15. Jess
15
Jess
A s I climbed up the stairs, I wished the ground would swallow me whole.
Just as I’d managed to get my hormones under control, I had to bump into him .
When I heard his alarm go off at the crack of dawn, I assumed he was going to London for the day, so I thought the coast would be clear.
I hoped I’d have a whole Theo-free twenty-four hours where I wouldn’t have to use valuable energy trying not to stare at his annoyingly perfect face, avoiding his hypnotic eyes or replaying the sensation of how it felt when he held my hand.
After that roller-coaster nightmare, we’d got something to eat, then spent the rest of the time there going on much tamer rides.
By the time we got on the coach I was shattered, so fell asleep, which wasn’t a bad thing because it meant I avoided any awkward conversations or emails that might get me even deeper into this mess than I already was .
Luckily, we’d walked back to the B&B with a few of the other residents who lived nearby, so we weren’t left alone. Once we were inside, we went to our separate rooms and that was that.
I wish I could say that I went straight to bed and didn’t give him another thought, but I’d be lying. It felt like I did nothing but think about Theo. I was even tempted to take out Mrs Davis’s Kindle, which Glenda said had been delivered earlier, and start reading to distract myself. But I didn’t. Thinking about reading again was still too hard.
Eventually I’d gone to sleep, and it was only when Theo’s alarm went off that I stirred. It took me another forty-five minutes to drag myself to the toilet, then trek downstairs for a glass of water.
Which of course was when I ran into Theo’s delicious chest. Glenda was right. Hot and sexy was definitely how I’d describe it. But I was only supposed to think that, not say it out loud. How embarrassing.
And if I knew I was going to see him, I would’ve worn something more adult than my pink unicorn vest and shorts. They were another charity shop bargain and super comfortable.
Because I had no intention of dating ever again, when I bought it, I told myself that what I wore to bed didn’t matter. It still shouldn’t. I shouldn’t give a toss what Theo thought of my outfit. But for some weird reason, I did.
Maybe it wasn’t water I needed. It was coffee. To bring me to my senses, because clearly I wasn’t thinking straight.
Theo was my competitor . He was the one thing standing between me and securing the site that would help bring Mrs Davis’s dream of a romance library to life and give me a decent, secure salary rather than having to juggle three jobs.
Having illicit thoughts about Theo was wrong. I needed to focus on winning, not on his biceps. Although, I’ll be honest: they really were impressive.
When his sweaty shoulder brushed against my arm, I should’ve been disgusted. But instead goosebumps erupted across my skin.
Bloody hell. There I went again. Thinking about Theo.
I was glad that Edwin was coming over soon. It’d be a good distraction.
Until then, I needed a shower.
A cold one.
When I came downstairs, Theo was already chatting to Edwin. I thought getting here fifteen minutes early would be enough, but yet again Theo had beat me to it. He must’ve gone down when I was still in the shower. This would be the last time he got a head start on me, though.
‘Jessica!’ Edwin stood up to greet me, a wide grin spread across his face. ‘Lovely to see you!’
‘Same!’ I mirrored his big smile.
‘Did you enjoy Dreamland yesterday?’
‘It was… fun!’ My voice went up several octaves. Some of it was. Just not the roller coaster. But I wasn’t going to tell Edwin that.
‘Excellent!’ He clapped his hands together. ‘The photos of you two certainly came out well.’
‘You… you’ve seen them already?’ I asked.
‘Of course! Nancy sent them straight over. They’ll look lovely in our community newsletter in a few weeks. Speaking of the community, you were both a big hit with our residents yesterday. Especially you , Theo.’
‘I wonder why!’ Glenda laughed.
Great . Edwin had just handed Theo the perfect opportunity to start gloating and basking in the glory that literally everyone on that trip was swooning over him.
‘Jessica was really popular too,’ Theo replied, and my eyes bulged.
Wait. Theo had an opportunity to brag and he chose to big me up instead?
‘Yes. Nancy mentioned how well you bonded.’ Edwin smiled at me. ‘They’d love to see you at more of our gatherings. Which brings me neatly onto the reason for my visit.’
From the corner of my eye, I saw Theo shuffle in his seat like he was bracing himself for whatever bombshell Edwin was about to drop.
‘I can’t wait to hear more!’ I gushed, knowing that Edwin loved enthusiasm.
‘That’s what I like to hear! So, as you saw, we have a lovely pub called the Seaview Arms. Every Monday we have a talent show. And all the residents thought it would be a lovely idea for you both to take part!’
My brows almost hit the ceiling.
‘A… a talent show?’ Theo stuttered.
‘Yes.’
‘So, we… you want each of us to do some sort of performance? Like juggling or…’ I struggled to speak.
‘Yes. Whatever you both decide will be great.’
‘ Both? ’ Theo frowned.
‘Yes.’ Edwin nodded. ‘We’d like you to do something together. It goes well with the whole community spirit feel. Working together as a unit is always better than flying solo. You know what they say: teamwork makes the dream work !’
More like teamwork makes the nightmares happen .
I was quite happy flying solo .
Not only did Edwin want me to embarrass myself by performing at some silly talent show, he wanted me to do it with Theo. Which meant rehearsals and spending more time together than we already were.
The man was a sadist.
I thought things were hard before, but Edwin had taken things to a whole new level.
Shit.