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Maybe she should. She sighed. Her dad wouldn’t be happy. But more money would come in handy and then, one day, maybe she could get a little place of her own. Mind you, with property prices being what they were, it’d be one day about seventy years from now and she might move in just in time to move back out to the old folk’s home.

She pulled on some jeans and surveyed her wardrobe. Something nice, but not too nice. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard. She puffed out her cheeks, pulled out a clean t-shirt and then threw her leather jacket on top. There. Simple, classic, and… what would Tilly be wearing?

She thought about that. Then, to be honest, thought about Tilly not wearing certain things, then there was a shout from downstairs.

“Thought you were going out?” bellowed Gio.

Shit. Right. “Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

“Only the bar staff are here chasing after you,” he shouted back.

Sophie stuck her phone in her pocket and ran down the stairs to see Jules lounging by the front door. “Didn’t know you were picking me up,” she said.

“Neither did I, but it was on the way,” Jules said, casting a wary eye toward the living room where Gio and Sophie’s dad were now ensconced in front of the football.

“Right,” said Sophie. “Bye dad, bye Gio, don’t wait up.”

There were a couple of grunts in response and Sophie could see through to the kitchen where dirty plates still lay on the table. She sighed, but this wasn’t her problem right now. She opened the door and she and Jules went out into the night.

“So?” Jules said, when the front door was closed.

“So what?” said Sophie.

Jules clicked her tongue. “Do you really think I didn’t notice you making eyes at that policewoman all night? And then you don’t even come into the pub to tell me about it? I thought we were friends.”

“Oh please, since when have you liked gossip?”

Jules snorted a laugh. “Right, forgot I was Mother Theresa. Go on then, she’s nice, is she?”

“You can see that for yourself,” said Sophie as they walked toward the village hall. “But I barely know her. I mean, it was like a thing, you know, a movie moment.”

“Love at first sight, sort of thing?” asked Jules.

“Yeah. Maybe. Except love seems like a big word for it. Let’s call it feelings at first sight, shall we? That sounds a bit less scary.”

“Mmm. So, what’s the plan, then?”

“What do you mean, what’s the plan?” Sophie said. “Like I said, I barely know the woman. But she’s going to be there tonight, so…”

“So? You’re going to stare at her across a crowded room until she gets magically hypnotized and falls in love with you?” Jules narrowly avoided a puddle. “That sounds like a really solid plan. Very logical. Very realistic.”

“No,” Sophie said. “I’m going to… to talk to her. And then, well, I don’t know.” She hadn’t actually thought any further than that. She hadn’t really dared to. She definitely did want to talk to Tilly. She wasn’t sure what about, though.

Actually, to really get down to things, she hadn’t thought any further ahead than just physically seeing her.

“You’re going to have to be careful if you want to keep Gio and his crew out of things,” Jules was saying thoughtfully. “I suppose you could… I don’t know, meet her in another town? Or, and here’s an idea, you could invite her for a drink at the pub.”

“Right, that’s a great idea,” Sophie said. “Because no one I know ever goes to the pub.”

“Let me finish. I was going to say that you could invite her for a drink at the pub after choir and I’ll go in first and…”

“And throw out any paying customers that happen to be my brother and/or his friends?”

“Yeah, doesn’t sound great now you put it that way,” said Jules.

“That’s kind of the problem,” Sophie said. “But also, you’re thinking way too far ahead. Let me just talk to the woman first. It’s too early to be planning dates. And even when it’s not, definitely no drinking in the pub.”

“Careful, you might offend me. It’s practically my pub,” Jules said, pulling open the heavy door of the village hall.