“You all right?” he asked.
Pippa nodded, dazed. “I think I feel … the best I have in a long time,” she said. Excusing herself, she hurried inside to get her phone. Frankie needed to hear all about this.
ChapterFifteen
“It’s settled,” Frankie crowed down the phone to her. “Let’s party! The sun is shining, we’re young and carefree … plus, you know there’s no better place to pick up men than The Halfpenny.”
“Hey, I said I want to have some fun, not pick up men!” Pippa repeated yet again. After her revelation about Alex, Pippa was in the mood to let her hair down and so Frankie had promptly invited her out on the town with him and Theo that very night. Although Frankie seemed to think that Pippa’s emotional breakthrough indicated she was ready to hook up with a new man, which was not the point. “Like I said, I’m feeling like I’ve made some progress on myself, not that I’m ready to start a new relationship yet.”
“Who’s talking about relationships?” Frankie snorted. “I’m suggesting a casual snog, maybe some PG-13 over-the-clothes dry-humping. Surely, you’re ready for a gentle, non-accidental boob-graze?How long has it been since you had some action?”
Pippa tried very hard not to picture Wolfie in that instant. “Never you mind,” she said. “I was with the same guy for, like, ever. I wouldn’t even know how to pick up a man if he stood naked in front of me and offered me the keys to a forklift.”
“Have you seen yourself?” Frankie demanded. “You are a five-foot-twobombshell. Just stand in the middle of the room, you’ll soon have men crawling all over you.”
“Maybe that’s howyoupick up men,” Pippa shot back. “Us mere mortals have to make some effort.”
“Are you wearing that booby dress?” Frankie countered.
“Don’t call it that,” she hissed. But for want of a better word, yes, Pippa was wearing the white sundress Alex had once made fun of, back when she was his to be mocked. It was a little fancy, but perfect for a sun-drenched evening enjoying drinks with friends. It seemed apt to wear it, the way she was feeling. “I’m in the booby dress,” she said.
“And wear some lippie,” Frankie advised.
“You aren’t the boss of me,” Pippa grumbled, but she picked up her ancient lipstick and swiped some creamy pink across her lips. The amount of time she’d spent in the outdoors recently had dusted her skin with a healthy glow, making her pale eyes pop. She’d slid a couple of grips into her unruly waves to hold them back from her face and by the time Pippa had slipped on her soft leather sandals, she felt like a different woman. She felt womanly, and for the first time in ages, sexy. “This could be fun,” she said.
“Can’t wait,” Frankie said. “You catching the bus?”
Pippa checked her watch. “Shit.” The bus to Sheffield would be leaving soon, so she needed to move. She bade goodbye to Frankie and excitedly made her way downstairs.
As she approached the bottom of the staircase, Wolfie strode in from the hall, staring down at his phone. At the sound of her footsteps, he glanced up.
“Ah, Pippa, did you—” He halted in his tracks.
“Something wrong?” Pippa hurried down the last few steps.
“Ahm. No.” Wolfie gulped. “Everything’s fine.”
“Okay. Great.” Pippa waited for him to say something back but he seemed stricken, as if caught in headlights. That or he was about to be violently sick. “Anything else?”
His eyebrows jumped. “Well, um, actually…” He cleared his throat and cricked his neck. He opened his mouth then shut it. Pippa was wondering if he was quite all right when he suddenly blurted somewhat loudly, “Did you manage to water the plants in the pots out front? They looked a little wilted earlier.”
Pippa was bewildered. Did he really need to yell? “Yup,” she said. “I did them twice today. Because of the sun.”
“Great, good.” Wolfie nodded. He seemed to be waiting for something. Pippa arched an eyebrow to urge him on; she had a bus to catch after all. “You, ah, you look nice.”
“Oh.” Pippa blushed, smoothing down the skirt fabric and ignoring the warm glow that a compliment from Wolfie gave her. “Perhaps it’s a little much for a few drinks in Sheffield.”
“No, no,” Wolfie corrected her with a small smile. “I’d say it’s just enough, Pippa Munro.”
“Enough for what?” she replied with a grin, then clamped her lips shut. Was this flirting? Was that what they were doing? “I mean, thanks,” she said stiffly. The man had a girlfriend, for crying out loud. “I’ve got to get the bus,” she babbled. “Have a good evening.”
“You don’t want a lift?” Wolfie called after her as she reached the door.
“Are you offering me one?” Pippa imagined being alone in a car with Wolfie Squires and the air suddenly got that little bit more difficult to breathe. She fought to keep her breathing regular as a corner of his mouth quirked.
“Yes,” he said patiently.
“Why?”
