Millie nodded. “That’s true. Must be quite a lot of work for you?”
“It is.”
“May I kiss you?” Millie asked.
Kay felt her cheeks heat up. She nodded and stepped forward, more than happy to meet her halfway.
Millie wrapped her arms around Kay and tilted her head, pressing cold lips to hers. Kay couldn’t have cared less about the cold skin, every thought had left her head. All she wanted was more of this. More Millie, more soft lips and even softer moans.
She backed Millie up against the wall before she knew what she was doing. There was something about Millie Yates that just caused Kay to react without thinking.
Their tongues danced and Kay’s hands started to find the hem of Millie’s top. She wanted to see her, wanted to feel her.
Reality started to slip back and she stilled her hands. And then paused the kiss. She leaned back, panting for breath.
“I’m sorry, that… wasn’t what I intended,” Kay admitted. “I made lunch.”
Millie chuckled. “So, you didn’t lure me here under false pretences?”
Kay grinned. “No, I genuinely wanted to make lunch for you. Talk, get to know you. But then I saw you…”
“I know, I’m irresistible,” Millie joked.
Kay wanted to tell her that she was, but that road only led to where they had been a few seconds ago. She wanted to actually spend at least some time just talking to Millie, not just finding new sensitive spots on her naked body.
That could happen later.
“And so modest,” she replied.
“And hungry,” Millie said.
“Come then, I have just the thing for that.” Kay gestured towards the kitchen.
Chapter 30
“You’re a great cook,” Millie said, reaching for another chicken wing.
She’d been a little surprised at Kay’s prowess in the kitchen. She’d automatically assumed that Kay would be too busy to cook often and would probably rely on convenience food. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The kitchen had smelt divine and Kay had made a bit of a picnic, claiming she hadn’t really known what to make. If this was the result when Kay didn’t know what to make, Millie wasn’t going to complain.
Freshly made bread formed the base of sandwiches, various sliced meats, miniature pork pies, sausage rolls, chicken wings, and more had been produced and laid out on the kitchen table.
Millie was in heaven.
“I don’t often bother when it’s just me,” Kay confessed. “But I do like to cook when I get the chance.”
“Well, anytime you want to cook just let me know and I’ll be here in a flash.”
Kay blushed. She focused on slicing another piece of bread from the fresh loaf.
They’d been eating for around an hour and already Millie had discovered a lot of information about Kay. She’d avoided talking about her wife, not knowing if that was off topic. But she’d spoken about her family and was pleased when Kay had done the same.
Millie talked about her education, and her time in university, her friendship with Claire. Kay had replied with her own tales of growing up, including her journey into teaching and latterly into politics.
The woman she was sharing mulled wine and sandwiches with was most definitely not the Nightmare Nightingale of the Bromford Gazette. Kay was funny, slightly reserved, sharp as a whip, thoughtful, and most of all kind.
Millie was acutely aware that she was on the best date of her life. Never before had she clicked with someone so easily. There was more to them than the physical attraction, whatever connected them was real and deeper than just lust. And, if Millie was reading Kay properly, she wasn’t alone in thinking that.
Kay’s phone had beeped several times during the meal, each time she’d glanced at the screen and then let out a soft sigh before placing it back on the table, apologising.
When it beeped again, Millie couldn’t help but ask, “do you need to deal with that? I don’t mind if you do. If you need to work or something?”
Kay read the message and put the phone down.
“It is related to work,” she confirmed. “But nothing I can do anything about.”
Millie knew it was the day of the protests and suspected it was something to do with that. She felt guilty, partly because her friends were actively protesting the woman she was having lunch with and she wasn’t standing side by side with them. And partly because she didn’t want to be with them, and couldn’t stand the sad look on Kay’s face at whatever was being reported.
“The protests?” Millie asked carefully.
“Yes. A security guard has been taken to hospital.”
“What?” Millie couldn’t believe it. The protests were supposed to be peaceful. “What happened?”
“A brick through a window, the glass caught him. We’re lucky it wasn’t worse. The police are trying to disperse the crowds now.” Kay took a sip of her mulled wine and looked at Millie.
The topic they had both been so careful to avoid was being forced onto them.
“This is awkward,” Kay said.
“It is,” Millie acknowledged. “While I do agree with them, I don’t agree with violence or damage to property. I’m actually shocked it’s happened.”
“I’m not,” Kay replied. “Unfortunately, these gatherings often turn violent. The original intentions are often well-meaning, but either frustration builds within the crowd, or other elements use the opportunity to join in.”
“I’m sorry the guard got injured,” Millie said. She took a breath, the last thing she wanted to do was ruin the lunch they were having, but she just couldn’t remain quiet. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider? It’s just a tree.”
Anger briefly flashed in Kay’s eyes. Millie swallowed hard, wondering if she’d undone all the forward momentum from the day. Thankfully, it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.
“It’s not that easy.”
“Isn’t it?” Millie asked.
“No,” Kay said with some determination.
“Help me to understand?” Millie pleaded.
“The tree itself is around over a thousand pounds,” Kay began. She leaned back in her chair and slowly swirled the dark liquid in her wine glass. “Delivery and installation, another five hundred. Barriers for safety and security purposes, around two fifty. Installing the lights, around seven hundred. Inspecting all of the electrical equipment, well, last year we spent nearly one thousand two hundred pounds on that.”
Kay sipped her wine and then put the glass back on the table. She counted the rest of the costs off on her fingers.
“Staff for the switch-on event, another five hundred. We need to include the Highways staff time for operational and managerial tasks, another five hundred. People always assume electricity is a cost, but it’s only around twenty pounds. But the real cost is the vandals.”
“Vandals?” Millie asked.
“Yes, last year the barriers were stolen twice. The lights were damaged three times and stolen In their entirety once. We then had to pay for security, two guards, night shifts, a cost of eight hundred pounds. The replacement barriers cost another eight hundred. In all, the Christmas tree last year cost nearly ten thousand pounds.”
Millie felt her jaw slip open at the eye watering figure.
“The vandals have gotten worse with each passing year. They damage the tree, steal from it, steal the barriers surrounding it. For a town that so desperately wants a tree to celebrate all the good that is the festive season, they don’t want to talk about who vandalises the tree. The police have run many campaigns to try to find out who is responsible, which is another cost, by the way. But no one says a word.”
Kay reached for the mulled wine bottle and poured herself some more.
“I ask you, do you think it’s likely that no one is noticing fifteen barriers suddenly appearing in their neighbour’s garden shed? Or how someone suddenly has twenty thousand bulbs for sale?” Kay tilted the bottle towards Mi
llie’s glass in askance.
Millie shook her head. She wasn’t used to drinking during the day and she didn’t want to fall asleep during the precious time she was carving from Kay’s no doubt hectic schedule.
“Anyway, that’s the truth of it.” Kay put the bottle back on the table. “We lost three million pounds of funding from the children’s services budget this year,” Kay confessed. “Ten thousand pounds may sound like a drop in the ocean for a council that deals in millions of pounds. But the simple fact of the matter is that every penny counts. If I put a tree up this year, children will be in danger. I may be Nightmare Nightingale with a big black hole where my heart should be. But I’m not going to put a single child in danger.”
Millie got to her feet and walked around the table. She knelt beside Kay and took her hand in hers. She suspected that Kay hadn’t meant to be so honest and open with her about the situation, the wine and the stress probably helping to loosen her tongue. Millie was pleased she’d told her what she had.
“Anyone who knows you, knows that you have a very big heart,” Millie whispered, staring up lovingly into Kay’s eyes.
Kay smiled sadly. “You hardly know me.”
“Precisely, but I already know that. I’m sorry I kept joking about the tree, I had no idea that the cost was that high. Or that vandals keep attacking it. I… I just saw my side of it, I didn’t even think of your side.”
Kay gripped her hand. “Well, I should thank you as well, I hadn’t thought the tree was such a big deal until you spoke about years gone by and how important the tree was to your family. I wish I could do both, I really do. But it’s impossible. I can’t justify that cost, I simply can’t.”
Millie nodded quickly. “I understand, I do. Do I want a Christmas tree? Yeah, of course. But I also understand why it would be a really bad idea to have one. I think most people would, if you explained.”
Kay laughed bitterly. “Not a lot of chance of that. The Bromford Gazette sell a lot of papers and get a lot of clicks with tales of my terrible behaviour. It’s not in their best interests to explain why I’ve cancelled Christmas.”
Millie could see that. The newspaper’s website was overflowing with stories about Kay, and the comments section was hopping with hatred.
“May we please change the subject?” Kay requested. Millie could see she was becoming misty-eyed about the whole thing and realised that this conversation cut a whole lot deeper than just the damned tree.
“Sure,” Millie said. “I have to tell you about what happened at work yesterday. But first I need to explain who everyone is, so you might want to top up that wine again.”
Kay laughed, a real laugh this time and Millie couldn’t help but beam with pride at being able to extract that reaction from the impressive woman.
She’d cleared the whole day so she could stay with Kay for as long as her schedule would allow. Now, on top of learning all she could about the older woman, she would also play the role of tear wiper and jester. And she’d do so happily.
Chapter 31
It was getting late and Millie had to leave. She didn’t want to, and she was even offered the delectable opportunity to stay. But she couldn’t.
They’d spent the whole afternoon talking, laughing, and sharing opinions and old stories. They’d ordered pizza for dinner and watched television like a real couple having a date until the late hour.
Millie’s libido wanted to stay. The itch that had been consistently ratcheted up by countless kisses and no less than three impromptu make-out sessions demanded to be scratched. But Millie wanted to prove to Kay, and herself, that this wasn’t just about physical attraction.
Of course that played a huge part in it. But it wasn’t everything.
And so, as the day and evening had worn on, Millie had promised herself that she wouldn’t get carried away. It had been hard. God had it been hard. Kay at home and relaxed was so very, very hot.
They’d kissed and cuddled up together as they watched television, but Millie did her best to keep her hands to herself. She wanted to prove to both of them that this was more than sex.
The offer to stay that night had been shyly offered and Millie had honestly said that she’d like nothing more. But she explained that she wanted to slow things down a little, to ensure they had a solid base for the relationship she was hoping they could have.
Kay’s disappointment in a declined invitation had turned into agreement and happiness upon hearing and understanding the reason why Millie couldn’t stay.
A taxi had been called and Millie was layering up, preparing herself for the cold weather. Something had been playing on her mind on and off for the whole day. The protests, and more specifically, the increasing violence. Millie was aware that Laura and the other protesters were preparing a large gathering for Wednesday, the day the Christmas tree lights were supposed to be switched on. It would be the biggest protest yet. And Millie couldn’t help but worry that it was going to be taken over by violence.
“Kay?” She asked while pulling on her gloves.
“Yes?” Kay had been in the hallway closet, looking for an umbrella for Millie to borrow.
“On Wednesday, come straight home after work, yeah?”
Kay exited the closet with a frown on her face. “Now, why would you say that?”
Millie let out a sigh. “I… I just know there’s a protest planned. I think it’s going to be bigger than usual.”
Kay folded her arms. “If you know something, you should inform the police.”
“I don’t know anything specific, I just have a bad feeling about it.”
Kay opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of a taxi beeping to signal its arrival. She turned to look out of the window and then back to Millie. “Why do you have a bad feeling about it?”
Millie shrugged. “It’s probably nothing, but after what you said happened today I got to worrying about it. I know they are recruiting more people to show up on Wednesday. I think tempers might be running high.”
The taxi beeped again and Kay shook her head. “Impatient,” she muttered.
They opened the front door and Millie waved over to let him know she was on the way.
“You’ll be careful, right?” Millie asked.
Kay smiled. “I’m always careful.”
Millie fixed her with a look, hoping to impart the importance of her request with a meaningful stare. “You better be, I’m fond of you.”
Kay chuckled. “Good to hear that someone is.”
Millie took a step closer and kissed her. She hated Kay speaking badly about herself. If people knew the real Kay, they wouldn’t say the things they said, Millie was sure of it.
Kay melted into the kiss, wrapping Millie up in a warm hug.
A cold drop of rain fell on top of Millie’s head and she remembered the terrible weather. While she was wrapped up and prepared, Kay wasn’t. She pulled back.
“You better get inside, it’s freezing,” Millie told her.
“I’ll hear from you soon?” Kay asked.
“All the way home,” Millie promised. She pecked her on the cheek again and turned and dashed down the garden path towards the taxi. Cold rain lashed at her face, but she didn’t care. Nothing could ruin her good mood now.
Chapter 32
“Kay fucking Nightingale?”
Millie opened her sleepy eyes and looked up into the furious face of her flatmate.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Claire demanded.
“Wha… what are you talking about?” Millie looked over at her alarm clock, it was seven in the morning. On a Sunday. She’d been in a deep, enjoyable sleep and was now being shouted at by her best friend.
“You must have lost your mind.” Claire started to pace. “That is the only logical explanation.”
“What’s going on?” Millie sat up in bed and rubbed at her eyes.
A phone—Claire’s—landed on her duvet-clad form. She picked it up and looked at the screen. Her eyes wid
ened. Staring back at her was a photograph of herself and Kay from the night before, kissing on Kay’s doorstep.
“The hell?” She blinked and held the phone tightly. She put her thumb on the image, it was from Twitter. And it had a lot of likes and retweets already. “Fuck.”
“I knew you were being too secretive, something seemed up,” Claire said. “But never, in a million years, would I have suspected this. This!”
“The taxi driver,” Millie whispered to herself. He’d obviously taken a few shots while waiting for Millie to get into the car.
“Are you going to say anything?” Claire demanded.
Millie felt sick to her stomach. As bad as this was for her, what with Claire shouting in her ear, this would be much worse for Kay.
“I can’t even look at you right now.” Claire snatched her phone out of Millie’s hands and left the room.
Millie shook her head to try to wake herself up a little. She needed to contact Kay.
She picked up her phone and saw that she already had a text message from Kay, apologising.
Millie called her. Kay answered on the first ring.
“Millie, I’m so sorry,” Kay said.
“Sorry?” Millie couldn’t fathom why Kay was apologising to her.
“This will no doubt be difficult for you, with your friends. And possibly your work, too. I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t give a shit about that,” Millie admitted. “Are you okay? I’m a no one, who cares about me? You’re the head of the council. This will be all over the papers, right?”
“I put myself in the public eye,” Kay said. “I’m used to this, you’re not. I… I’ll understand if you want to call an end to this. It’s only going to get worse from here.”
“Do you want to call an end to this?” Millie asked, her heart in her mouth.
“No,” Kay whispered. “But I’ll respect whatever decision you make.”
Millie let out a sigh of relief. “I’m not ending this because of some dickhead taxi driver and some idiots on Twitter. My flatmate is livid with me though.”
Christmas Lights Page 11
