Page 36 of Flowers Go Flying in Crumbleton
‘Yes you do!’ muttered Milly, forcing herself to carry on up the hill.
It had ended up being an unexpectedly lovely afternoon… almost romantic, in fact… if you didn’t count Murray’s head injury, of course! But in reality, were they any further forward than they’d been before her magical mystery tour of the marshes?
Milly – you’re officially overthinking things!
‘At least I know he’s okay,’ she sighed.
And she knew what his lips felt like on hers… and how beautiful he looked when he was wearing nothing more than a towel. Milly’s daydreams were definitely in for an upgrade. That was the problem, though - daydreams were no longer going to cut it when it came to Murray Eddington. She liked him. She more than liked him. She wanted this to go somewhere!
Milly yanked her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. She’d completely lost track of the day after Murray had invited her to nap next to him in his bed. Going by the fact that the sun had been practically kissing the horizon as he’d rowed her back across the marshes, she could only imagine that it was getting pretty late.
The phone screen sprang to life in her hand. Sure enough, it was long past closing time for the shop. Well – at least that meant she didn’t have to hot-foot it to the top of the hill. Jo would have cashed up and locked up ages ago.
‘Right then,’ she muttered. ‘Time to call Caroline!’
Her friend had made her promise to call the minute she got back into town to let her know what was really going on with Murray. That wasn’t the reason Milly wanted to talk to her, though. Right now, she craved Caroline’s particular brand of no-nonsense advice. With any luck, it might help her get her head back on straight – and figure out what she should do next.
Glancing around to make sure there was no one on the high street who might be inclined to eavesdrop, Milly pulled up Caroline’s number.
‘What happened?’ said her friend the moment she picked up, completely dispensing with any of the usual greetings. ‘You’ve been ages! Is he alive? Does he have all his teeth? Did you get to feel his bump?’
Milly let out a spluttering laugh. ‘No, I did not get to feel his bump!’
‘But something happened!’ crowed Caroline.
‘I didn’t say that!’ said Milly.
‘You didn’t have to,’ said Caroline.
Milly was sure she just heard her friend’s eyes roll.
‘Why don’t you come up to the office?’ said Caroline.
‘You’re still at work?’ said Milly in surprise.
‘Kind of,’ said Caroline. ‘But I have wine!’
‘I’ll be there in five minutes.’
Three minutes and forty-five seconds later, Milly was thundering up the wooden staircase towards Caroline’s little office at the Crumbleton Times and Echo.
‘Wow, where’s the fire?’ laughed Caroline, as Milly burst in.
‘You said you had wine!’ said Milly with a grin.
Caroline had her feet propped up on her desk. She was busy clicking away with her computer mouse in one hand and nursing a half-drunk glass of wine in the other.
‘I do have wine… but I’ll deny it all if you blabber!’ said Caroline with a naughty smile.
‘As if I would,’ said Milly. ‘Besides, I can be bribed.’
‘Thought that might be the case,’ said Caroline, her feet hitting the deck as she sprang out of her chair to grab a second glass from the bookshelf behind her desk.
‘Cheers!’ said Milly, accepting the vat of red wine.
‘Yeah, cheers!’ said Caroline, watching her closely as she reached across the desk and clinked her glass against Milly’s. ‘Here’s to whatever put that twinkle in your eye.’
‘What?!’ said Milly, blinking hard as though that might help. ‘I don’t have a twinkle, I don’t even know what a twinkle is!’
