“No problem.” Kirsty’s words came out flat. It was how she was going to have to play this. All her emotions boxed up and hidden away.
Saffron shrugged, avoiding Kirsty’s gaze. “Sure, we can do that.”
“Great.” Ginger gave Saffron a hug and did the same to Kirsty. “I trust you both implicitly. I’ll call you later.” With that, she left the shop, apparently oblivious to the tension in the air.
Prickly heat crept up Kirsty’s back as she stared at Saffron. Yes, she should be asking her what the hell she was playing at, but she still remembered what it had felt like standing in her arms two days ago. Finally giving in to their attraction for a few brief minutes. She was still gorgeous, still ticked the attraction box for Kirsty. But life wasn’t as simple as sexual desire, was it? If it was, she’d slam her up against the shop door right that moment and press her lips to Saffron’s.
Longing flooded her once more.
Kirsty closed her eyes.
Damn it.
Helena walked back in, oblivious to Kirsty’s thoughts.
Seeing her, Saffron turned and picked up the wine bottle again. “Can you ship me a case of these when you have a chance? I’m keen to know more.”
Kirsty turned to Helena. “Can you put that order in for Saffron?” She wasn’t going to react to Saffron, despite the heat of her stare.
Helena gulped then nodded. “Sure, sure.” She signalled to Saffron. “Can you bring it over so I can get the name right?”
Saffron did as she was told.
Helena patted the counter. “Leave it here, I’ll put it back on the shelf.”
Saffron took a deep breath, only now looking at Kirsty directly. “We should go. The tasting’s booked for midday. You ready?”
Kirsty ground her teeth together. “As I’ll ever be.”
Chapter 16
They walked to the restaurant, side by side, the awkward silence growing more uncomfortable with each step. Every part of Saffron itched as if she was covered in hives, and it took all her restraint not to scratch all her skin off.
Saffron had experienced perplexing moments before, but this stroll was putting every socially embarrassing situation to shame. Even the time when she was introduced to the director ofGirl Racerand she stuck her hand out to shake, only to learn after the fact the germophobe never shook anyone’s hand. Her hand had hung there for many uncomfortable seconds, the director’s eyes locked on hers as if daring to see how long she’d hold out. Turned out for eight seconds, which in hindsight wasn’t very long at the moment, though, it seemed like a lifetime.
The walk from the High Street, along the water, to the edge of Sandy Cove on the Branton Bay side eclipsed eight seconds by an eternity. Every damn one of the ticks of the clock seemed to kick Kirsty’s annoyance into a higher gear.
A gaggle of tourists in Bermuda shorts and red faces made their way to the beach to catch more rays.
“It wasn’t until I walked along a beach in Southern California that I realised our pebble beaches are shite.” Saffron acted out walking barefoot on jagged rocks.
“Luckily for you, your time in Sandy Cove will be short-lived and you can return to your posh lifestyle.” Kirsty kept her focus on the promenade, her shoulders squaring for battle.
The first attempt to alleviate the tension had crashed and burned.
“The Kent coastline has more character. It even has castles.” Saffron slid her eyes to Kirsty to see if the lamest peace offering in existence had been accepted.
From the clamped lips, it had not, and quite possibly, it made Kirsty disappear further into her protective bubble. Saffron had to control the urge to stab the air around Kirsty to pop the imaginary barrier. But that wouldn’t accomplish what Saffron wanted and would probably result in pissing off the woman even more.
If Saffron wanted to apologise for what had transpired after the kiss, she’d actually have to address the ill-timed text. Talking about her personal life wasn’t something she enjoyed doing. How could she say,Hey, Echo Black is your typical obnoxious Hollywood-type whom I unwisely started a relationship with because I thought she actually liked me, but for her it was more about publicity and that hurt?The icing on the cake was Echo sharing intimate photos of them as a way of fighting off rumours they had separated all in an attempt to keep the frenzy ofGirl Racerfans alive. Saffron had told Echo, in her Saffron way, that they were done, but Echo wouldn’t relent.
The irony wasn’t lost on Saffron. If she’d been able to outright tell Echo they were through, Saffron would have a leg to stand on when explaining everything to Kirsty. Truth was, Saffron hated disappointing people and struggled saying what was really in her heart.
With a smile, she remembered Kirsty saying she found words useful when communicating. The confident Kirsty wouldn’t be in this situation. Every time Saffron started to text Kirsty after the kiss, she became paralysed by her inability to let Kirsty take a peek behind the curtain, worried she would see Saffron, quaking like a child.
Saffron had hoped fleeing to Sandy Cove would hammer the point home to Echo. They were through. Apparently, the message hadn’t been received. Or Echo ignored it.
The same was true with Pearl. If Saffron could cut the agent’s apron strings once and for all, she wouldn’t be ducking calls about a movie she didn’t want to make with Echo, absolutely making it clear to both that Saffron wanted a clean break.
