Page 119 of The Bookshop By the Loch

“That was Theresa Day, my old art lecturer from college.”

I jerked my head up from my soiled dress to look at him.

“She drops by to see me once a month. She was a real art hero of mine. Still is. She always brings a bottle of wine with her.” Tobias’s lips threatened to break into a smile. “She’s sixty next week, lives with her long-term biker partner and they have a blended family of five kids between them.”

Oh no. What an idiot. I wanted Tobias’s sofa to swallow me up.

Tobias continued to examine me as he knelt there. “Hold on. Is that why you’ve been skirting around me? Because you thought I was seeing someone?”

My neck heated up. “I haven’t been skirting around you.”

Tobias waggled his brows, arguing the point.

“Ok. Maybe I have. A bit. But so have you with me.”

He stood up and sat down beside me. I could smell his spicy aftershave. “You’re right. I have. I’m sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Like I just told you, my track record hasn’t been great relationship-wise.” He offered a small, embarrassed sigh. “I know I’ve been an unpredictable idiot.” He paused. “I think that’s because I always seem to be the one who gets hurt.”

Tobias’s mouth slid into a shy smile. “But when I talked to Celeste about you earlier, I realised what a dick I’d been.”

I stared at him as he sat there beside me. “You talked about me? Why?”

“Because I’m sure she’s part witch. She knew straight away that I liked you and she told me not to waste a second of my life and to just go for it.”

I couldn’t drag my eyes away from him. My heart was thumping so loud I was sure he’d be able to hear it. Was this really happening? All the wasted time and the dodging about with one another; the sidestepping and the hesitation. “Oh, Tobias. I’ve tried to ignore my feelings too. I thought that us working together would be a problem.” I fiddled with the cold cloth and then dumped it on the table.

Tobias lifted one finger and placed it on my lips. “I’ve wasted enough time. Right now, all I know is I’m going to have to kiss you, otherwise I’m going to lose my mind.”

Tobias inched closer to me. His lips found mine and traced them, soft and tentative at first. Then the kiss deepened, his tongue teasing mine as he slid a hand into my hair pulling me closer.

I kissed him back, pressing myself against him. A low growl escaped from his throat.

We both slid backwards against the sofa, a tangle of limbs.

“Oh, not now!” groaned Tobias against me, as my mobile rang out disturbing the peace. We kissed again, before reluctantly parting. I picked up my phone, my lips still burning with the delicious feel of his mouth.

It was Maeve. “Are you alright?” she asked. “You sound breathless.”

Tobias nuzzled against my neck, the coarseness of his stubble gently grazing my skin. Ripples of excitement shot down my spine.

“No, I’m fine,” I managed. “Just dashing for my phone. So, what happened? How did it go with Corinne?”

“It was a bit odd to begin with, as you might imagine. We kept bursting into tears and then ended up talking non-stop, but I think we all felt the better for it. In fact, I know we did.”

“That’s great. Do you think Corinne will try to see Celeste again?”

“She said she wants to. She mentioned popping up at the weekend for another chat. She was showing Mum photos of her granddaughters.” Maeve hesitated. “Thank you, Lexie, for what you’ve done. You and Tobias. Your friendship has been invaluable.”

Hearing her words, Tobias nestled in again against my neck and stroked my hair.

“You’ve done so much for me and for Mum and we won’t forget it.” I heard her smile down the line. “Now, enough soppy talk, otherwise I’ll set myself off again. I’ll let you get back to your evening with Tobias. You’re a lucky girl! Goodnight.”

She rung off.

I stared, bewildered, down at my phone. How did she know? I laughed to myself and snuggled back in beside him. “Aren’t you supposed to be sketching me?”

Tobias’s grin was wolfish as he leant forward and kissed me again. “Oh, there’s plenty of time for that.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight