Summer of Love

by Sophie Pembroke

  The shop door banging open distracted her from her latest daydream, and she glanced up, half expecting it to be Alex, unable to wait until evening. Instead, she smiled to see Charlie Frost with a dark-haired woman she assumed to be Mia standing beside him.

  ‘Good morning.’ Lily tried to dampen down the grin, just in case Charlie hadn’t let Mia in on his plans just yet. ‘Can I help you?’

  ‘It’s all right, Lily,’ Charlie said, his own smile wide and beaming as he looked down at Mia. ‘She said yes!’

  ‘And you couldn’t wait for the ring to propose?’ Lily moved towards the locked safe where she’d been keeping the finished ring, waiting for Charlie to collect it.

  ‘Apparently I’m just that irresistible,’ Mia said, but she was grinning up at Charlie as she said it.

  ‘It was the perfect moment! I couldn’t let it pass.’ Charlie dropped a kiss on the top of his fiancée’s head.

  ‘The perfect moment, huh?’ Lily unlocked the safe and pulled out the ring box. ‘Maybe you should recreate it for me. With the ring, this time.’

  She handed the box to Charlie, who nodded. ‘Okay. Picture the scene. It’s the midnight movie at the Coliseum cinema, and for the first time in weeks we’re the only people there.’

  ‘Only because you made Walt postpone it until two a.m., after the wedding had finished,’ Mia pointed out.

  ‘It’s our tradition,’ Charlie said. ‘On Saturday nights, we go to the midnight movie.’

  ‘I’m very sorry if my friend’s wedding nearly got in the way of your cinema viewing,’ Lily said, trying not to smile. ‘I’m amazed you had the energy to go, after all that cooking.’

  ‘He did doze off a few times,’ Mia confided.

  ‘But I woke up for the important bit!’ Charlie grabbed Mia at the waist and manoeuvred her to sit on the windowsill, perching himself beside her. ‘So there we were, watching The Philadelphia Story –’

  ‘My favourite!’ Lily clapped her hands together, and ignored Charlie’s glare at her interrupting again.

  ‘One of mine, too,’ Mia added.

  ‘I know. That’s why I had to propose last night, even though I didn’t have the ring yet,’ Charlie explained patiently. ‘Anyway, so we get to the bit where Tracy’s announcing the change of plan to the wedding guests, and I just knew I couldn’t wait. And when she says to Dexter, “Are you sure?” and he says something like, “I’ll risk it, will you?” I just got down on my knees beside her, like this, and said – ’

  ‘Will you risk it?’ Mia finished for him, smiling fondly at her fiancé as he knelt beside her. ‘Not the most conventional proposal phrasing…’

  ‘Hey, you said yes, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes. Yes I did.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘And you promised me something sparkly in return…’

  ‘Oh, yeah, hang on.’ Charlie fished the ring box out of his back pocket and opened it, still on one knee, presenting the ring to her.

  Lily watched Mia carefully. This was the moment, one she never normally got to see. The brief second when the bride-to-be got her first glimpse of her ring without knowing in advance what it would look like. The second before she could school her features, look pleased even if she was disappointed. This was the moment she needed to see.

  Mia’s eyes widened as she saw the ring, her hand coming up to her mouth, fingers trembling, and Lily knew she’d done the job right.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ Mia said, voice a little wobbly. ‘It’s just what I… How did you know?’ She looked up to Lily for an answer, but Lily shook her head.

  ‘It was all Charlie. He described you so perfectly – what you love, who you are, why he loves you – after that it was easy.’

  Mia smiled and threw her arms round a waiting Charlie.

  ‘Shall we see if it fits, then?’ he suggested.

  It did, fortunately, thanks to Charlie’s unorthodox method of apparently measuring around Mia’s ring finger while she slept and giving Lily the piece of string he’d used marked to the right size. Lily packed the beaming pair off to Alex, as her recommendation for wedding photographer and engagement photos, if they wanted them.

  And then she tried to get back to work.

  The only problem was, thoughts of Alex had been replaced with less pleasant ones of Edward and the wedding that wasn’t. How had she thought that he was the man she should marry, even for a moment? Seeing Charlie with Mia… Lily had no plans to marry at all, but if she ever did, she wouldn’t settle for anything less than what they had.

  And in the meantime… Her grin returned as she remembered the fling arrangement with Alex. And grew even wider when, at the end of the day, he appeared in the shop doorway.

  ‘I understand I have you to thank for my latest bookings,’ he said, leaning against the doorframe.

  ‘Charlie and Mia? You most certainly do.’ Lily picked up the pair of earrings she’d just finished, and hung them on the display tree on the cash desk. ‘How, exactly, were you planning on repaying me, I wonder?’

  Alex’s smile was slow and promising. ‘How about we start with me taking you out for a drink after Cora cooks us dinner, and see where we go from there.’

  Lily grabbed her bag from under the desk. ‘Sounds like a plan.’ After all, who needed romantic proposals and happily ever after when you had the promise of another fantastic night with Alex Harper?

  * * * *

  With hindsight, Alex supposed it was inevitable that Cora would notice the shift in his and Lily’s relationship. It was natural that he’d act differently around someone he was intimate with, and Cora was a perceptive person. He just hadn’t expected her to pick up on it so soon.

  ‘You slept together.’

  Alex blinked at her and then glanced at Lily, beside him on the doorstep. ‘Uh, hello to you too?’

  ‘Can we come in before we talk about this?’ Lily asked, looking miserable for the first time since he’d kissed her the night before. He didn’t like her being unhappy. Made him want to make her smile again. And now he’d discovered the best ever method for getting her to grin like a cat with cream, he really didn’t need any encouragement to do it again.

  Cora huffed a sigh, but stood back from the front door. ‘Fine. Come in. Alex, Rhys is in the kitchen with the wine. I need to talk to Lily.’ He shot Lily a look to make sure she was okay with that, and Cora slammed the door. ‘For God’s sake, Alex, I’ve been her friend for twenty years. You’ve slept with her once. I think I’m allowed to talk to my best friend in private.’

  ‘Okay, okay.’ Alex backed off towards the kitchen, hands up. But he didn’t bother to hide his smile when he heard Lily murmur, ‘Three times, actually.’

  Yeah, she was going to be just fine.

  Rhys handed him a beer the moment he entered the kitchen. ‘You’ve really done it this time, mate.’

  ‘So it seems.’ Alex took a long swig of beer. Apparently he was going to need it. ‘I don’t get what the big deal is. We’re both single, consenting adults. We both know what we’re getting into.’

  ‘She’s worried about her. About both of you, actually.’ Rhys turned back to the oven, and pulled out a roasting tray full of wonderful-smelling meat.

  ‘About me?’ Alex frowned. ‘What on earth is she worrying about me for?’

  Rhys sighed. ‘Hang on.’ Covering the beef with a sheet of tinfoil, he grabbed a beer for himself and sat down at the kitchen table, motioning for Alex to do the same.

  Alex obeyed, wondering if he was about to get the equivalent of the “if you hurt my daughter” spiel.

  ‘You know I have absolutely no interest in who you sleep with, right?’ Rhys started.

  Alex nodded. ‘God, I hope not.’

  ‘And I really, really don’t want to be having this conversation right now.’

  ‘I kind of got that.’

  ‘It’s all… feelings and stuff.’ Rhys waved his beer bottle around to illustrate. ‘It’s one thing talking to Cora about them. But another bloke…’
r />   ‘Cora asked you to talk to me, didn’t she?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Rhys sighed. ‘So do me a favour, and just pretend it’s her saying all this, okay?’

  ‘Will do,’ Alex promised. ‘So. What’s the problem?’

  ‘She’s worried about you.’

  ‘You said that already.’

  Rhys shot a glare across the table. ‘This will go quicker if you don’t interrupt.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  Rubbing a hand across his hair, Rhys started again. ‘Look. It’s like this. You two got it together, what, less than twenty-four hours ago? And Cora’s already had three phone calls from people asking about it. She’s worried about Lily – about her reputation, about her ruining any chance of getting back together with Edward –’

  ‘She is not getting back together with Edward,’ Alex said firmly.

  Rhys ignored him. ‘And she’s worried about you, too. Worried that one of you will get hurt – that neither of you is taking this seriously. That it’s going to be a disaster, and she’ll lose one or other of you.’

  ‘Nice to know she has such faith in me,’ Alex murmured.

  ‘And she’s scared that you only moved back here because your dad wanted you to and that you’re going to be unhappy. That this is just another sign that you’re trying to force yourself to live a life you don’t want – and failing. She thinks you’re going back to your old ways, and this thing with Lily is just the first step. And that when things go wrong with Lily, you’ll leave again, just when Cora’s got used to having you around.’

  Alex looked up in surprise. ‘I’m not going to leave. This is my life now. This is what I chose. Not Dad.’

  ‘Yeah, well.’ Rhys shrugged. ‘What can I say? My fiancée knows how to worry.’

  ‘And Lily and I… We know what we’re doing.’ Alex ignored the small part of his brain that suggested that what they were doing was taking what they wanted and worrying about the consequences later. ‘The good people of Felinfach might not agree with it, but it works for us. We’re fine. It’s a fling… Short-term fun, and we can still be friends after. It’s fine.’

  Rhys shook his head. ‘You’re an idiot. But it’s none of my business, so don’t listen to me. Just… reassure Cora, will you?’

  ‘I will.’ Alex drained the last of his beer, and left the bottle on the table as he got to his feet. ‘Right now, I’m going to go rescue Lily from her.’

  ‘Fine. Tell them dinner’s ready, will you?’

  As he left the kitchen, Cora and Lily appeared in the hallway, heading to the dining room. Alex grabbed Cora’s arm and held her still for a moment. Then, looking down at her still worried face, he wrapped his arms around her.

  ‘I’m not a complete idiot, you know,’ he told her. ‘Whatever your husband says. Everything is going to be fine.’

  ‘I’m blaming you if it isn’t,’ she muttered against his shoulder.

  Alex laughed. ‘Fine.’

  Still holding Cora close, he looked up to see Lily watching him, a soft smile on her face. ‘You okay?’ he mouthed, and she nodded. And when they sat down to dinner, he felt her hand against his under the table, and he knew everything was going to be better than fine. It was going to be wonderful.

  Whatever Rhys said.

  * * * *

  ‘Stop right there, young lady.’ Evelyn’s voice rang out across the courtyard of the Mill, and Lily winced. ‘You and I are going to have a conversation, right now, about what, exactly, you are doing with your life.’

  Lily looked up to see her mother emerging from the shadows of the Mill building. Ten more steps and she’d have made it safely to Tiger Lily. But no, her mother had spotted her. Max stood sheepishly behind her, presumably having told Evelyn she could wait with him at the cafe until Lily arrived. Lily glared at him.

  ‘Want me to stay?’ Alex murmured, close enough to her that the others probably couldn’t hear. Close enough to touch. Close enough that there had to be little doubt in anyone’s mind what they’d been doing before they arrived at the Mill together. Or all the previous evening once they left Cora’s, for that matter.

  ‘It’s fine,’ Lily said. ‘You go on.’ After all, theirs was a fling, not a relationship, and Lily was perfectly capable of taking care of herself without a man hovering around saying the wrong thing.

  Alex didn’t look entirely convinced, but when she widened her eyes at him, he threw up his hands and headed towards his studio.

  Lily expected he’d be coming to check on her later. That, she didn’t mind at all. Especially if it led to another night like last night.

  Dropping into one of the metal chairs at the cafe table, Lily smiled sweetly at Jess the waitress, who nodded in return, in the sort of way that Lily knew meant she could expect tea in the not too distant future. Her mother, who didn’t have a Jenny on side, would have to go without. A petty revenge, but Lily was happy to take what she could get.

  ‘So, Mum, what exactly do you want to talk about?’

  Evelyn sat down opposite her, straight backed, her handbag tucked into her lap. Then she glared at Max until he sat down too, which Lily thought was overkill. Did they really need to bring her boss into their family squabbles?

  ‘It’s time for you to stop this nonsense,’ Evelyn said. ‘You’re twenty-six now, not sixteen. You can’t just play around with your life. It’s time to settle down.’

  ‘I run my own business, Mum. I’m pretty settled.’

  ‘You’re staying with your best friend because you have nowhere to live. That’s not settled.’

  ‘That’s just temporary.’ Lily tried to look past her mother to see if her tea was any nearer yet. It wasn’t. ‘I’m going to find my own place, and then I’ll be as settled as settled can be.’

  ‘And I’m sure Cora doesn’t appreciate you being underfoot all the time when she’s trying to prepare for her wedding.’

  Lily gritted her teeth. ‘Like I said. I’ll be moving out the moment I can find somewhere that’s… right.’

  ‘You mean affordable. Do you really think you can find anything suitable in Felinfach on what you make at your little shop?’

  ‘How do you have any idea what Tiger Lily makes?’ Lily glanced over at Max, who put up his hands.

  ‘Nothing to do with me, Lil. I’m just here to referee.’

  Lily turned her attention back to Evelyn. ‘So, how do you know? I’ve certainly never told you. And the only person who might…’ Of course. Edward. It had to be Edward. ‘Why are you still talking to my ex-fiancé?’

  Evelyn straightened up even more. ‘Just because you arbitrarily decided to cut him out of your life doesn’t mean I have to follow suit. Apart from anything else, it’s rude.’

  Rudeness. Of course. Evelyn Thomas couldn’t bear to be seen as anything other than perfectly poised and polite.

  ‘Besides,’ Evelyn went on, as Jenny suddenly arrived with not just tea but also coffees for the other two. Traitor. ‘Edward was part of our lives for seven years. I grew fond of him. And I am still hoping that you will move past this madness and beg that man to take you back!’

  ‘Not going to happen, Mother. How many times do I have to tell you that?’

  ‘Why? Because of Cora’s cousin? You can’t honestly believe that a man with his reputation in the City is suddenly going to settle down here and live happily ever after.’

  ‘Actually, he claims that’s exactly what he wants. But not with me, I’m afraid.’ Lily looked her mother in the eye. If she didn’t want to keep having the same argument, over and over, then she needed to be very clear right now. ‘I do not want to get married. I particularly do not want to marry Edward, because I realized that we would both be very unhappy if I did. We wanted different things, and it was never going to work.’

  ‘You don’t want to get married! Then how can you say you’re settling down?’

  ‘I don’t need to be married to be settled, Mother. I just need to be happy with my life.’

  ‘And are you?’ M
ax asked, taking advantage of Evelyn’s shocked silence.

  Lily grinned at him. ‘I’m certainly getting there.’

  ‘Then I think we’re done here,’ Max said, standing up and reaching a hand down to Evelyn. ‘Come on then, Evie. Time to let your daughter get to work.’

  Lily was so grateful for the unexpected reprieve that she made it most of the way to Tiger Lily before her brain registered the most unusual part of the conversation.

  Since when did Max, or anyone for that matter, call her mother Evie?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Three weeks later, as he watched yet another of Lily’s friends agree to love, honour and cherish, Alex wondered if Lily had noticed they were in a relationship, yet. If she hadn’t, he reckoned she might be the only one. Yes, she’d been adamant from the start that this was just a fling, a casual arrangement. But at this point, they hadn’t spent a whole night apart since the hotel, and Alex was confident enough in his own abilities to be pretty sure that wasn’t just because Lily preferred his house to Cora’s.

  A fling meant short-term, without feelings getting involved. Just sex. And sitting next to Lily, watching her blink back tears as he held her hand, he knew that what they had was anything but. This had a chance of becoming something real.

  He’d done flings, done casual, often enough before to know the difference. He’d told his father – and anyone else that asked – that he’d come home to settle down, find his perfect match, and make the life he’d always dreamed of. Yes, he’d thought at the start that Lily might have been more of a temporary deviation from the plan, but now… now he knew that she was at the heart of it all. Without her, he wouldn’t have his studio, his photography business, his future – and the possibility of true love, of having what his parents and his brother and sister-in-law had found.

  Not that he planned on telling her that, yet. Less than a month together was far too soon. But she’d figure it out eventually, he was sure. The key, with Lily, was to let her think it was her own idea. He wouldn’t rush her, wouldn’t startle her, and eventually everything would fall into place.