it, she doesn’t hold my family against me, we don’t tell them anything. Simple. Now all we need to do is figure out some way of actually seeing each other at some point, and we’ll be fine.”
“The pub has a back room,” Jules offered. “You could have a drink in there. It’s a bit cold though. But at least you get to sing together. You’re getting quite the reputation. Billy won’t stop going on about this damn carol that the two of you are singing. I’d got no idea you could actually sing.”
“Me neither,” Sophie said. “But dad said that mum liked to sing.”
Jules reached out and squeezed her hand. Not having a mum around was something that they had in common. Jules’s mum had disappeared when she was young, leaving her with her grandfather and sister.
“We’re going to be late if we don’t get a move on,” Jules said. “Come on, I’ll race you.”
Sophie rolled her eyes as Jules started running toward the village hall. She sped up a little, but not too much. She was still trying to take in everything that had happened. She’d gone from depressed to drunk to locked in a barn to under arrest to having a ‘state of the relationship’ talk literally overnight.
Her father wasn’t pleased with her, it went without saying. She’d had a stern lecture and warnings to stay away from McKeefe’s and not to get involved with the police. And it had been all she could do to stop Gio filing some kind of police harassment report he was so sure that Sophie was being targeted because of her name.
It was all worth it, though. Worth it because as she approached the village hall, she could feel the tickling fingers of anticipation on her spine. Her stomach flipped, her blood started to pound, and she was going to see Tilly at any minute.
Jules was already in through the front door, shedding her jacket as Sophie went in herself. She got three steps inside before someone slid out of the shadows. She jumped, startled, then smiled. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Sorry, have we met?” Tilly said innocently.
“Ye—wait, what?”
“I’m Tilly Ware, I’m the new constable up at the police station,” said Tilly, holding out a hand.
Sophie stared at it uncertainly.
“Do-over,” Tilly hissed.
“Oh, right,” said Sophie, catching on. She grinned wider. “I’m Sophie Farmer. I’m an accountant and receptionist at a garage down the street that is occasionally suspected of not being on the right side of the law. Even if it is.”
Tilly grinned back. “That should about cover introductions, then.” She cleared her throat. “You are very attractive Sophie.”
“Um, thank you, you too.”
Another grin. “I was wondering if perhaps you wouldn’t like to go out for a drink sometime?”
Sophie laughed. “Alright, alright, point made. I would love not to have a drink with you.”
Tilly stepped in, her hand sliding into the curve of Sophie’s waist. In the hall, they could hear Billy start to call things to order. “I’d like to do a lot more than not take you for a drink,” Tilly whispered.
The hairs on Sophie’s neck stood on end. She shivered, a delightful heat pooling between her legs. She let one of her hands stray to Tilly’s chest, felt her breath, felt the warmth of her. Then Tilly’s head was tilting and Sophie’s breath was coming faster. Their lips brushed and Billy shouted from the hall.
“Oh Christ,” Tilly said. She stepped back. “Okay, time to sing.”
It took Sophie a second to catch her breath again after losing it so suddenly. Tilly’s eyes were dark with desire, her lips already swelling. For an instant, Sophie was about to suggest that they just leave. Go anywhere. Outside, a hotel, not that there was a hotel in Whitebridge. Or perhaps the garage. There was that big storage shed out back. There were no windows there, perhaps…
“We’ll have time,” Tilly said. “Let’s do this properly. Come on, in we go.”
ACROSS THE PIANO Sophie could watch Tilly as they sang, the whole choir together. It was a simple carol, and she didn’t have to concentrate too hard. Giving her all the time she needed to drink Tilly in.
Her golden curls, her blue eyes, the way her nose wrinkled a little as she sang. And Sophie’s heart was singing too. There was definitely something here, and even though it had only been a couple of weeks, she knew it was something special.
Something that could turn into something even better.
There were big feelings here, ones that she was afraid of, but that she couldn’t deny. Tilly’s had been the first face she’d thought of when she woke up, and she was so deep into thinking about her right now, she didn’t care if the whole damn hall caught fire.
She could imagine, if she let herself, waking up next to her. Eating opposite her. Holding hands and shopping and doing all the banal everyday things that made up a life with her.
The only thing she couldn’t factor into the picture was her family. She dreaded to think what her father would say when he found out, and Gio would be just as bad if not worse. And then what? Because as much as she could imagine her life with Tilly in it, she couldn’t imagine one without her family there.
Yes, they irritated her, yes, they ruined things sometimes, but they were hers, an indelible part of her. She was achingly aware that at some point she might be forced to choose. And she could hardly bear to think about it.
The song came to an end. “Alright, alright,” Billy said, clapping her hands together. “Not bad. You’ve got the sheet music to everything now, there’ll be nothing else new. The concert is set for the second Saturday in December, which gives us less than four weeks to prepare everything. Now, let me hear my soloists, up to the front.”
Sophie walked up to the piano and felt Tilly come up behind her, close enough that they were touching, close enough that Sophie’s blood started to pound in her veins again. They patiently waited their turn, with Sophie leaning back into Tilly, feeling the support of her body.
Heat started to creep around her core. One of Tilly’s hands was on her waist again, hidden from the others by their position. Sophie’s breath came faster. She closed her eyes, took as deep a breath as she could, and stepped away. She glanced up at Tilly, who was grinning. “Not here,” she mouthed.
Tilly winked at her, but before she could say anything, it was their turn to sing.
“Not bad,” Billy said when they were done. “You need a lot more practice, though. Can you commit to seeing each other outside of rehearsal?”
Sophie choked back a laugh as Tilly agreed rather too enthusiastically.
“Good,” said Billy. “In fact, you can stay here now if you like. Just be sure to turn out the lights when you’re done. The hall will be open until ten.”
She dismissed the rest of the choir and they left, Jules dropping a lascivious wink in Sophie’s direction as she went out.
And then they were alone again.
“Ours until ten,” Tilly said, taking a step forward.
“That’s only fifteen minutes,” said Sophie, not quite daring to reach out and touch Tilly.
“That’s plenty of time for what I had in mind.”
Sophie laughed and shook her head. “Not here. It’s cold. It’s… just not here.”
Tilly nodded. “Fair enough.” She stepped forward again anyway, putting her arms around Sophie’s waist. “Do you know I’ve only kissed you once?”
“Ah,” said Sophie, her eyes fixated on Tilly’s rosy lips. “That means it’s my turn to kiss you, doesn’t it?”
She didn’t wait for an answer, leaning in, letting her lips brush Tilly’s, driving the kiss, putting more pressure on, until her hands were on Tilly’s face, until Tilly’s hands were pulling at her waist, pulling her in, closer.
She stumbled and Tilly took her weight for a moment, lifting her, positioning her until she was backed up against the piano and she could feel Tilly’s body pressed up against her own, could feel the firmness of her breasts, the sharpness of her hip-bones.
It was Tilly that stepped back, taking a gasping breath. “Jesus,” she said. “Jesus.” Another breath, slower this time. “Not here, right?”
Sophie shook her head. Anyone could come in. And she didn’t want things to be this way. She did want Tilly, however. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. We’re adults, you’re right, we shouldn’t be fumbling around in public places. I’m a police officer. I don’t need a public nudity charge.”
Sophie snorted a laugh. “Naked in the village hall.”
“Not a good look.”
“Even if you’re very attractive?” Sophie asked.
Tilly didn’t answer. “Listen, the night after tomorrow, I’m babysitting at Max and Mila’s. Why don’t you come over? I’ll text you when the kids are in bed. I’m sure Max and Mila won’t mind, but I’ll ask them, anyway. We could have a little privacy, have some dinner maybe. No expectations, I promise.”
Sophie bit her lip and nodded immediately. “No expectations,” she said. But her head, her stomach, her core were all swimming with expectations. She shivered against the cold. “It’s a date,” she said.
Tilly smiled. “Good. Now, do we need to leave separately?”
“Maybe?”
“You go first,” Tilly said. She leaned in and brushed Sophie’s lips with her own. “Best go before I change my mind.”
And Sophie ran off, warm and, for the first time in a long time, happy.