part0021

Ellie was glad she had something to concentrate on today, because otherwise she’d be fixating on last night’s kiss. Could it have been any more perfect? People wrote pop songs about things like that. They made millions. Perhaps she should write a pop song?

Once she’d got through her to-do list.

When they’d got home last night, she’d reluctantly told Natalie she’d have to call it a night, seeing as she had to get up and make ice cream at 5am. What had she been thinking when she decided to change careers? Not that she’d meet someone like Natalie. Someone who proved good things really did come in small packages. Natalie was the exact person she’d never have met in London. But she wasn’t in London anymore. No, she was standing in a fruit-stained apron, trying to get her bourbon and maple syrup ice cream spot-on. If she could perfect this in the next hour, she was going to reward herself with a second strong coffee. Only, her mind kept wandering.

Their kiss had been dynamite. It had been something she’d imagined her whole life, but had never experienced. But now she had. Fireworks had gone off inside her. It was as if the summer festival had come early for her heart. The bunting was still out, the marching band still singing their song. Natalie had seen to that, giving her another scorching kiss outside Ellie’s front door, making her stumble up the stairs and fall asleep dreaming pink candyfloss dreams.

But now it was the next morning. What happened next? This was something she wanted to take further, and she hoped Natalie did, too. From her kiss last night, she guessed she did. However, she couldn’t devote much time to anything right now. She had two businesses to balance, a flat to sell, an ex to sort out. She closed her eyes thinking about Grace, then shook her head.

She replaced the image of Grace with an image of Natalie looking at her with such want, it made Ellie’s stomach flip. She smirked at the ice-cream machine, then almost told it to shut up. Oh god. Being a small business owner was sending her crazy and it was only week one. She needed a coffee.

She walked out to the main space, flicking on her coffee machine. As Ellie waited for it to heat up, she went over to her front window and stared out at the village square. Rows of cars sat neatly, waiting to be driven away. The sun was up already, a sky blue day about to happen. The moon was still visible, low in the sky. She smiled. That moon had lit the way last night. She gave it a salute, rolled her eyes at herself, then turned back to the coffee machine. She really was going mad.

She was pouring her flat white when she saw a streak of blue run by her window. Had that been Natalie? She put down the coffee and stared, just as Natalie moved backwards in slow motion, giving her a wave. She mimed going for a run, which was pretty evident, making Ellie smile.

Ellie picked up her coffee cup and mimed drinking it.

They’d turned into stuttering morons this morning, but she loved it.

Natalie gave her a grin, her cheeks flushing red, and then a wink.

Ellie melted a little as she disappeared from view. She had it bad and they hadn’t even slept together. She picked up her phone and texted Red. They needed to meet, and soon. She didn’t do love and relationships, everyone knew that. She was a disaster zone.

Red, on the other hand, knew the terrain.

The shop was shut, but Ellie was still working when Red showed up. Ellie beckoned her to come in and mimed using her own key. Was she miming everything now?

“Hey big sis, how goes the ice-cream biz?” Red walked over and kissed her cheek.

Ellie didn’t move – it could be very messy. Red glanced down and did a double-take.

Ellie lifted one bare foot from the bowl of ice water and rested it on the towel spread out along the floor.

Red gave her a look. “Is this some sort of new therapy?”

“It’s an ‘I’ve been on my feet all day and my feet need some love’ therapy. So yes, if you like. I read about it in an online forum for ice cream-shop owners. Being on your feet all day is bad for them. This works a treat.” She switched feet. “My feet are going numb.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to do it sitting down?”

Ellie scowled. “I’ve got work to do.”

Red held up her hands. “Forget I said anything.” She leaned against the back counter, moving a coffee cup Ellie had just finished with. “What’s the big news you have to tell me? Or is it that you’re now communing with ice? I hope not. This better be good, because I just drove an hour and a quarter to receive it, the extra quarter added because I got stuck behind a bloody tractor and then some sheep. I mean, honestly, sheep . I live in the country, but not this far in the country.”

Ellie looked up from the coffee machine she was wiping down. “Would you prefer me to still be in London being miserable?”

Red grinned. “Hell, no. I get to see you way more often now. Plus, these days, you’re having emotions. There were times when I thought you’d magically switched them off when you were in the big city. Living in the country suits you. Makes you human a little better.”

“Thanks, I think.” She moved the bucket across. When she reached the ice cream counter, she put both feet back in the water. Then she beckoned Red with a crooked finger, holding up a spoon of sorbet. “Try this, I think you’ll like it.”

Red did as she was told, opening her mouth.

Ellie put the sorbet in. Then she waited.

Sure enough, Red’s face lit up like she’d just won the lottery. “I like it,” she said, once she’d finished. “Is it gin and tonic sorbet?”

“It is! Just completed it this morning, along with a vat of bourbon and maple syrup ice cream.”

“That sounds deliciously boozy. As for the sorbet, I love the mix of tarty lemon and just enough sugar. It’s like a lemon-sherbet sweet, with added gin. My childhood just called and says it’s the happiest it’s been in years.”

Ellie grinned. “That’s exactly the reaction I wanted. I’ll put it on the menu this weekend.” She put the sorbet back in the plastic tub. Then she hopped out of the water, dried her feet, put on some flip-flops and took the sorbet through to her freezers out the back.

Red followed her through. “So it’s working out, having most of the ice cream made off-site, but you doing your own, too?”

Ellie nodded. “Still working things out, but yes. Customers are loving the local-made stuff, and it really is great. I still plan to make all my own eventually, but for this summer, this is what I’ll be doing.”

They walked back through to the main store.

“But I take it that’s not what you wanted to tell me? Your big sorbet news?”

Ellie shook her head. “It is not.” She dangled her keys in front of Red. “But I’m starving. Shall we go to dinner and I can tell you over that?” She glanced down at her feet. “Can we take your car? Saves me changing my flip-flops?”

Red rolled her eyes, but nodded just the same.

Red drove her out to a pub in Gatbury, a nearby village. Ellie was all for being taken out, but somewhere other than The Golden Fleece, away from prying ears. She was exhausted after another hectic day in the shop. Her sister filled her in on all the new orders she’d got, as well as how romantic Gareth had been of late, buying her flowers every day for a week. Ellie smiled when she heard that. But it just made her think of last night, and of Natalie. It wasn’t until they had their main courses of Thai red curry in front of them that Red really focused, waving her fork in Ellie’s direction.

“So, what’s going on? I assume this has something to do with a certain distillery shop owner?”

Ellie nodded. “It does. We walked home last night after the pub quiz and ended up kissing on the bridge.” She put a hand to her face. “But now I’m freaking out because I didn’t come here to find love. I came to find myself and focus on something new.”

Red raised an eyebrow. “A little fun in the process does no harm, though, does it?” She paused. “Unless this is more than a little fun?”

“I don’t know what it is right now.”

“Have you seen her today? You must have. It’s not like you can avoid each other easily. You live and work beside each other.”

“Not really. I mean, she waved at me this morning and gave me a wink.”

“A wink? What kind of wink?”

Ellie shrugged. “Are there different kinds of winks? Maybe a ‘see you later’ type of wink.”

Red took a bite of her dinner as she considered that. “But she didn’t stop by later?”

“She had business up at the distillery today. She told me that last night. Her car wasn’t back when we left, so she must have got waylaid.”

“Okay, so she’s not avoiding you.”

Ellie huffed. “I’m not that bad a kisser.”

Red let out a bark of laughter. “I wasn’t suggesting that. I’m a shit-hot kisser, I assume it runs in the family.” She sat back, smiling. “So, from living in isolation for weeks, now you’re truly mixing with the locals. Snogging them, in fact! You know what they say about Londoners? Coming over here, driving up their housing prices, drinking their beer, stealing their women?” She pointed at her sister. “All true.”

“I haven’t bought a house. Yet.”

They finished their mains.

Red twisted her wine glass around by the stem. “So how was kissing a local?”

Ellie sat back, shaking her head. She didn’t know how to answer that. “It was… romantic. Moonlit. Like a scene from a movie.”

Red held up a hand. “Whoa. Stop right there.” She waved a hand in front of Ellie’s face. “What’s going on? You’re getting a weird dreamy look on your face. I’ve never seen this before. What does it mean?”

Ellie wasn’t sure herself. She shook her head to back up that point. “All I know is, it felt different. I’ve been kissed by quite a few women in my life, but none of them on a bridge in the moonlight.” She was suddenly shy; she didn’t want to admit to her sister that the force of the kiss had left her dazed.

This wasn’t what she’d signed up for. She’d signed up for a new life in the country, for spending time with herself. A one-woman life retreat. But now, another woman had gatecrashed her plans. If she was honest, quite a few of the villagers had gatecrashed her plans, too. She was beginning to gel with the area, to enjoy a life she didn’t even know existed. Natalie, Fi, Yolanda, even Jodie the estate agent; they’d all shown her how independent women operated here. It was a system she wanted to emulate.

And Natalie was a woman she wanted to kiss again.

“More to the point, none of them made my knees almost buckle like she did. It was like an explosion inside.”

“That sounds messy.”

“It feels messy.” Ellie didn’t do mess. She did ordered, doomed romance. She did romance that was portion-controlled. But Natalie’s kiss was still reverberating around her and had been all day long. In between serving ice creams and chatting with the locals, it was all that was on her mind. Red didn’t need to tell her that was unusual. Ellie already knew.

Red sat back, folding her arms as their plates were cleared. “So my big sis might be interested in someone. Falling for them.”

Ellie frowned. “Falling is a strong word.”

“If the shoe fits, Cinderella.”

“Stop it.” They ordered coffee. “It just all feels a little surreal. Like I’ve landed in someone else’s life. Like I’ll wake up tomorrow and it’ll all be a dream.”

Red let out a low whistle. “This must have been some kiss.”

Ellie’s heart boomed in her chest. She could say that. “You have no idea.” She turned her head, and out of the corner of her eye spied Keith at a table on his own, scrolling through his phone. What was he doing out in Gatbury? Maybe this was where he came to get a break from prying eyes.

She turned back to Red. “The thing is, what happens now? One kiss and I’m a basket case. I’m not used to this. I don’t know what she’s feeling. Does she like me? Is this going to develop into something more?” Ellie shook her head. “I’m 41 for fuck’s sake, and this has made me act like I’m 14. I don’t have time to kiss people on bridges. I have a business to run, a flat and an ex to sort, and a summer festival to help organise.” She closed her eyes. She’d forgotten about the festival. She was going to be working closely with Natalie. Did that mean more kissing? She hoped so.

Red reached over and placed a hand on her arm. “The thing is, you did have time to kiss someone on a bridge. I for one think that’s great. You’d been with Grace so long, you’d forgotten what it’s like to be kissed properly. Tell me, do you remember a kiss from Grace affecting you this much?”

Ellie cast her mind back to Grace. Theirs had never been the romance of the century. If Natalie’s kiss had been a butter-rich, delicious starter, her relationship with Grace had been calorie-controlled all the way. The Slimfast of the relationship world.

“Grace wouldn’t know passion if it hit her in the face. She wouldn’t understand it.” Grace had never taken the time to look into her eyes, to kiss her with such intent. Grace had always been on a schedule, always with somewhere else to go. With Natalie, it felt like they could have kissed each other all night, and still wanted more.

“Then I’d say you owe it to yourself to at least have another kiss. I can’t tell you where it’s going or what Natalie’s thinking. But I can say it’s nice to see my sister a little flummoxed, but also, lit up.” Red reached over and gave her arm another squeeze.

Ellie glanced across to Keith. She needed the loo, and he was on her way. Should she say hello? No, she didn’t know him well enough yet.

However, just as she was passing his table, Keith looked up.

Just as Ellie glanced his way. Dammit. She couldn’t ignore him now. She smiled, altering her course. Whether Keith liked it or not.

From the look on his face, which was like he’d seen a ghost, he wasn’t that keen.

“I thought that was you.” Ellie put a hand on her hip and adopted a casual stance, trying to make light of the situation.

It didn’t work. Keith looked like he wanted to bail.

“Difficult to recognise you outside Upper Chewford. Or, in fact, The Golden Fleece.”

Keith checked his phone, forced a smile, and nodded. His smile was the same as his daughter’s, which took Ellie back to last night. Already her happy place.

“It’s good to get a change of scene.” He peered around her. “You on your own?”

Ellie shook her head. “With my sister for a quick dinner.”

Keith stood up, grabbing his coat. “I’m just leaving.”

“Don’t leave on my account. You’ve only drunk half your drink.” Why did she get the feeling she was crashing something when it was just Keith on his own?

But Keith was already shaking his head. “I’ve had enough of it anyway. Got to drive. Good to see you.”

Ellie frowned. What had just happened? She’d have to ask Natalie. Only, when she saw her again, there were other things she wanted to do far more than talk about her dad.