Oh, she was so stupid. And yet…before that woman had accosted him in the church, it had seemed as if he was interested in her. Or had she completely misread, well, everything, and he’d just been kindly offering her a drink?
Obviously that was what had happened, because she didn’t think Simon was a player, and it looked more and more like he had a family. Well. She’d already told herself it was a blip. Now she had extra, unneeded confirmation.
She was finally about to turn away when Simon glanced in her direction—and his gaze latched on to hers. For a few endless seconds Olivia felt as if the world had shrunk to this one shared look, everything around her fading out—the chatter, the lights, the tinny Christmas carols coming from the loudspeakers.
Then she forced herself to look away—and more importantly, to walk away. If she’d been feeling a bit more self-possessed, she would have gone over to Simon and said hello, let him introduce her to his family. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite there yet, and this was the best she could manage.
“Blip,” she muttered under her breath. “Very, very small blip.”
She walked blindly through the crowds, barely aware of where she was going, only needing some space and privacy to gather her wayward emotions together and tell them to settle down. She was halfway towards the church’s covered lych gate, thankfully shrouded in shadow, when she heard someone calling her name.
“Olivia! Olivia, wait!”
Olivia turned, blinking in the gloomy darkness, to see Simon striding towards her. Her mind buzzed blankly as he came closer, stopping in front of her with a huff of breath.
“Hey.” He smiled with a wryness that was both familiar and confusing. He was looking at her as he had before, as if he hadn’t left her hanging on Sunday, and then not come to the shop for the last three days. But of course she was overreacting. He was a stranger. She had to keep remembering that.
“I just wanted to say…” He hesitated, looking uncertain and a little embarrassed. “I saw you across the green and I realised what it might look like…that is, who I was with…” He trailed off and Olivia just waited, curious as to what he was trying to say and having no idea what to say herself. “The thing is,” he blurted, “that little boy…he’s not mine.”
Okay, that was unexpected. Olivia tried to formulate a response but could only come up with “Right…”
“If you were wondering. And if you weren’t, then I realise this conversation is exceedingly awkward and well, odd.” He let out an uncertain laugh. “I just mean, you might have got the wrong end of the stick… I would understand if you had…when you saw me. And I didn’t want you to think that…well, that I had a child. Or you know, other…things.”
“Okay,” Olivia said after a moment. She still wasn’t entirely sure what he was trying to communicate, but she felt the tiniest bit hopeful that it was something good.
“I’m really explaining myself badly,” Simon said with a rueful shake of his head. “All I’m trying to say is…I’m not…well, I’m single.” Even in the darkness Olivia could see how much he was blushing, and now she probably was, as well. Her face was certainly starting to feel fiery, because surely there could only be one reason why he was telling her all this?
“Who were you with on Sunday?” she asked, half-wishing she hadn’t mentioned Sunday, and yet still wanting to know.
“Sunday…” He frowned, and then she saw the exact moment when he remembered what had happened, and who he was with, just as she could tell the memory pained him. It was there in the quick flinch, the shadow that flitted through his eyes. “That was Bella, my sister. After we talked, I looked around for you, but you were gone.”
Olivia nodded, not wanting to explain, and not totally trusting Simon’s seemingly simple explanation. His sister? It made sense; they had a similar look about them, and yet… Olivia had a gut instinct that it was a little more complicated than that. The exchange she’d witnessed had seemed so intense, so emotional.
She decided to take a step back, figuratively if not physically. “Well, thanks for the explanation, but I’d really better be getting back to the shop.”
“Let me walk with you.”
She shrugged, not wanting to argue the point, and not sure how she felt about this enigmatic man. On Sunday she’d felt, rightly or wrongly, as if she—they—had been on the cusp of something, and then it had all fallen flat. He’d been avoiding the shop, or so it had felt like, and yet she could hardly ask him why he hadn’t bought a cupcake in the last three days. The whole thing felt a bit ridiculous.
They walked in silence up the high street; already people were trickling away from the green, heading towards home. Olivia doubted she’d get much more custom that night, and Harriet would be able to buy plenty of cakes. She couldn’t keep from sighing at the thought, and Simon glanced at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s just been a long day.” She shrugged, determined not to give in to the doldrums. “I’m ready to put my feet up and binge on a boxed set.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Had he wanted her to invite him along? Olivia had no idea what Simon wanted, what he was thinking, and suddenly she decided she was too old for these kinds of games. As they neared the shop, she stopped and turned to him.
“So, Simon, why did you want me
