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Why was this suddenly a big deal? Butterflies swirled in her stomach.
She was just going to help Jen; this wasn’t a Lovefest thing. There would be no public eyes on them. Alone, they could just be themselves. Oh God, why was that making her feel worse?
Holly grabbed the first T-shirt her hand made contact with and held it over her torso. Light blue.Nah.She flung it onto the bed.
She scanned the drawer’s contents and let out a huffy sigh. This shouldn’t be so complicated.
Her phone chimed and she wasted no time in swiping it from the bed, happy for the circuit breaker from her thoughts.
Jen.
Can you bring some limes? Xx
Mum had limes; she’d spied them in the fruit bowl. Would that be sufficient?
I have two. Is that enough?
No kisses. She’d been too quick. Would Jen think she was mad? Should she send them now? Was that too much?
‘Holly Charlotte Taylor, what the hell is wrong with you?’ she scolded herself as she flopped onto the bed, allowing herself a moment to stare at the ceiling.
Chime.
Chime.
Chime.
She couldn’t help but smile as she held the phone aloft, careful not to drop it on her face.
One will do. Xx
No, better make it two.
Xx
* * *
With two limesin her coat pocket, Holly chapped on Jen’s shop door. When no answer came, she fired off a text, and sure enough, two minutes later, the stockroom door opened and Jen appeared.
Holly’s breath caught.
Jen had on a sleeveless T-shirt, giving a full display of her perfectly sculpted arms. Her honey-blonde hair was tied back in a scrappy ponytail, the effects of hard work obvious; her cheeks were flushed red and sweat glistened on her skin.
Holly gulped down any bad thoughts as Jen opened the door.
‘Holly, hey. In you come. Sorry, I was in the basement.’
‘No worries; I’ve not been here long. Lead the way.’ Holly played with the gold chain she’d chosen to pair with a simple black T-shirt. It was collarbone-length, but she suddenly wished she hadn’t worn anything so close to her neck. Her temperature had shot up a few degrees, her heart now working overtime to push blood to more places than necessary.
Jen led her through the storage space at the rear of the shop before heading downstairs.
‘It’s a bit of a mess.’ Jen apologised before opening the basement door. She wasn’t lying. Boxes and equipment covered every available space. It was the same size as her parents’ basement, but Jen had rows of racking on one side, industrial fridges on the other, and a large stainless steel prep table in the middle. A door at the back led to a little kitchenette and toilet. Unlike her mum and dad’s place, here was spotless – well, minus the detritus on the floor. This was a working prep-space, and a well-run one at that. ‘And you need to wear a hairnet.’
‘That’s cool. Just give me a second.’ Holly slid the hairband from her half-updo and scooped up the rest of her hair, twirling it into a messy bun. Her eyes fixed on the way Jen’s lip twitched, like she was hiding a smile, as a hairnet was handed to her. She snapped it on. ‘What do you want me to do?’
Jen grabbed the hairnet from the table and covered her own head as she sidled round to the workstation. ‘Come over here – you can help pour.’
‘This?’ Holly asked, holding up a bottle of vodka.
