Epilogue
One Month Later …
‘Come on, Lily Vale High!’ I scream, hands cupping my mouth to project the cry even further. ‘Come on, Tanya!’
You can practically feel the tension rising from the crowd as we all watch the opposing teams - Lily Vale girls in red, Gladeswood girls in blue, - dodge, defend and score to become this season’s netball champions. It’s neck and neck, three goals each, and every second counts.
When the ball is passed to Tanya, Kit and I clasp hands tight, our breaths hitching as one. Tanya dribbles the ball expertly down the court, smoothly slaloming through her opponents. Finally, she launches the ball into the air … and it drops straight into the basket to score the winning goal!
In unison, Kit and I jump up from our seats, hooting and hollering louder than anyone in the crowd.
‘Woo! Yeah, Tanya!’
‘Go, Tanya!’
Once the excitement of Lily Vale’s epic win starts to abate and the crowd begins to disperse, Kit and I find a spot by the gate to wait for the star player. Slightly out of breath, Tanya rushes to our side, grinning from ear to ear.
‘We won!’ she announces, raising her water bottle into the air like a trophy.
‘You were amazing, kiddo.’ He winds an arm around her neck and knuckles her head, mussing up her sporty ponytail. ‘The best out there.’
‘Give over!’ Swinging her arm at Kit, Tanya ducks out of his grasp. ‘Really?’
‘Are you kidding? You were flipping incredible , Tan!’ I pipe in. ‘I can’t believe how good you are.’
Coyly, Tanya sips the last droplets from her bottle. ‘Yeah, I wasn’t bad, I guess. I’m glad I decided to go back to netball.’
‘Me too,’ Kit says. ‘Shall we celebrate with a milkshake at The Cosy Little Tearoom?’
Tanya and I agree joyously, and the three of us practically skip down the lane, arms linked. Everything changed that night at Lucy’s ball, for all of us.
Lucy had a fantastic night, the latest book is already a massive hit and her publishers are even beginning to discuss film optioning. Obviously, she’s a little shell-shocked by all this, but I think her confidence is steadily growing, day by day.
I spoke to my mother a few days ago, and she was slightly more encouraging, perhaps because now I’m wearing pride in my career like a badge of honour, and I won’t allow her to make me feel bad about it. I don’t know whether things between us will ever improve, but I’m slowly learning not to base my worth on her opinions. Some days, it feels like I’m fighting an uphill battle, but I’ve got Kit to keep me strong and remind me that I’m good enough.
And as for Dad, well, the summer holidays are just a week away, so school will be out and he’ll be free to pop round to the flat whenever he likes. He’s looking forward to meeting Kit and Tanya, we’re actually planning a picnic together in Lily Vale’s park.
No one has heard from Zoe since she cancelled the wedding and headed back to London, and I don’t suppose any of us ever will. As far as we can tell, she’s happy to move on with her life, and Kit is glad to move on with his.
‘Looks pretty busy today,’ Tanya comments sceptically as we approach the tearoom. ‘I guess we’re not the only ones who are celebrating.’
‘You go on ahead,’ Kit says, handing her a fistful of notes from his wallet. ‘Find us a good table and order three vanilla-raspberry milkshakes, okay?’
Tanya nods and hurries down the lane, while Kit and I hang back, his arm still threaded through mine. Sighing contently, I rest my head on his shoulder and gaze lazily up at the blue sky.
‘Can you believe how different life was just one month ago?’
Kit shudders. ‘Don’t remind me. I would be weeks away from the biggest mistake of my life.’
‘So, no plans to get hitched any time soon?’ I tease, nuzzling into his neck to breathe in his warm, masculine scent.
‘Ugh, that experience was almost enough to put me off for life.’ He turns and holds me before him. ‘Almost enough.’
I can feel the blush snaking along my neck and colouring my cheeks pink.
‘Je t’aime bien, Lottie Bell,’ he whispers.
Giggling, I poke him in his muscled chest. ‘You really need to work on your pronunciation there, buddy.’
‘Yeah, well I’ve got a decent teacher.’
‘Oh?’ I fold my arms and cock my head to one side. ‘I best start charging for my service then.’
Without warning, Kit wraps a tanned arm around my waist and pulls me into him.
‘I never told you before,’ he begins, his voice like velvet, ‘but that freckle in the corner of your mouth is just about the cutest thing I ever saw.’
A saucy grin tugging at my mouth, I lace my fingers at the nape of his neck and purr in his ear, ‘Why don’t you take a closer look?’
Kit doesn’t need telling twice. Our lips meet like fervent waves crashing against rock, ardent and fiery under the baking hot sun. I melt into his kiss, hearing nothing except the sweet sound of birdsong in the trees and the synchronised beating of our hearts.
Once, I thought my career was everything - the only thing that could give my life meaning, and when that was taken away, I was adrift on an uncharted ocean. But now I’ve found myself, in Lily Vale, and I’ve discovered all work and no play makes for a dull Lottie.
You can’t trust everyone you come across, I learned that the hard way, but building a wall around your heart will ultimately just cause you more pain. I’ve broken down my barricades and let in friends, family and a special someone I didn’t even know I was looking for.
Pausing for air, our lips part, and I stare up at Kit, taking a moment to admire the adoring softness in his eyes.
I can’t predict what will be next for me, but one thing I know for sure is I plan to keep this guy around for a long time …