Kirsty rolled her eyes as she got down. “I told you, no photos of Saffron on our website, she’s here to escape that sort of attention. Also, can you drop the social media obsession? We hardly ever post anything anyway. Wasn’t that meant to be Anton’s job under your supervision?” They’d made grand plans to make it a regular thing, but nothing had come of it.
Helena focused on boxing up their regular restaurant orders, lugging the wine onto the counter with a grunt. “I’ll get him on it. He’s not doing much else during his summer holidays apart from sleeping.” She smoothed the brown masking tape along the top of the wine box to seal it, then wrote the name of the restaurant on the top. “Did I tell you we got a couple of new orders from people who saw the profile Ginger did of you on the town website? She’s got good PR going on with that, so tell her thanks.”
“You can tell her yourself. She’s coming for the New Zealand wine tasting later.”
Helena grinned. “Is her sister coming, too?”
Kirsty shook her head. “No, she has podcast interviews to do all evening forGirl Racer.” Their lives really couldn’t be more different, could they?
“Shame.” Helena wagged a finger in Kirsty’s direction. “But my spies tell me that wasn’t the end of your afternoon yesterday. Hugh’s friend Larry spotted you walking along the beach with Saffron.”
That figured. “She just walked with me after I dropped off her order. Nothing more.” Kirsty moved the ladder to the back of the shop, before leaning on the counter beside Helena. She sipped her coffee. It was cold. She made a face.
Helena took the mug without a word. She reappeared a couple of minutes later having microwaved it. It was one of her more appealing habits. Then she studied Kirsty like she was a museum exhibit. “You say nothing more has gone on, but something has.” She waved a finger in front of Kirsty’s face. “You look a little out of sorts. Flushed. Like you’ve got indigestion.”
“It’s a hazard of working with you.”
Helena gave her a grin. “I remember that face. Confusion mixed with something else.” She furrowed her brow, then put a hand on her hip. “Youlikeher.”
“Every woman with a pulse likes Saffron Oliver. Even the super-straight ones.” Kirsty sipped her coffee. It burned her tongue, so she put it down.
“Yes, but they’re not popping round to hers like you are.” Helena paused. “This wouldn’t be such a bad idea, you know. A lesbian romance would put the shop on the map!”
“Are you asking me to sleep with her to boost business?” She was being sarcastic, but Kirsty’s body responded nevertheless, her heart pulsing on cue.
Helena smirked. “I’m not seeing this as a great hardship.”
“I might start bringing earplugs to work, just so I can tune you out. Or maybe noise-cancelling headphones would be better.” Kirsty walked back over to the window, concentrating on their festival poster. Was it straight? She tilted her head. Straightness wasn’t her forte.
“She seems nice, though, right?”
Helena wasn’t giving this up.
“I mean, lesbians don’t trot around Sandy Cove every day. You get on, and she’s single.” Helena held out her hands like this was a done deal.
“Just because we’re both lesbians doesn’t mean we’re going to get together. I believe I taught you this in Lesbian 101. Besides, she’s in her early 30s. I’m 49. I’m hardly a catch.”
“Nonsense. You’re gorgeous. Youthful. You could easily pass for late 30s.”
Kirsty heard that often. It didn’t change her age, though. She was stillgroan when she got out of a chairyears old. Although Helena wasn’t wrong. She was attracted to Saffron. But she was also attracted to Fiona in the post office. She wasn’t about to sleep with her.
“I do like her, though. After a dodgy start, she’s proving to have a sense of humour, which is good. I’m taking her kayaking.”
Helena whipped her head up at that. “Kayaking? You haven’t done that since you and Anna split.”
“I’ve done it a few times, just not quite so often. Maybe it’s time I started again.”
“That’s how it could all start. You, Saffron, a kayak. I can see it now.” Helena stared into space dreamily.
“Or me, Saffron, capsizing.”
“You need to watch more romance movies.”
“Or maybe you need to watch fewer. I’m nearly 50. She’s a Hollywood star. I’m not dating the star ofGirl Racer. Those kinds of things don’t happen to little ol’ me.”
* * *
Kirsty plonkeda tube of salt and vinegar Pringles on her coffee table, and grabbed a couple of wine glasses from the cupboard near the sink. The wine tasting downstairs this evening had been a real hit, and Ginger had come up to her flat for a nightcap.
