Hi. I hope you had a good trip. I’d love to hear all about it! Any chance you’re free to grab a coffee on Sunday? Maybe at Alma’s?
Ash put the phone down on the coffee table, wanting some time to think the request through. Certainly, there was nothing in it to suggest Carmen was being anything but casual. Okay, well, you wanted to be friends, and she’s holding out an olive branch that might lead to that . It should have been a relief, so why was disappointment her overriding emotion? She picked up her phone once more.
Hi! Just got back. Trip was brilliant. Coffee on Sunday sounds good. What time is best for you? I’m free all day.
They swapped two quick messages, agreeing on eleven. When nothing else came back from her final text, Ash left the phone on the sofa and headed for the shower, trying hard to ignore the annoying little jolt of excitement stirring in her stomach at the thought of seeing Carmen again.
Ash arrived at Alma’s just before eleven on Sunday and grabbed the last table outside. To her surprise, Alma’s ran table service and a full lunch menu on the weekends. Maybe they could have a meal after their coffees. Assuming Carmen had time—or the inclination. After ordering a coffee and a glass of water from the waitress, Ash sat back and let the morning sun bathe her face.
Carmen appeared a couple of minutes later, looking incredible in a light blue, sleeveless summer dress and low sandals. A pair of sunglasses was pushed up into her hair, the blonde curls bobbing as she walked. She was beautiful, and she took Ash’s breath away.
“Hi,” Carmen said quietly when she reached the table.
“Hey. It’s really good to see you.” And it was. Too good.
Carmen pulled out the remaining chair and sat. “How are you?” Her smile was wide and confident, her entire demeanour poised and controlled.
Ash had to admit she was surprised, given how their last interaction had ended. Wait, you’re disappointed she seems perfectly okay with everything between you? Did you think she’d be pining? Get over yourself.
“I’m good, thanks,” Ash said. “And you?”
“Great. Really good.”
Jesus, any minute now one of us is going to say, “Nice weather, isn’t it?” Could this be any more awkward? Before Ash could come up with a better line of conversation, the waitress appeared and took Carmen’s coffee order.
“Want a pastry too?” Ash looked across at Carmen with a small smile.
“Why not? It would be rather silly to come here and not have one.”
The light-hearted comment seemed to break some of the tension. Ash’s shoulders relaxed, and she grinned. “Well, obviously.”
The waitress reappeared with their pastries, and they ate in a silence that was much more comfortable than Ash might have anticipated. She snuck a few glances at Carmen and once again was struck by how at ease she seemed this morning. There was no indication of embarrassment over what had been said the last time they were together. So maybe it was just a silly crush thing, like Felicity’s was, and she’s over it. And that was good, right? The kernel of disappointment lingering in her stomach said otherwise, and it annoyed her.
“So,” Ash said after she’d eaten about half her pastry. “How was Paris?”
Carmen took a sip of her coffee. “It was lovely. They’re doing very well for themselves.” Her gaze flicked away, but her smile didn’t waver.
“Great.”
“And work is very good. Important stuff happening this week that has me all fired up.”
Ah, so perhaps that was also it, maybe even the main reason for the put-together Carmen. “That sounds good. What’s happening?”
“Well, firstly, I’m in love with my job again, which feels wonderful. And secondly, wait for it—I’m cutting my client list!”
“No!” Ash shook her head, then listened, a smile on her face, as Carmen launched into an enthusiastic explanation of how she was going to turn her business model upside down. There was a fire in Carmen’s eyes she hadn’t seen before. Ruefully, she acknowledged that she was a little jealous Carmen’s job seemed to have taken up all her thoughts once more.
They finished their pastries and pushed their plates to the side.
“So,” Carmen said. “Tell me about it. Which animals, how many, where, how. All of it!”
Ash laughed; Carmen’s enthusiasm was infectious. She pulled out her phone and opened the album of photos she’d taken, then launched into the first story of her time away. As she related her tales, Carmen often chimed in with good questions or excited exclamations. She was adorable to observe when she was animated about something, and Ash’s emotions were all over the place by the time they reached the final photo. You wanted this, remember? You wanted your friend back, with no other nonsense in the way . And here she was, in all her glory, but Jesus, did she have to be so bloody attractive?
“I’m so jealous.” Carmen smiled. “This trip looked fantastic. I have to do something like that one day.”
“Ah, you will, I’m sure. Get yourself a boyfriend who likes to travel.” Ash winked.
Carmen sat back in her seat. “Um, yes.” She paused. “Or a girlfriend. Who knows?”
Girlfriend? What the—?
“What?” Carmen asked, eyes narrowed. “You look like I just shot you.”
Ash ran her hand across the back of her neck, not quite sure how to phrase what she wanted to say next. “I guess I’m just a bit… Well, girlfriend?”
Carmen opened her mouth, then closed it again. She drummed the tabletop with her fingers. “It’s possible. I mean, not right now. I, um, need a little time. But in the future, why not?”
“Time?” Ash’s brain was working overtime to make sense of what Carmen was saying, but nothing was slotting into the right places.
Carmen blinked and shifted in her seat. “Well, yes. I’m still working on moving past
