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Today had been surreal.
It felt like her muscles were fizzing with nervous energy, anxiety fuelling her every move. Her mouth was dry, her head in a daze.
Jen thought she was used to living in a constant haze of stress, but this was something else.
If she hadn’t been cooking for Holly the only thing passing her lips tonight would be a glass of Sauvignon, then it would be straight to bed. The sooner the day was over the better.
Instead, she was busying herself with cooking and focusing on sex tonight. Sex with her lovely, caring, gorgeous girlfriend.
They’d been like teenagers all week and Jen was ready to ride this wave for as long as possible. She might not have the stamina she did back then, but by God, when you had Holly to worship, you soon found the strength.
Jen stirred in the kidney beans, having a quick taste of the mixture off the end of her wooden spoon. It was okay. This vegetarian lark was going to be a breeze.
Holly’s arms wrapped around Jen, her head resting on her back. ‘How’s tea coming on?’
‘Not quite Michelin star, but decent.’
‘High praise indeed.’
There was a pause. A pause Jen didn’t like one bit. She chose not to fill it, and see where Holly was planning on going.
The feeling of Holly taking a deep breath didn’t help squash her nerves. Jen stirred the pot, even though what it really needed was a lid and the oven. She turned the gas off and braced herself.
‘So,’ Holly began, only to be cut off by Jen tilting her head back with a groan. ‘Please, just listen.’
Jen bit her top lip. This was going to be about Alison. She was sick to death of talking about her ex.
Holly switched positions, leaning on the counter to face Jen, keeping the connection with Jen’s hip pressed against her stomach. ‘I need to show you something, and I won’t lie, it’s got me spiralling a little, like, I trust you and everything, but the last twenty-four hours have just been a bit much, an—’
Jen cut her off with a sympathetic look, taking her by the waist when she saw the sadness in Holly’s eyes. ‘Hey, wait, what’s going on? We were joking a minute ago.’
Another deep breath. ‘Yeah, but.’ She tapped the corner of her phone on the counter, hesitation clear.
Jen closed her eyes, steadying herself before meeting Holly’s gaze. ‘ I have no plans to talk to that woman. When she calls again, I’m going to tell her everything needs to go through my solicitor. You don’t need to be worrying about me and bleeding Alison Rae.’
Jen held her stare, hoping the message would get through to Holly.
Her features remained unchanged, although Jen was sure Holly’s eyes glazed as they slipped further down the rabbit hole of anguish.
Holly looked at the pot of chilli. ‘Smells good; need me to do anything?’
‘Tell me why you came over here,’ Jen replied with a thin-lipped smile.
‘You’re right, I’m stalling.’ With a gargantuan sigh she leaned her back against the counter, searching for something on her phone. ‘She’s not after your flat.’
‘Huh?’
Holly held her thumb on Bar Orama’s stories, pausing the video from playing as she turned it to Jen. ‘Listen to the song she’s covering.’ She released her finger and the opening bars of Wallis Bird’s ‘The Circle’ played. Alison strummed her guitar, bopping to the song as she leaned into the mic, her eyes closed, clearly feeling the lyrics.
She’d pulled a good crowd. Kev would be happy. Jen couldn’t blame him for wanting to make money, encourage new patrons.
‘Right, so? It’s a good song. We both liked the album.’
Holly chewed on her cheek, giving her head a wobble as she breathed out slowly. ‘Yes, but given the context.’
Jen cocked her head. ‘Hols.’
‘Right, okay, whatever. But, then, the next thing is this post.’ She stabbed at the screen, skipping through the stories before resting her finger, pausing once again. ‘Actually, you know what? I just listened to it; I can’t do it again. I’m off to the loo.’
