Page 25

‘You want to tell me what you’re thinking,’ he said, as they climbed into the car.

Holly shut her door, turned the key in the ignition, and let out a deep sigh. No, she didn’t really want to tell him, but by the look of him, he knew that.

‘Look.’ Evan reached across and took her hands. ‘I know you’re worried about how this is going to work, but I need you to be honest with me the whole time. Whether it’s about buying too many bunnies, or sticking my nose in where it shouldn’t go. That’s the only way this is going to work. And while we aretalking about being honest, I want you to know that I’m happy doing the travelling, Holly. You don’t have to feel like you need to come up and see me. I don’t need you to fix your life around me. That’s not how a relationship works. We do what’s best for both of us. And right now, I’m the one who is able to travel more. Who gets more free time. So it only makes sense that I’m the one who comes down here. Besides, property prices in the Cotswolds are a sure investment.’

Holly looked at him, not sure whether to smile or shout.

‘There is no way you are buying a property in the Cotswolds. Not yet. Not until we’ve been together for at least six months.’

‘Four months?’

‘You’re ridiculous, you know that?’

‘Ridiculously in love, yes.’

The pair leaned together simultaneously, resulting in a long and lingering kiss.

The rest of the drive, they barely spoke, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It was warm and contented with Evan’s fingers slotted perfectly into hers as she gripped the gearstick of the car. This was so easy. If this was her life, seeing Evan when she could, running the sweet shop, surrounded by her friends, then she could deal with that. For now, at least. She was living in the present and the present was good.

After dropping Evan back at the station, there was no need to go back to the shop. After all, Drey was more than capable of taking care of it. So instead, Holly drove straight to her parents’. She needed to pick up Hope, but she also wanted to know what her mother’s opinion of Evan was.

22

After Holly showered her daughter with hundreds of kisses, the way she normally did when she saw Hope in the afternoon, her daughter then gave her the task of kissing every single bunny. One by one, Hope picked them up and pushed them against Holly’s lips.

In the last twelve hours, Hope had formed an unbreakable bond with the stuffed toys. Ideally, she would carry them all, all the time, while she crawled along the carpet, but that was easier said than done. When Holly arrived, she was carrying four, two in each hand, which her mother informed her was the minimum. All were held by their ears. It didn’t make crawling very easy, but anything that slowed her down was a good thing.

With all the bunnies kissed and Hope happily playing with them back on the carpet, Holly braved the question.

‘So, what did you think?’

‘About?’

‘About Evan? What do you think about Evan?’

A sly smile curled on her mother’s lips, showing she knew exactly what Holly had been talking about.

‘Oh, he’s very tall and good-looking,’ she started. ‘And very American.’

‘I believe that happens when you come from America,’ Holly said sarcastically, before pressing for a slightly deeper answer. ‘But he’s nice, right? You liked him? I mean, how could you not?’

‘Well, I didn’t see much of him, but he seemed nice enough,’ her mother agreed. ‘Although all those teddy bears he bought Hope was a bit over the top, but you know how some Americans can be.’

‘I think you’ll find that’s stereotyping, Mum,’ Holly said, not quite sure whether her mother was joking or not. ‘You are right, though. He’s very generous. But he has a lot of money and he likes spoiling the people he cares about. I think there are a lot worse character traits than that in a person.’

For a split second, Holly considered telling her mother about the Vespa. After all, it wasn’t like she could keep it a secret forever. Her parents would see the vehicle when they came to the house. Besides, if she didn’t tell them about it, someone else in the village likely would.

But something made Holly hesitate. If she told now, her mother would get all worried and start questioning Holly about whether it was safe or not. Then she would start giving her lectures and pulling out old horror stories from her childhood, and people who had had terrible accidents, and that just wasn’t something Holly wanted to hear. So, deciding to gloss over the subject for now, she carried on talking.

‘Don’t worry, I have now put him in his place about extravagant gifts, so hopefully he’ll be slightly more mindful with presents for the both of us from now on. I’ve already got enough flowers to last me until Christmas.’

Her mother looked at her, and Holly expected another line, about a man buying extravagant gifts, or how she ought to becareful not to get her heart broken again, but instead, a light glimmered in her eyes.

‘Well, I think it’s lovely you’ve finally got someone to spoil you the way you deserve, darling,’ she said.

A moment formed between the two of them, and Holly found herself wanting to say something, perhaps thank her mother – and her father – for the role models they’d been for her, and through that, helping her to pick out a life partner. But before she said anything, another thought struck.

‘Oh, Mum, I forgot to tell you. Guess who came into the shop today?’