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“I asked the front desk to make up the sofa bed in the living room. You can have the big bed and I’ll take the couch.” I tell her as we make our way up in the lift.

“Thanks, Cam, I appreciate it.” Her smile is weary, and I wonder if now is the time to push for what’s up. We walk along the corridor to my room, and I give her the short tour and leave her in the bedroom to freshen up.

I’ve not heard from Abby since our text conversation earlier in the week, and I need to make arrangements with her about the tour. I’d been hoping she would have reached out to spend timetogether before the weekend, but she’s been quiet, and it’s been difficult to respect that. Perhaps it’s time for another push.

I check the time, realising that she’s probably already started work by now, so there’s no point in calling her. I’ll have to text her later to make arrangements for brunch.

Frustration bubbles in my gut as I think that it always seems to be me chasing her. When we’re together, I know she’s into me, but I can’t help but wonder if she’d make the effort if I didn’t approach her first. I force myself to shake off the disappointment when Saff re-emerges from the bedroom.

Chapter twenty

Cam

“Come on, Cam, it’ll be fun. And we can confirm the arrangements for tomorrow,” Saff pleads. She’s been a whirlwind since she freshened up earlier, not stopping for a moment for me to check in with her properly, and see how she’s doing. She’s currently trying to convince me to go to The Thirst Trap for dinner and drinks so she can say hi to Pixie.

“We’re going to see her tomorrow. I don’t want to crowd her.”

She pouts. “Please.” Her voice is the most angelic I’ve ever heard it.

I blow out a sigh. “A compromise. We go for dinner somewhere else and then pop in for one drink. And if she’s busy, we don’t get in her way.”

Saff weighs up her options, which I assume are agreement or complete mutiny and finding her own way there.Dammit, I shouldn’t have let slip the name of the bar when I said Abby was working tonight.

A moment later, I get a nod of agreement. “Okay, where shall we go for dinner then?”

A couple of hours later, we walk up the street towards The Thirst Trap. I admire the hanging baskets from afar, charmed by them now I know it’s Abby who takes care of them.

I had thought about sending her a text to say we were popping in, but decided against it, as if it’s busy, we won’t disturb her.

Saff goes in the door first, and a wall of warmth hits me as I follow her. There are a lot of bodies in here. My height allows me to look over them all towards the bar, and I can see Abby, Tom, and another person, all busy serving.

“This is crazy. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow.”

The pout makes a reappearance. “Please, just one. We don’t even need to talk to Pixie. Look,” she points towards the leaners set back from the bar, “one’s just come free. Let’s go.” She tugs on my hand and pulls me through the throng, somehow claiming the table before anyone else, a triumphant smile on her face. “I’ll keep the table. You go and get the drinks.”

“Bossy thing, aren’t you?” I tease, pleased to see the light that has made a reappearance in her eyes since she arrived earlier. We had talked over dinner, but she kept veering the conversation away from her personal life and spoke mostly about work. At one point, she started to say something, but she clammed up when the table next to us filled up with a busy group, and I couldn’t get anything else out of her. “What do you want to drink?” I ask.

She looks over the menu on the table. “I’ll take a porn star martini, please.” She grins at the selection.

I wade through the crowd towards the bar and try to gauge what section Abby is working. I may as well order from her andconfirm a time for tomorrow if nothing else. I stand behind a trio of women ordering shots in the middle of the bar and wait my turn.

Abby spots me as she turns back with the card machine, her brows lifting with surprise. I give her a nod and stand patiently while the women down the shots as Abby pours them all a wine. Once they’ve got those, they head away from the bar, enabling me to step up.

“Hey,” I say, staring at her. She’s got a glow of sweat on, which makes sense in this busy crush. And there’s a smudge of darkness under her eyes causing me concern. Not that I’ll tell her she looks tired. Who wants to hear that? No-one. “You okay?” I can’t help checking in.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” she says. “What can I get you?”

I wince as I put in my request of the girly cocktail, “A porn star martini and a pint of the local IPA, please.”

“On a date?” she asks. Her tone is curious, but there’s an edge to it, causing me to frown.

“Saffy’s here. She’s over there.” I gesture over my shoulder.

She brings her palm up to her forehead. “Oh, Cam, I’m sorry. It’s been a mad week. I totally forgot.”

“Nae worries. Everything alright?” I can’t hold back the tone of concern in my voice.

“Just family stuff. Glad it’s busy tonight to take my mind off it.”