Rachel Dove - The Flower Shop on Foxley Street

She seemed genuinely chuffed to see him, and he realized that no one had greeted him like that in a long time. It made his body tingle with warmth, although that could be put down to his body finally warming up from the cold. He motioned for her to stay sitting down, and he walked over. He noticed that the cougher behind him had joined two other ladies, and he felt three pairs of eyes following him with interest as he made his way over. He ignored the whispers, hoping it was just his imagination that they were discussing him.

‘Hi,’ he said gently. Lily was sat with both hands on her knees now, and he noticed with a pang that she was wearing an engagement ring. He hadn’t noticed it before, and he wondered if it was a new development. He cursed himself for not seeing it before. Of course she has someone, he scolded himself. Pot, kettle?

‘Hello,’ she replied softly. ‘Do you want a coffee?’

He shrugged her off. ‘No, I’ll get them. Caramel latte, right?’

She looked surprised and nodded, blushing a little.

‘Thank you.’

Wow. I would buy her a caramel latte every day for the rest of her life if she blushed like that. He felt his own cheeks warming, and he nodded stiffly, heading to the counter before he made a fool of himself. He caught sight of the ladies as he turned, and they were still watching him. They looked amused, and he suddenly got the feeling that this café was somewhat of a fishbowl for the locals. His uncle Archie had warned him that Westfield was a bit close-knit, but he had laughed it off at the time. His uncle’s words were something along the lines of ‘Watch your back, the women folk are mad round here. Have you hitched up before you can draw breath, if ya let ’em.’

Archie had then realized what he had said, and patted his nephew on the shoulder in a conciliatory gesture. ‘You know what I mean, lad. Keep your business private eh, better for everyone that way.’

Coffees ordered, he added on an order of fruit toast, realizing that it was still only quite early and she might be a bit peckish. He hadn’t eaten either, so he ordered enough for them both. His stomach rumbled as he stood there, and he hoped no one would hear it before he ate something to pacify the grumbling. The waitress offered to bring it over, so he went to sit down, making sure to choose the sofa across from her, rather than doing what he wanted to do, which was snuggle up on hers. She was watching him when he turned around, but looked away so quickly he wasn’t sure if he imagined it.

***

Busted. Lily winced inwardly. He had been getting the coffees in, and she had been trying to work out what his bottom looked like under his winter coat. He was dressed nicely, a shiny pair of black lace-up boots with a smart pair of dark trousers, topped off with a stylish black coat, and black and white checked scarf. He had his hat on as usual, and she wondered whether he wore it all the time, or whether it was just part and parcel of the January cold.

He came back over, standing in front of the opposite sofa, and as if he had been reading her thoughts, he pulled off his scarf and coat. He turned slightly, folding them over the back of the couch, and she not only got to look at his shapely behind, but she saw a glimpse of his front, too. As he lifted his arm to pull off his hat, his dark blue shirt rode up a little, flashing a peek of a washboard stomach, separated by a thin line of dark hair, which disappeared into his belt. Happy trails indeed. A girl could don a cowboy hat to ride that.

Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline at the sight, and she snapped her gaze away quickly to regain her composure before she sat down. Looking across the café at, well, anything but his taut stomach, she locked eyes with a grey-haired lady who was knitting. If Lily hadn’t been so flustered, she would be convinced that the woman was laughing at her, but she pushed the thought from her mind.

‘So,’ he said, bringing her attention back to him. ‘I realized this morning that I didn’t even introduce myself the other day. I’m Will Singer.’

He held out a hand to shake hers. She took it, and jumped as a shock passed between them, like static. He seemed to jump too, but he didn’t let go. In fact, his grip tightened a little. She looked straight at him in surprise, and saw that he was looking right back at her with his large puppy dog eyes.

‘Hi, Will,’ she breathed a little too quietly. ‘I’m Lily Baxter.’

He nodded, giving her hand a tiny shake in greeting. He clenched his fist a little tighter, moulding her hand into his, and her engagement ring – which was a little loose since Stuart had neglected to get her size, or get it adjusted – dug into her pinkie finger. She wasn’t mad at the time; after all, asking for a girl’s ring size is a bit of a giveaway. Unless he could have stolen one off her finger, how else would he have found out? She should just get it adjusted herself, but that would involve asking him who made the ring, and she didn’t want to get into yet another financial conversation with him about the cost of the ring, blah blah blah. Money was always a little bit of a sticking point in their relationship.

She realized that Will was looking at her ring himself, and she broke the grip as quickly as she could. She was about to explain, mention Stuart, but the waitress came to the table with their order on a tray and they both sat back on their respective sofas, the spell broken. Lily clasped her hands together on her lap, covering her trinket, suddenly feeling as though the band was on fire.

‘Hello, Lily Baxter.’ To his credit, Will never skipped a beat in the conversation. ‘So, how’s your day going so far?’

‘Pretty rubbish, as it goes,’ she replied, picking a piece of fluff from her midnight blue dress and reaching for her coffee. Wait – what? She flicked her eyes to his as she took a deep gulp of her latte. It nearly burned her tongue out, but she pushed the pain away and tried to act cool. He was peering at her intently, a faint smirk playing across his lips.

‘Really? Tell me, what happened.’ He seemed to sag into the sofa a little, and he reached for his coffee. She noticed he shook a little. Nerves? Caffeine withdrawal?

‘Well, it’s parental problems actually. Are you cold?’

He looked surprised, and shook his head. ‘No, I am warming up nicely thanks. Parental problems you were saying?’

***

He couldn’t help wishing she had said something else, like that she had just called off her engagement and fancied running off with the next man who bought her coffee.

Lily huffed, taking another gulp. Will said nothing but he pushed the plate of fruit toast closer to her. She took a slice without thinking twice.

‘Yep, I am twenty-nine and I still live with my parents. It’s embarrassing to be honest, but up to now, it’s been great really. Since they retired though, it’s been a nightmare. I am thinking about moving out, to be honest. I should have done it a while ago, but I just … didn’t. I don’t know why, but something has to give.’

Will nodded, listening intently but saying nothing. She blushed under his gaze. ‘I am really sorry, I have no idea why I told you all that. How has your day been so far?’

Will pushed the plate a bit closer, and Lily took another slice, sinking her teeth into the buttery goodness. He smiled as he watched her eat it.

‘Pretty standard really. Talking to the mirror. Hating my life, the usual. Do you know where you will move to? Will you move in with your fiancé?’ She paused mid chew and he pointed to her ring. ‘I assume you are engaged, yes?’

***

Lily nodded, her mouth too full of toast to reply properly. She forced it down quickly, wiping at her mouth with a napkin.