Page 15 of Reece & Holden (Gomillion High Reunion #6)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Holden

“Hi, Holden.” At the sound of a familiar voice, I look up from where I’m restocking the crochet hooks.

“Good morning, Mrs. Fisher,” I call out, and I see she has someone with her, a woman I’ve never seen before.

I go back to my work while they browse, and I can hear them talking in low tones with an occasional high note of exclamation.

I hope it’s my stock that’s causing it. They take their time and a couple of other customers, also regulars, come into the store and I serve them.

By the time they make their way over to the counter, I’ve finished restocking the accessories and I’m trying to decide if I should relocate the buttons or not.

“This is my friend Marina, from England,” Mrs. Fisher says as she puts her yarn on the counter.

“P-pleased to meet you,” I reply and give her my attention. She’s a knitter if her clothes are any indication.

“And you. I’ve heard a lot about you,” she says, her accent sounding strange to my ears. I try not to grimace, as I’m not sure what she’s heard, but she must have seen my face anyway.

“All good of course,” she adds quickly and I try to relax a little.

“Did you knit your sweater?” I ask. It’s brightly colored, made of floral squares.

“My cardigan? Yes I did, and it has pockets.” She puts her hands in them in a proud demonstration and laughs delightedly.

“It’s great, s-super bright and fun.”

“Holden knits his own sweaters too,” Mrs. Fisher adds, and I nod in affirmation, though I’m just in a button-down today as it’s too hot to do the restocking in a sweater.

“This is a lovely wool shop,” Marina says, glancing around, and I can’t help smiling at the different terminology.

“Oh, I know you call it a yarn store over here,” she says, catching my smile, and I grin a little. I like her. “My friend Ami has a wool shop in Oxford. The Yarn Barn. She’s from over here and has taught me all the differences.

“Well t-thank you for being kind about my store,” I say as I ring up her purchases. I’m curious to know how she’s friends with Mrs. Fisher, but that’s small-town curiosity and I’m not falling for it.

“How was the reunion?” Mrs. Fisher asks, catching me off guard.

“W-well, you know,” I say evasively as I don’t know how to answer her. “It was a chance to c-catch up with people I haven’t seen in a long t-time.”

“I can imagine it was. I know Reece enjoyed himself.”

I look for any sign that Reece might have said anything about me but I detect none. But that he’s been mentioned ruins my thoughts of getting my life back to normal. Not that it is going very well, but I am determined to try.

“That’s good, then,” I say, trying to keep my tone neutral.

“He’ll be sorry he missed you,” she adds.

Missed me? Was he planning on coming here? I glance toward the door as if he’s going to appear any minute, not sure if I’m ready to face him right now.

“W-why?” I find myself asking.

“Oh, he had to go back to England.”

Oh! He’s gone?

Now that I know he’s not going to walk through the door, that he’s not even in the country, suddenly I want him to. I want to see him again. It’s irrational, that much I know, because I should stay away from him. And yet, now he’s gone, anxiety starts to make my stomach roil and nausea rises.

“I-I d-didn’t k-know he was going b-back so soon,” I spit out.

“He didn’t plan to. It was a problem at work that he has to sort out in person. He said his client was very important.”

“Oh.”

“But he said he’ll be back by the weekend,” she says brightly.

Two customers enter the store.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.” She and Marina say their goodbyes and leave.

The news that he’s coming back only slightly eases the greasy sea sloshing in my belly.

That he has clients important enough he can drop everything and fly off to meet them only serves to remind me of how we live in completely different worlds.

He has an amazing and successful business and I just run a yarn store.

It shouldn’t matter to me at all, but it does. Too much.

I quickly serve the customers, and when they’ve left I flip the closed sign and stick up a “back in five minutes” notice.

I go through to the back room and drink some water to settle my stomach, and I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror.

My scruffy hair is an unattractive red-brown, and my beard is in need of a trim.

I look tatty and worn. Not someone with sharp suits and probably millionaire clients would even look twice at. Even if he did want to dance with me.

I shouldn’t even contemplate such thoughts about him after what he did, but Clara’s words come back to me. Damn, she’s right, I do still have a crush on Reece Fisher, and it’s even worse than before. He might want to make it up to me but he would never be interested in me.

I sigh at my reflection. I just need to get over him and focus on my future. Maybe it’d be better if he did stay in England and didn’t return. It would definitely be better for me.