Page 108 of One Golden Summer

Saffron waited for a gap in the traffic, before bounding over the High Street and landing at Kirsty’s side.

She kissed her lips before she spoke.

They werethatcouple now.

Kirsty’s heart rejoiced.

“I said, have you seen my Instagram account for the studio?” Saffron pulled it up on her phone. “We just passed 50,000 followers. Amazing!” Saffron had been working on it with Michelle for the past few months, determined to build it from scratch without trading on her fame. They’d sort of managed it, but she was more excited by that than she ever had been about her old account in her old life.

Perhaps because this one was all her. From the heart. Saffron had a huge heart and capacity for giving, something Kirsty was learning every day.

She pocketed her phone in her artfully ripped jeans. “What are you doing for lunch? I’ve still got some of that incredible mackerel dish I made at Dolly’s cooking class last night. Plus, crème brûlée. We could go back to mine and eat on the veranda?” Saffron put her lips beside Kirsty’s ear. “Then we could retire to the bedroom for an extra helping of dessert, if you get my drift.”

Kirsty’s clit stood to attention. She got Saffron’s drift precisely. Saffron had shown her before she came to work that morning. And the night before.

“You know I can’t.” Kirsty nudged Saffron with her elbow. “I’ve got a meeting with your sister about this year’s Oyster Festival.”

“Cancel it.”

“No.”

Saffron pouted. “Spoilsport.”

Up above, the seagulls squawked in the clear blue sky. Kirsty breathed in the sea air, stroking her girlfriend’s arm. A year ago, a photographer would have snapped that. Now, they were pretty much left alone. It turned out, the secret to a quiet life was to not be loud. Saffron had taken to it like a duck to water.

A family with a double buggy walked towards them. Saffron edged over to stand in front of Wine Time to give them room. “Your festival window display is fabulous this year, by the way. A different level.” She grinned at Kirsty before running her gaze over the impressive wine paintings gracing the window. Saffron was responsible for every single one.

“They’re not bad, are they?”

She nodded. “Who’s the artist?”

Kirsty shook her head. “Nobody you’d know. Some local woman. Rosemary? Thyme? Some kind of herb? A made-up name if ever I heard one.” She slid a hand around Saffron’s waist.

Saffron tutted. “I hate those people who are all showy. Just have a normal name.”

Kirsty leaned in. “I’ll let her know.” She pressed her lips to Saffron’s and the world around them stopped. Kirsty sank into the moment. Intothem. The woman who’d given up on love had found it right on her doorstep.

“Girl Racerrocks!” shouted someone from the opposite pavement, cutting through a lull in traffic.

Saffron pulled back and punched the air, making the fan whoop. She turned back towards Kirsty, her piercing blue gaze intense.

“That’s a lie, by the way.” She kissed Kirsty’s lips once more, making Kirsty’s heart get up on tip-toes and do a pirouette. “Girl Racersucks.Yourock.”

Kirsty pressed a finger to Saffron’s chest. “No,werock.”

Saffron turned up her silver screen smile. “I’ll go with that.”

The End

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