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Chapter Five
‘So? Hello.’ Joe leanedhis elbows on the table and smiled.
‘I don’t understand. You’re acting as though it’s completely normal to travel hundreds of miles to pop in and see one of your mates.’
He held his hand against his chest and widened his eyes. ‘Are you saying you wouldn’t make the trip for me?’
Shaking her head, Holly smiled. ‘Stop. You know what I’m trying to say. Why have you come all this way?’
‘Well, it certainly isn’t because I don’t believe in you, so please don’t think that. If I didn’t think you were capable of travelling all this way by yourself, don’t you think I’d have joined you on the train yesterday?’
‘I suppose.’ Maybe. ‘But you still haven’t answered me.’
‘I don’t know. Maybe I just wanted to see you.’
‘You’re worried about me. Because it’s Christmas.’ She crossed her arms on the tabletop.
‘No, yes. Maybe.’ Shifting in his seat, he leaned back in his chair. ‘Would that be so wrong?’
Holly looked out of the window. The fairy lights were on, sparkling against the frost on the cobbles. Would it be so wrong? She’d made it perfectly clear to him and Susie and Lara that she wanted to do this for herself and by herself, but did that make it wrong for him to care? ‘I don’t know.’
Leaning forward again, he tapped her arm. ‘I can leave.’
She nodded slowly before bringing her fingers to her necklace, rolling the rings hanging from her chain between her forefinger and thumb. First her mum’s and then her dad’s. She could tell just by touching them, she could feel the little grooves of the dainty flowers cut into the gold of her mum’s wedding band. She looked across at him, his deep brown eyes fixed on her, his brow furrowed as he thought. They’d always been close. The closest of the four of them. Ever since they’d met at college the four of them had been close but her and Joe inseparable. He’d been the one she’d rung first from the hospital after the accident. Even before she’d rung Mick, even before she’d thought to ring Mick.
Standing up, Joe picked up his coat. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.’
Holly closed her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to run after him and tell him to stay. Tell him that she could do with his support, but if she did that, she wouldn’t be proving anything to anyone. And imagine if Mick found out? She shuddered. She could, she could almost picture his face, his mocking, his laugh when he discovered that she hadn’t been able to travel down to Cornwall without one of her friends coming to her rescue and yet he could easily and confidently jump on a plane and go halfway around the world by himself.
‘Is he leaving already?’
Holly opened her eyes at the sound of Diane’s voice and looked outside. Joe was standing there shrugging into his coat, his back to the bakery.
‘That’s a shame. I would have loved to have had friends who cared enough about me to come all this way to see me.’ Diane slipped into the chair opposite Holly, the chair Joe had occupied only moments earlier.
‘You have your sister, Lauren.’ That was right, wasn’t it? That’s what Elsie had said.
Diane grinned. ‘I do indeed. My so-called friends back home though...’ She shrugged. ‘You must be close for him to travel all this way and surprise you.’
‘Surprise me?’ Holly reached out and wrapped her hands around Joe’s used cup. He’d come down to surprise her. That’s why he hadn’t called or messaged to let her know his plans. He’d come all this way for her, because he’d thought she’d like to see him and now, now she’d just pushed him away, out into the cold hundreds of miles away from home and what had he done? Nothing. He hadn’t complained, or once told her she was ungrateful. No, he’d done as she’d asked and left.
‘That’s what he said when he came by asking for you.’ Diane frowned.
‘I think I need to go. Sorry.’ Pushing the empty mug back into the centre of the table, Holly pushed her chair back and stood up. He’d done thisforher, not to spite her, not because he didn’t believe in her. Why had she automatically thought the worst of him?
She pulled open the bakery door and stepped out into the freezing cold. She didn’t need to answer that. She knew why she had a tendency to automatically think the worst of people’s intentions. Because of Mick, that’s why. Because everything her ex said or did had always seemed to have an ulterior motive, but Joe wasn’t like Mick. Not one jot like him. In fact, Joe was the opposite to Mick. He was kind to Holly, and he truly cared. ‘Joe.’
Turning around, Joe looked at Holly, his gaze a little guarded, unsure.
She paused a few feet from him and held her arms out beside her. ‘Please stay.’
Joe tilted his head. ‘Really?’
