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‘It was...’ He shifted on his stool. ‘Okay.’
‘Okay? Just okay? You thought she was amazing. What happened?’
Joe looked around the room before meeting her gaze. ‘She was nice. The date was nice. I made a pretty cool wreath, if I say so myself, and I’ve obviously retained the skills I learned.’
Why was he being so evasive with his answers? ‘She was nice, and the date was nice, so why do I have the distinct feeling you’re not going to see her again?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe I just realised she wasn’t the one for me.’
‘Oh.’ She looked down at his wreath. He clearly had his reasons. She scooted back her stool and picked up a fir cone and a piece of wire, trying to copy what Joe had done to fix his to his wreath.
‘That’s the end of the twenty questions?’
She shrugged and glanced at him quickly. ‘I guess. For now, anyway.’
Joe chuckled and shook his head. ‘And you wonder why I didn’t tell you?’
‘Oi! You normally tell me, Lara and Susie everything!’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Or are you saying that you’ve been on a million other dates and kept those a secret, too?’
Joe shook his head. ‘No, just the one.’
‘Good, because I didn’t think we kept secrets.’ She wound the wire around her wreath ring, tucking beneath the ivy to hide it before attaching the fir cone. Ha, she’d done it. ‘Actually, I do have another question...’
Joe rolled his eyes and grinned. ‘And there was me thinking I’d got off pretty Scott-free.’
Ignoring his retort, she continued, ‘If you haven’t been on another date with your amazing neighbour because you know she’s not the one for you, you’re implying that you know someone who might be. Who is she?’
‘Well, I didn’t mean that, by saying she’s not the one for me it doesn’t imply I know who is, or who could be.’ Pulling his zip down on his coat, he tugged at the collar of his jumper.
Holly scrunched up her nose. ‘It kind of does. This is the woman you’ve literally been building the courage up to ask out on a date for near enough a whole seven months and then you just go on one date and suddenly know for sure she’s not the one for you? It sure sounds to me as though you like someone else.’
‘Holly, I...’
‘How are we getting on here, then?’ The teacher leaned over the table, inspecting their wreaths. ‘Now this one looks wonderful so far.’ She indicated Joe’s.
Joe grinned and leaned back on his stool. ‘Thank you.’
‘And this is a marvellous attempt.’ The teacher smoothed out an ivy leave as she perused Holly’s.
‘Umm... thanks.’ Holly mumbled, trying desperately to avoid eye contact with Joe, knowing if she did she’d laugh or he’d gloat. Or possibly both.
