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Jem was biting her lip looking half amused and half worried. “Hello,” she said softly.

And Ellie’s heart filled up.

Chapter Thirty Five

“You… you tried to burgle my office?”

Jem’s pulse quickened at the sight of Ellie’s face, pale and wan in a hospital bed again. “Your body tried to suffocate itself,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, you go first on this one,” Ellie said.

Jem sighed. “I wasn’t trying to burgle your office, I swear. Apart from anything else, I still had the key that you gave me, which isn’t breaking and entering, is it? It’s just entering, and that’s pretty fine from a legal stand point.”

“Just going into my office then?”

Jem tilted her head and wondered just how honest to be. But Ellie was bound to see the evidence at some point. “Um, no, not really. I was making my grand gesture.”

“Grand gesture?”

Carys was giggling next to her, which wasn’t helping matters. “Listen, do you think that perhaps we could talk in person?” Jem asked.

Mo’s face appeared on the screen. “Shall I bring her to yours?”

“That scarf looks lovely on you,” Jem said. “And yes, that’d be good.”

“Do I not get a say in this?” Ellie said, grabbing the phone and moving it back to her face.

It was Cary’s turn to get involved. She yanked the phone out of Jem’s hand. “Mo? My love?”

“Right here,” Mo said cheerfully.

“I’ve had enough of this dancing around. I’ll get Jem bailed out or whatever and you get Ellie to Jem’s place and then we’ll lock them in until they both decide what they want.”

“Fair enough,” Mo said. “Shall we say in an hour?”

“Perfect,” beamed Carys.

“Oh, and while we’ve had enough of dancing around, you should know that I love you.” Mo’s eyes were glistening on the screen.

Jem watched as a slow smile spread across Carys’s wide face. Until the Welsh woman sniffed and nodded. “Dw i’n dy garu di.”

Mo’s eyes opened wide. “You told me that meant you had to go to the toilet!”

“Well it doesn’t,” Carys said. “It means I love you.”

“So you said it first? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you might freak out so I said it and then… well, then I freaked out,” Carys said.

Ellie cleared her throat and Mo moved the phone so that her face appeared again. “I rather thought that Jem and I were having our big moment here?”

“Right,” Carys said. “Yeah, let’s get a move on then, I’ll deal with bailing, you deal with doctors, Mo.”

She hung up and Jem raised an eyebrow at her. “You can’t just lock me in my own flat.”

“Are you saying that you’d object to being locked in a flat with Ellie?” Carys asked sweetly.

“Not exactly, just…” Jem sighed. “I really thought things would be slightly easier than this. I know I messed everything up, but I’m trying to put it right and then I just end up arrested.”