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Tilly frowned. “So you didn’t mean no, but you did mean no?”

“Yes,” said Sophie.

Tilly thought about this for a second. They were standing just in front of the village hall, under the large light, and it shone orange on Tilly’s curls. “I think we might have to talk for more than a minute,” she said finally. “I don’t really know what’s going on.”

Sophie swallowed. “Um, yeah. Okay. Here’s the thing. The other night you asked me if I wanted to go for a drink with you at the pub and I said no. What I meant was ‘no, I don’t want a drink with you at the pub.’”

“Lovely,” Tilly said. “That clears everything up. It helps so much to hear it a second time in more detail.” She turned as if to leave, and Sophie clutched her arm.

“Not at the pub,” she repeated. “But maybe something else? I don’t know.”

“You don’t drink?” Tilly asked, eyes widening a bit.

“I do,” qualified Sophie. “But…” She sighed and looked at the ground. “I’m really making a mess of this.”

“You are,” agreed Tilly. But her voice was softer, kinder. “You could try telling me why you said no. That might help?”

Sophie took a deep breath. “The thing is,” she said. “The thing is… my family, my brother, my father, they’re a bit… protective.” She saw a look of shock pass over Tilly’s face. “No, nothing terrible. They don’t stop me going out or anything, but they do… they interfere.”

“Ah,” Tilly said.

“And if we went to the pub, and it was all full of my brother and his friends, then probably we wouldn’t have a great time.”

Tilly’s face was looking clearer now. She was smiling a little. “Okay, I see,” she said. She took a step in. “I can understand that.”

For a second, Sophie was caught up in her eyes, the way the light sparkled in them. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I wanted to explain before, but you wouldn’t let me.”

“I thought you were just trying to let me down a bit easier,” Tilly said.

The light really was sparkling in those blue eyes. And Tilly’s lips were just right there in front of her own. If she leaned in just a little, she’d be able to kiss them. Sophie’s heart hammered hard in her chest.

She made the tiniest of movements.

A car turned into the street.

She tilted her head.

The car drove into her field of vision. She could see the familiar shape of the headlights over Tilly’s shoulder.

She took a step back just as Gio drove past.

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

“You don’t—” began Tilly.

But a chattering group of people had rounded the corner, Jules among them. “Hey, Soph,” Jules shouted.

Sophie waved at her, and when she turned back, Tilly had gone back inside.

Chapter Fourteen

Tilly printed out the report and then tapped the pages on her desk to straighten them up. Not that she had a whole lot to say, but she was going to do things properly.

Anyway, writing reports took her mind off Sophie. Sophie, who she’d almost kissed last night. If it hadn’t been for the interruption of the others, she was pretty sure that they would have. What she wasn’t sure about was how she felt about that.

On the one hand, she was police; she had a job to do, she shouldn’t be distracted. On the other hand… well, there was so much. There were Sophie’s big, dark eyes for a start. And then the curve of her neck into her shoulders. Not to mention the curve of her waist that was begging to be held. And then, a little weirdly perhaps, was the fact that Sophie sang like a little angel and didn’t appear to know it.

Tilly’s heart had soared when she’d heard Sophie singing last night, and even thinking about it now brought a smile to her face. Mind you, thinking about parts slightly less internal than her voice did things to her too.