There it was again, that wonderful word,yours.Despite the weariness in her bones, Pippa fairly danced her way to the shower, not even noticing her tender ankle giving intermittent protests at the effort. She was so happy she didn’t care when the shower water came out cold and intermittently trickling, nor did she care when she spilled her coffee all over the kitchen table, or that Wolfie had clearly stuck the butter knife in the jam and left crumby streaks in the jar. Nothing could touch her mood.
As she drove into town, Pippa mused on the day ahead as the radio blared out retro tunes that she couldn’t help but sing along to – tunelessly. Luckily the storm of the previous day had passed and although the sky was overcast, Pippa could sense the sun waiting to break through. She pulled into the Hand and Flowercar park, where Mae had established a rudimentary command centre. The town centre was a hub of activity too; the green was freshly mowed and someone from the council had obligingly repainted some of the yellow lines and parking spaces in the vicinity to ensure drivers knew exactly where they could and couldn’t park.
As Pippa got out of the car, she waved to Erin who was pacing around the car park on the phone, finalising the monitors for the races: responsible individuals who would be dotted along the racecourse with walkie-talkies to ensure safety for the participants. She’d largely recruited from the parents of the children she taught, bribing them with the promise that their kids would be pushed to the front row of all the pictures taken for the papers. Mae had been polishing the race trophies and boxing them up so Pippa could take them back to Squires with her ready for the prizegiving. As Pippa locked Frankie’s car, Mae emerged from the pub, box of trophies in hand.
“Morning!” Mae beamed. “You ready for this?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Pippa stifled a yawn. “Sorry.”
Mae raised an eyebrow. “Wow, late night?”
“Not as such, I got to bed relatively early.” That at least was true. Pippa pointed to the box in Mae’s arms. “That ready to go?”
“Yup. Will you need help carrying it?” Mae hefted the box into Pippa’s arms.
“Nah.” Pippa clutched it tight. “I’ve got quite strong since taking on the job at Squires. All that housework and gardening, who knew?”
“Yeah, you’re looking fit.” Mae flashed a wicked grin. “I hear Wolfie thinks so too.”
As Pippa’s face flamed crimson, Erin pulled away from her call with an excited gasp. “Sorry Mrs Murgatroyd, one sec!” Covering the phone with her hand she went on. “You and Wolfie?! Is it true…?”
“How the—?” Pippa tutted. “Frankie. God, he’s got a mouth.”
“It’s all over his social media.” Mae roared with laughter when Pippa lowered the box she was holding and dove for her phone. “I’m joking! I spoke to him this morning and he spilled.”
Pippa groaned. “I’m going to kill him.”
“He’s happy for you.” Mae gripped her shoulder and eyeballed Pippa earnestly. “As am I. New penis, Pip. You did it!”
Erin cleared her throat. “Sorry Mrs Murgatroyd, I’m just going to move somewhere quieter.” She shot a warning glance at Mae.
“All right, enough with the new penis.” Pippa laughed.
“Sorry, sorry.” Mae didn’t look the least bit sorry. “But at least it explains why you look completely wrecked this morning. You clearly got some serious action last night!”
Pippa affected primness. “I couldn’t possibly say,” she sniffed.
Mae elbowed her. “Maybeyoucan’t, but that love bite on your neck says plenty.”
Blushing, Pippa adjusted the collar of her top. “That’s ... a bruise.”
“What, you walked into Wolfie’s mouth by accident?” Mae giggled mercilessly. “Listen, we have a busy day ahead and we need to crack on. But at some point, you need to tell meeverything.And I mean everything. Was it hot? I bet it was hot. Frankie said Wolfie was looking at you like he wanted to eat you alive.”
Pippa smiled wryly, bumping her hip against the car boot so the electronic keys could open it. “Maybe, maybe.”
Mae arched an eyebrow. “Is it … serious?”
Pippa put the box in the boot and closed it, gnawing her lip. “I want it to be,” she said. “Which is mad, I know, so soon after Al—”
“Nope, not mad.” Mae shook her head firmly. “If you like Wolfie enough, it isn’t mad.”
“He makes me feel safe,” Pippa blurted. “Isn’t that funny? Living here, I didn’t think I could feel any safer. But he does that.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Mae’s walkie-talkie on her hip crackled and she rolled her eyes. “Timing.” She listened for a few seconds and groaned. “Sounds like an issue with the portaloos. I’ll sort it.”
“You crack on,” Pippa declared. “I have my duties.” Mae blew a kiss at Pippa and stormed off towards the green, barking orders into her radio. As Pippa locked the car up, her phone buzzed. Reaching for it, she hoped it was Wolfie calling, and was very glad to see it was indeed him. It had been only six hours since she’d watched him walk to the shower, but it had felt like years.
“Pippa Munro,” he greeted her softly. Pippa’s tummy tilted. She loved the way he said her name.
