A Fresh Start on Crumcarey (Crumcarey Island #5)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

MAGGIE

F or the first time since she’d started her new job, The Tallyaff was empty. Maggie knew she should be glad of a few minutes of peace and quiet to catch up with restocking the little shop – but right now, she could really do with the flurry of a busy ferry run to get her out of her own head.

‘No such luck,’ she muttered, grabbing a large box of crisps and starting to re-fill the racks.

The ferry and flights had a different schedule today, and they weren’t expecting any visitors for at least an hour or so. Unfortunately, it was giving Maggie far too much time to chase herself around inside her own head… and she felt like she was spiralling in ever-decreasing circles around a plughole of doom.

She’d kissed Luke.

And… it had been amazing.

More than amazing.

Gah!

It hadn’t been one of those kisses where they’d broken apart and realised they really shouldn’t be doing what they were doing. Nothing like it, in fact.

They’d kissed and kissed and then kissed again. They’d barely paused to take a breath - ending up wedged on her new sofa in a tangle of limbs and pushed-up jumpers.

That sofa was most definitely going to be her favourite spot in the whole cottage if that sort of thing happened on it on a regular basis!

‘And there’s the rub,’ she muttered, hurling one crip packet after another into the waiting basket. It would be a miracle if she wasn’t smashing them all to smithereens – but there was something satisfying about the whoosh-crunch each packet made as it pelted into the target.

‘Tell me,’ said Olive, appearing at her side and quietly removing the box of crisps from her reach before she could ruin them all, ‘is it all crisps you hate, or do you have something against Firecracker Prawn in particular?’

‘Sorry,’ muttered Maggie, placing the remaining pack she was holding gently into the basket.

Olive chuckled. ‘I think you need a break.’

‘No I—’ started Maggie.

‘Okay, let me try that again,’ said Olive wrapping an arm around her shoulders and steering her out of the shop and over towards the bar. ‘ I need a break, and I’m making us a drink. As your boss, you will sit down with me and tell me if you like the way I make hot chocolate.’

‘Hot chocolate?’ said Maggie, mildly surprised that it wasn’t going to be one of Olive’s classic triple shot coffees.

‘Yes… because something tells me you need a dash of comfort this morning,’ said Olive. ‘And the smashed crisps me you definitely don’t need any more caffeine!’

‘Fair point,’ laughed Maggie, feeling the tight band of worry give way a little under the beam of Olive’s friendship.

‘So… what’s got you all riled up?’ said Olive, grabbing a block of dark chocolate and starting to grate it into a dish with swift sure, strokes as Maggie climbed up onto a bar stool.

‘Luke,’ said Maggie, his name slipping out of her mouth before she’d even thought to put any filters in place. But then, this was Olive. The woman was kindness personified. Plus – she had a knack for getting to the bottom of things, so there wasn’t much point in beating around the bush.

‘Oh yes?’ said Olive blandly.

‘I kissed him,’ muttered Maggie. ‘Or… well… we kissed,’

‘Mr Harris is going to be over the moon,’ said Olive, smiling at her.

‘Huh?’ said Maggie. That was the last thing she’d been expecting.

‘He’s been waiting for one of you to make a move,’ said Olive, adding cinnamon to her concoction. ‘Ever since he found you wearing Luke’s underpants!’

‘I was using them as pyjamas!’ said Maggie, for what felt like the thousandth time.

‘Yeah, yeah, so you keep saying,’ said Olive with a naughty wink. ‘Anyway, what’s the problem? Bad kisser?’

‘The opposite,’ said Maggie with a little sigh.

‘Soo… you’re just not feeling it?’

Maggie raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t going to confirm or deny whether she’d felt it, or anything else!

‘No! I didn’t mean…!’ hooted Olive. ‘I meant , did you change your mind when you kissed him? Do you just want to be friends? Wished you’d stuck to the house renovations?’

‘No to all of the above,’ said Maggie, resting her chin on her hands.

‘Alright, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on,’ said Olive, straightening up and fixing her with a stern expression.

‘I liked it,’ she said, ‘and that’s the understatement of the century.’

Maggie paused, wondering how much to say. She shot a glance over her shoulder to double-check that the pair of them were still alone. The last thing she needed was for Mr Harris to overhear her working through her muddled feelings. Or – heaven forbid – Luke himself!

With a deep breath, Maggie decided she was all in.

‘I loved it,’ she said quietly. ‘Best kiss of my life.’ She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing it was Luke hugging her.

‘Well, that’s wonderful… isn’t it?’ said Olive, looking confused.

Maggie shrugged. ‘Mr Harris mentioned something to me. Something about Luke.’

‘Uh huh?’ said Olive,

‘He said Luke doesn’t stay put anywhere for long,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t settle and that… well… that he’ll be off before we know it. Mr Harris reckons he won’t be back until next summer…’ she trailed off.

Maggie knew she was being ridiculous. It had just been a kiss, after all.

A kiss that had the power to rock the foundations of her entire life.

Sucking in a deep breath, Maggie gave herself a mental slap for getting all dramatic over a boy.

‘Well, I can understand where you’re coming from,’ said Olive gently.

‘You can?’ said Maggie, feeling a strange rush of relief. Maybe she wasn’t being quite as big a drama lama as she thought.

‘Of course!’ said Olive. ‘You’ve told me a bit about your ex, and I’ve seen your face when those postcards arrive. It’s not surprising you don’t want to get yourself right back into the same situation with someone else.’

‘Luke’s nothing like Russell,’ said Maggie, instantly jumping to his defence.

Olive grinned at her. ‘Obviously not, and he’s put a beautiful smile on your face these last few days. I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t think Russell did that even when he was living here.’

‘What should I do, Olive?’ said Maggie, begging for an answer that wouldn’t break her heart.

Olive shook her head slowly. ‘Here’s the thing – I don’t have any answers for you. I’ve known Luke since he was a little boy, and he’s always been the same. It’s just like Mr Harris told you. It’s not that he has itchy feet… more like he’s just not found anything big enough to hold him in the one place for very long.’

‘Is that different?’ said Maggie.

‘I’d say so,’ said Olive. ‘I guess what you need to ask yourself is… exactly how do you feel about Luke?’

Maggie shook her head. ‘It’s all so new, I can’t say. But… it feels like… it could be that big. In time.’

‘Then… I guess my answer is… maybe you’re taking all this a bit too seriously.’ Olive shrugged. ‘It’s always a complicated thing, starting something new with someone you barely know. If you want my advice?’

‘So much!’ groaned Maggie.

‘Then I’d say - just relax and let things happen naturally instead of asking all these big questions one day after you’ve shared your first kiss!’

Maggie nodded slowly and then started to laugh. ‘I’m such an idiot.’

‘Oh no you’re not,’ said Olive stoutly. ‘Definitely not. When you meet someone who turns your whole life around in the space of a few seconds, all bets are off. But… give it a chance. It might turn out to be nothing.’

Maggie crinkled her nose. She didn’t like the sound of that much.

‘Or,’ said Olive, popping a huge cup of cream-filled, cinnamon-scented hot chocolate in front of her, ‘or… it might turn out to be something very special indeed.’

‘I like that version a lot better,’ said Maggie with a grin, wrapping both hands around the mug and letting the warmth and scent calm her senses. ‘Thanks, Olive.’

‘Cheers,’ said Olive with a wink, taking a long sip of her own drink.

Maggie took a sip too, then let out a long sigh. Olive was right. She’d come very close to acting like a lovesick teenager after one kiss with a boy she liked. In her defence, though, it had been a long time since she’d had any romance in her life… if you didn’t count the idiot who kept sending her postcards from all over the world, of course – and she definitely didn’t count him.

It was time to look to the future – but she needed to do that one day at a time. She’d only just discovered the wonderful community on Crumcarey, after all. She’d have found them far sooner if she hadn’t been brooding over Russell and convinced that she had to face the world alone.

Now… whatever happened… she’d never be alone again. She was part of Crumcarey – and that was a relationship she was excited to explore.