“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” He gave her a familiar shrug and Holly longed to touch him.
“You have a habit of doing that,” she said without thinking and then blushed. Gosh, already the weight of a double life was sitting on her shoulders. Definitely time for a subject change. “S-so I didn’t think you normally came to this sort of thing.”
“I don’t,” Vince said in a wonderfully familiar gruff voice. “In fact I’m not sure why I changed my mind? I guess the guys I worked with finally managed to wear me down into saying yes.”
“R-right, so you’re not here with anyone else then?” Holly tried to sound casual but was sure she was failing miserable. Still, if she didn’t ask she would go mad. “I-I heard you and Amy Jenkins were…”
Vince gave an adamant shake of his head. “Definitely nothing between us. Didn’t you know?”
Holly looked at him in surprise. “Know what?” That Amy had been sent away to an institution as punishment for an unhealthy habit of trying to poison people with motion sickness tablets?
“She got seconded for a year. To the Outer Mongolian office.”
Holly giggled. Well, it wasn’t criminal justice at its best, but there was a certain amount of satisfaction to be had from it. To think she had doubted that heaven didn’t know what they were doing when it came to divine retribution.
“So how about you?” Vince’s voice sounded deeper than ever. “Are you here alone? I saw Todd dancing with Rochelle Jackson and then someone said you guys—”
“Are over.” Holly wondered if it would be too forward to stop all of this chit-chat and just kiss him. After all, she’d lived in his body for two days and now knew him better than she knew her best friend. Surely certain formalities could be wavered in such circumstances? Just a pity Vince was showing no signs of remembering any of it.
She’d already tried to test Gemma and her stepmother on this but it had been no dice. Trust Dr. Hill to finally get something right.
“Really?” Vince sounded pleased and Holly’s heart did an absurd little leap. “Because I was wondering if you’d like to—”
“Yes, please,” Holly said before he could even finish and she winced. She’d become so used to knowing what he was going to say, she’d forgotten he didn’t have any knowledge of it.
As he reached out for her hand to lead her towards the dance floor, he didn’t look too unhappy about the situation.
It wasn’t exactly a slow song. In fact, over the sound system Green Day was belting out the words at a hundred miles an hour, but Holly didn’t care. Vince Murphy had asked her to dance with him and dance she would.
She slipped her hands around his waist and after a moment of surprise she felt his arms wrap tightly around her shoulders. Ah, this was better. Ever since she’d been back in her body, she’d had a niggling sense something was missing. Now she knew what. Vince.
She pressed herself tighter. He was probably going to think she was the biggest harlot in the whole world— well apart from Rochelle Jackson, obviously. But Holly didn’t care. She had been dead for two weeks. She needed a hug.
The song finally finished and as a 50 Cent tune pumped through the air, Vince started to say something to her.
“What?” she called out over the music but once again he was drowned out and so he shook his head before grabbing her hand and leading her to the darkened side of the room.
“Couldn’t hear a thing,” he explained as he leaned against the wall. “There was something I wanted to ask you.”
“Yes?” Holly gulped, reverently hoping it would involve the words
Vince fidgeted with his hand and Holly noticed the swollen knuckles were no longer there. Pity, since it meant Todd never got punched in the face after all. But still a girl couldn’t have everything.
Then he shook his head. “Actually, don’t worry. It would just sound stupid.”
“What would sound stupid?”
He thrust his hands into his pockets and Holly’s heart went into overdrive. Was he just the hottest guy who had ever lived?
“I never should’ve opened my mouth,” he said.
“Yes, well you did and you can’t not tell me now. It wouldn’t be fair. I’m a woman. We are a curious by nature. It’s part of the job description.”
He blew out a column of air and rolled his eyes. “Fine, but can you at least keep your laughing to a minimum when I say it?”
“How do you know I’ll laugh?” she protested.
“Because in my dreams you seemed to laugh at me a lot.”
Holly felt her heart start to thump. “Your dreams?”
“See, I told you it was going to sound crazy.” He shook his head and looked off into the distance. “Okay, I think I’m just going to go…”
“No.” Holly grabbed his arm. Well, that was a mistake and she shivered as all sorts of nice tingly feelings went whizzing around her body. “Please don’t go. I want to hear more about these dreams.”
He dropped his head so he was now looking directly at her. “You just seemed to be in them. A lot. Which is stupid right, since we hardly know each other.”
“We did used to play together as kids,” she croaked, unable to drag herself away from Vince’s gaze.
“I didn’t think you’d remember that.”
“You’d be surprised at what I remember.” She could tell her voice was husky now. “You’re not as invisible as you’d like to think, Vincent Ryan Murphy.”
She watched his Adam’s apple move slightly—a clear sign he was nervous. “So do you think we could perhaps go out one night?” he said.
“I’d like that.” She bit her lip in excitement. “I’d like that a lot.”
“Great.” He beamed but instead of kissing her he stood up straight and looked like he was about to go and join Graham, Bob and the other technicians over by the bar. “So I suppose I’d better let you get back to your friends. They’re probably all freaking out that you’re even talking to me.”
“I only came with Gemma.” Holly shook her head. “But since she seems a bit preoccupied with a complicated technical question, I don’t think you have much to worry about.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Holly nodded as she leaned further into him. “You wouldn’t believe if I told you how sure I was.”
“You could try,” he murmured, but before she could answer, she felt his hands gently reach down to her belt of her dress and pull her forward.
Then he kissed her.
Boy did Vince Murphy know how to kiss and suddenly Holly could see just why Amy Jenkins had gone to such lengths to try and capture his interest. Of course, as Holly found herself returning his kiss, she was certainly pleased Amy had failed. Firstly, because she didn’t like sharing; and secondly, because kissing Vince was to die for. Literally.
