AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Let me walk you to your room.’ Evan was on his feet.
‘It’s fine. I just jumped down too hard, that’s all. It’ll be fine in a minute.’
‘Maybe I could escort you to the bottom of the stairs?’
He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, which would have been impossible to refuse at any time, but given that she actually needed help, there was no way she could say no.
‘That sounds like a good compromise.’
He offered his arm to Holly, which she took, as though they were part of some formal dance. She wasn’t sure whether she walked so slowly because of her foot, or because she didn’t want to reach the staircase and head upstairs.
When they reached the bottom step Evan smiled. ‘This is you.’
‘I believe so.’
‘Enjoy your frog music.’
‘I will try my hardest.’
It was only when she noticed the ache in her cheeks that she realised how much she was smiling. With one last thankful look at Evan, she turned around and headed back up to the room.
Upstairs, Holly checked the time. Four forty-five. Jamie had wanted everybody up by eight to make sure they were ready to get moving before the day’s heat hit. Thankfully, Holly thought as she climbed under the blanket and shoved Caroline over on to her side, she wasn’t going to be included in that. It turned out there were some silver linings to this ankle after all.
21
When Holly rolled over and opened her eyes, she was alone in the bed. Morning light shone through the gaps in the blinds in tiny shards. From outside came the trills of birdsong, while from downstairs came the chattering of people.
Yawning, she stretched out as wide as possible, only to get a sharp surprise in the form of a pang of pain from her ankle. Lifting the duvet, she examined how it was faring after some more rest. The swelling had gone down, and the bruises had stopped spreading, too. Hopefully, it would all be fine by the time she headed home; she dreaded to think how she would run around the shop if it still hurt, bolting up and down the stepladder to fetch the jars of sweets from the highest shelves.
With a deep inhale, she pushed herself upright and swung her legs off the side of the bed. Thankfully, she could put a lot more weight on it now. Maybe another day of rest was all it would take.
Filling her lungs with the scent of the sea, she noticed another smell in the air. One that immediately piqued her attention. As someone who had baked their way through all of life’s trials and tribulations, Holly was well versed in the aromas of fresh bread. And the smell she caught was good fresh bread.
Her stomach growled in reflex as she glanced at her watch. She faltered in surprise. It was already eight-thirty. The others would be leaving any second, and she wanted to say goodbye.
After a quick check in the mirror to ensure that her hair wasn’t a complete crow’s nest, she headed downstairs, pleasantly surprised by how easy walking was.
The group was gathered around the dining room table, although they were all on their feet, and most of them already had their boots on.
‘There you are, sleepyhead,’ Jamie said. ‘I thought we were going to have to leave a note for you.’
‘Sorry, I had a bit of a rough night’s sleep.’
‘I think most of us did.’ A collected group glare followed, aimed entirely at Tyler, although Holly couldn’t help but think that Caroline had some cheek in glowering at him considering how much she’d also kept Holly awake.
‘Are you hungry?’ Evan stepped away from the table. ‘There are a couple of croissants, a pain au raisin too. I left them in the bread bin for you. I didn’t want these gannets polishing all the pastries off.’
‘A croissant would be amazing, thank you.’ As she caught his eye, she couldn’t help but smile again. Was this another moment passing between the pair of them? It definitely felt like it was another moment, but then it was probably the tiredness and smell of fresh bread that was doing it.
‘Are you going to be all right here on your own?’ Jamie said as Evan disappeared. ‘Mum says she doesn’t mind staying with you, but I know she’d quite like to do the walk too. The views are spectacular and I already feel terrible enough that you’re going to miss out on it.’
‘Honestly, it’s fine. I’ve got a luxury pool and a book to read. And quiet for the first time in months. I will be fine. I’ll be better than fine. I’m quite looking forward to it.’
‘Which supports my idea that you might’ve slipped over on purpose.’
Holly gave Jamie a withering scowl.
‘Fine, fine. Just make sure you look after yourself properly while we’re gone.’
