Chapter Thirteen
“She did not say that!” Imogen said, barely able to speak for laughing so much. This Bridget Clemonte sounded like a piece of work. “As my mum used to say, if she was chocolate, she would probably eat herself.”
“She would. In fact, I’m pretty sure Bridget fits your whole Hollywood stereotype perfectly.
” Amy had kicked her shoes off and thrown her feet up on the sofa.
One cushion was propped behind her head while she hugged another over her tummy like a teddy bear.
She seemed totally relaxed lying there telling work stories, and Imogen loved that she did.
It was getting late too, and she looked all sleepy and adorable.
“You’re smiling at me,” Amy said incredulously.
“Because you’re very pretty,” Imogen answered honestly.
Because seriously, she didn’t want to use it as an example, but Amy wasn’t a pin-up for no reason.
Looking at her was a lot of fun. “And you look so comfortable here and it makes me happy.” Which it did.
And Imogen could say things like that so easily in the safety of her apartment.
She could flirt. Give compliments. Lean over and kiss Amy whenever she felt like it.
But could she do that outside their little safety zone?
With the whole world watching? At fancy parties?
Or was this all they would ever be able to have?
Ugh. Trust her to turn a nice moment into a crisis.
“I am comfortable here. But what else are you thinking about?” Amy asked.
Imogen blanched. “Why would I be thinking about anything other than what I just said?”
“Because your mind wandered. I watched it happen.”
Well. There was no point in pretending when Amy could read her so easily. “I was thinking about the party you asked me to.” Along with the rest of her internal crisis.
“Ah.” Amy nodded. “The one you don’t want to go to.”
“You know why I don’t want to go.” But she had been considering it ever since her conversation with Piper and Niamh.
Imogen was not a fan of a one-sided relationship.
Not one bit. And she was acutely aware that Amy was doing most of the running right now.
But could she really push herself out of her comfort zone and go? “It’s not just a little thing to me.”
“I get that. I just thought I’d ask.” Amy leaned over and interlaced their fingers. “Don’t worry about it. It was actually Bridget who suggested asking you.”
“I forgot she knew about me too.” The reminder nearly made her break out in a cold sweat. Secretly being with Amy was a lot sometimes. “I was thinking it was just your publicist all the way over in LA.”
Amy grimaced. “Sorry. Bridget won’t say a word though.”
“You’re sure?”
“Totally sure. She understands the need for privacy as much as I do. And although our working relationship is…complicated, I haven’t seen any signs that she’s vindictive. Just a bit of a brat.”
Imogen nodded slowly. She had told Niamh and Piper, after all, but somehow she hadn’t really stopped to think about the fact that Amy needed people in her corner too. Helen. Bridget. People she trusted.
And Amy had done nothing but try to make this work between them. She’d walked through a damn storm for her while Imogen kept hiding behind walls and rules.
Maybe it was time she tried meeting her halfway. “I’ll go.”
“Go where?”
“To the party. I’ll go to the party with you.”
Amy stared at her, a smile spreading across her face. “You will? You know you don’t have to go.”
“I do know.” Imogen squeezed her fingers. “But I want to go. For you.”
“Yes!” Amy sprang forward and tackled Imogen into a hug. “Oh my God, I love you.”
“You—what?”
Imogen couldn’t see her face, but Amy went completely still for a good ten seconds. Imogen didn’t move either. They just stayed there, silently locked in the embrace.
“Amy?”
Then she did lean back and face her. “So, that just came out.”
“Um.” Imogen blinked a couple of times because that was a pretty major thing to just casually blurt out. Her heart started hammering against her ribs. “Just came out. Does that mean you didn’t mean it?”
For once, Amy didn’t seem to know how to respond.
Her eyes were darting around the room like she was going to find the answer tucked behind Imogen’s green curtains.
Then her whole expression softened. “I did mean it. I do.” She gave Imogen a sheepish look.
“It might be too fast or too soon, but it’s also true. I love you, Imogen.”
“Oh.”
“You don’t have to say it back.”
Only that had to be one of the worst things that could happen to a person—not getting an I love you back.
Unless it was a lie. And the thing was, Imogen really had been pondering this a lot lately.
The love thing. Because what she felt when she was with Amy didn’t feel small.
The feelings she felt weren’t like feelings that she’d ever experienced before.
They were stronger. Imogen was sure of it.
And she didn’t think she needed to examine them too closely because they were only dating and they might only date for a while, but now Amy had gone and said that and—“I’m pretty sure I love you too. ”
Amy exhaled, a smile slowly returning to her face. “You’re pretty sure?”
Imogen mentally gave herself a shake. “I mean, I am sure. It just scares the absolute shit out of me.”
“That’s okay. It scares the absolute shit out of me too,” Amy said. “But I do need to kiss you now.”
“Obviously.”
Amy leaned forward and gave her the softest, most tender kiss possible, and Imogen’s heart still pounded, but the shaky, jittery feeling that had come over her?
That settled in an instant. And that was how Imogen knew she truly loved Amy.
The most dangerous woman Imogen could ever fall for had turned out to be the place she felt safest of all.
“Did you know I wished for you?” Amy said as soon as they broke apart.
“What do you mean?”
“In your well. On the day we met, I threw in a coin and wished to meet the person I was supposed to be with. Then I walked into the pub and there you were.”
Was there anything sweeter than that? Was it sheer coincidence, or did the well really have magical powers? Imogen was a bit of a sceptic, but she was happy to be proved wrong. Who didn’t secretly hope that magic was real? The thought gave her an idea. “Put your coat on.”
Amy looked confused. “Are you throwing me out?”
“No.” Imogen jumped up off the sofa, pulling Amy with her. “Not without me. Come on.”
They both bundled up in their coats and scarves and headed out the back door into the cold, dark night.
The temperatures had dropped dramatically over the last week or two, with November right around the corner.
They were due to put up their Halloween decorations in the Wishing Well tomorrow.
Piper had used the previous week’s modest profits on an online haul of skeletons, ghosts, and pumpkins.
She had taken Operation Halloween very seriously.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” Amy asked, her breath coming out in clouds of white.
Imogen linked her arm through hers, partly for warmth and partly because she could never get enough of touching Amy. It was an addiction. “I realised I’ve never made a wish before. I want to do it now.”
“Aww. Because of my wish? Is your wish going to have anything to do with me?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“I told you.”
“Yeah. And I’m not even sure if you should have told me because it’s against the rules, but I’m glad that you did because you’re adorable and it’s made me feel all giddy and fuzzy inside.”
Amy chuckled. “Maybe it’s okay that I told you because I’ve already got my wish. They can’t un-grant it. It’s not like I’ll wake up in the morning and forget I ever met you.” She paused. “I hope not anyway.”
“See? If you’d stuck to the rules and not told me, you wouldn’t have to worry about that right now.”
“Fine,” Amy conceded. “You stick to the rules. Don’t be a screw-up like me.” She gave Imogen an earnest look. “If I do forget, will you come and find me and tell me who you are?”
Imogen laughed that she was genuinely worried about this. “Yes, I’ll come and throw myself at a Hollywood actress who has no idea who I am.”
“I’d still fall for you all over again.”
Imogen felt herself go a bit melty inside.
“Okay, that was smooth.” Amy somehow managed to say phenomenal things like that right off the cuff.
This openly-in-love thing was kind of spectacular.
“Alas, I’d probably end up getting carried away by big, burly security officers before I could even speak to you. ”
“Just ask for Steve. He knows who you are—unless he has his memory wiped too.”
Imogen narrowed her eyes. “Do I want to know how Steve knows who I am?”
Amy grimaced. “Probably not, no.”
When she thought about it, it wasn’t surprising that Amy had security people. Bodyguards were common for celebrities. It was just another occupational hazard, wasn’t it? “Just tell me that he doesn’t hide in my wardrobe at night or anything?”
“No. He prefers it under the bed,” Amy said with a straight face.
Imogen stared at her until she broke.
“I’m kidding.” She nudged Imogen with her hip. “Poor Steve’s been ditched lately. He only keeps an eye on things when I’m out in public.”
“Thank God for that.” Although, Imogen did start to wonder if it meant that Steve had been there on their first date. She nearly asked, then thought better of it. Some things were best left unanswered.
They rounded the corner to the front of the pub and Imogen pulled a couple of coins out of her pocket. Doubling up couldn’t hurt, right? “Are you supposed to throw backwards?” She could remember reading that somewhere.
“I’m not sure.” Amy’s eyes widened. “Is that a thing? I didn’t do that.”
Imogen nearly burst out laughing at her near panic. Like somehow, she’d wished wrong. “I’ll do mine the same way as you did if it would make you feel better. I’m sure it isn’t important.”