Chapter 15 #2
‘You were brilliant!’ I said and rushed round the car to where he was standing.
He put up his hand to high five me, but I was too full of adrenaline to take any notice and practically flung myself at him. I gave him the tightest hug. He felt solid, but safe rather than like a brick wall.
‘Feel good?’ he asked, as he wrapped his arms further around my back so there wasn’t a millimetre of space between us. ‘About the drive, I mean,’ he added, sounding a little flustered. ‘Do you feel good about accomplishing that?’
‘I feel amazing!’ I laughed and pulled away a little.
‘You were such a help, Erik, especially around the ring road.’ I looked up at his face and the intense closeness of him, which I’d instigated, suddenly hit me.
As did the nearness of his beautiful blue eyes.
‘Sorry,’ I blustered and took a step back. ‘I didn’t mean to gush…’
‘Don’t apologise,’ he swallowed and ran a hand through his already mussed up hair. ‘I’m really pleased you did it, Skylar, and if you’d like a passenger any other time while you’re driving around the city, you only have to ask.’
My PPO was proving to be perfect in every way. Kind, sup-portive and now I knew he was a wonderful hug provider, too.
‘I might take you up on that.’
‘I hope you do.’
I then realised I’d locked my bag in the car and went to retrieve it.
‘Now, come on,’ I said. ‘This place looks huge, so they’re bound to have what we need.’
‘That’s why I suggested it,’ he laughed and we went to find the entrance.
We only really needed to pick up a couple of things, but I was so overwhelmed by the variety of autumn decorations I knew I could adorn the house with we’d soon had to switch out the baskets we were carrying for a small trolley.
‘Remind me again, what were the variety of daffs you wanted?’ Erik requested once he’d dragged me away from the aisles of autumn leaf garlands and fly agaric ornaments.
‘Narcissus Paper White. And the hyacinths are Pink Pearl and Anna Marie.’
‘You’re in luck,’ he said and held up a bag of the narcissus. ‘It looks like they’ve got the lot!’
‘Excellent,’ I clapped. ‘Let’s have a count up of how many we’re going to need.’
It took a while to do that, and I also hunted down some autumn themed pot labels that I thought would be handy. It all took longer than I had expected, but I knew that was my fault because I’d got carried away with the sundries.
‘Are you needed back at the house soon?’ I asked Erik as we loaded the bags into the boot of my car.
‘No, there’s nothing urgent. Why?’
‘Well,’ I said with a nod back to the garden centre, ‘I want to thank you for guiding me here and for your infinite patience while I cooed over the autumn aisles.’
‘What did you have in mind?’ he asked, sounding a little mischievous.
‘Tea and a scone,’ I said, which wasn’t what I had really wanted to say.
‘You’re my kinda gal, Skylar Harding,’ he grinned.
‘I’m Skylar Shawe,’ I corrected him. ‘I have my mum’s surname, but I’m delighted you approve of the payment.’
The scones were huge, the cream was thick and the jam was ruby red.
I hadn’t thought I’d be able to devour all of mine, but with the help of a seemingly endless supply of tea, I rose to the challenge and managed it.
Erik and I barely spoke, other than to make suggestive noises of appreciation while we tucked in.
We didn’t even have the traditional ‘jam or cream first’ conversation slash argument!
‘Crikey, that was good,’ Erik sighed, as he wiped the cream out of his stubble, which was almost long enough to be classed as a beginner beard.
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ I told him as I let out a breath. ‘We did get everything I wanted, didn’t we? I’m worried I got too sidetracked to notice.’
‘We got everything,’ Erik laughed. ‘I checked the list while you were unloading the trolley at the till.’
‘That’s all right then.’
‘I tell you what might not be all right though,’ he frowned. ‘Have you checked the forecast for next week?’
‘Nope,’ I answered. ‘I’ve given it up. Not checking the weather is now one of my rules to live by.’
Erik looked confused. ‘Can I request an explanation?’
I suppose it did need clarifying.
‘When I was working at Highfell,’ I explained, ‘the weather played a huge part in planning an event. If it let us down, I needed a watertight quick change contingency plan to ensure it didn’t impact, and now I don’t have to worry about it, I’ve given up looking.’
‘Ah, right,’ Erik said. ‘I see. That must have been stressful.’
‘It could be. So, what does the forecast say for here? What’s happening overhead next week?’
‘What are your other rules?’ Erik asked, rather than share the outlook. ‘You said that not checking the weather is one of your rules. Tell me another.’
I thought of the one I’d most recently applied.
‘Never send messages or emails when I’ve had alcohol.’
‘That makes sense,’ Erik laughed. ‘Did you learn the hard way?’
‘I did,’ I confirmed. ‘Egged on by a friend who I keep in touch with online, I sent a message to a guy I thought I liked. It was in a moment of gin-soaked madness and I’m not going to elaborate on the consequences…’
When he’d flirted with me and asked for my number, I had no idea he was engaged. Thankfully, the wedding didn’t take place at Highfell. Assuming it still went ahead. For the sake of the bride, I hoped it hadn’t.
‘Did you not have another friend on hand to talk you out of it?’ Erik asked.
‘I didn’t really have friends my age at Highfell,’ I shrugged.
Erik’s face dropped. ‘That’s a bit sad.’
‘I’ve never really been a close friend kind of person,’ I continued.
‘Mum moved me around so much when I was growing up, it was hard to form friendships that lasted. Don’t look like that,’ I said when Erik’s expression fell further.
‘I was fine and I do have one pal who had a similar upbringing to mine. She lives in Canada now and we still email.’
‘Did you make friends at university?’
‘I didn’t go. I went into work at eighteen. That’s how I’ve got all the years of experience that make me so brilliant at my job.’ I was trying to make him smile, but he didn’t. ‘I’m making friends now I have more of a chance. You, Freya and Finn being the first.’
‘Well, that’s good,’ Erik nodded. ‘Here’s to a happy future in Nightingale Square that’s packed full of friendship.’
How long was that future going to be, I wondered. Perhaps, I was beginning to believe, longer than I’d originally thought…
‘And packed full of fun, too, if this party turns out how I hope it will,’ I said, moving us on. ‘But is the weather really looking grim?’
‘It’s not looking great,’ Erik winced and I guessed it was predicted to be the opposite. ‘But on the bright side, we can move everything other than the pizza oven into Prosperous Place if needs be. You’ll just have to decide before we start setting up on the day.’
‘That is a sensible alternative,’ I said. ‘But we’d better check with Kate and Luke that they really won’t mind everyone descending on them if the heavens open.’
‘Believe me,’ Erik smiled, ‘they’re used to it.’
‘And I suppose if we do end up celebrating inside, I could decorate the room we’ll be in with some of the decorations we’ve just loaded into the boot of my car before I put them up at home. That would justify me buying so many, wouldn’t it?’
‘Autumn decoration overload completely rationalised!’ Erik laughed and toasted my idea by clinking his cup of tea against mine.