“Only when a sexy lady asks me out.” The words flew out of Kelly’s mouth before she could stop them. “Ugh, sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Lucy smiled. “Come on, let’s get a drink and find a table.”

Drinks in hand, seated in a corner booth, Kelly waited Lucy out. She was the one that said they needed to talk and Kelly was happy to listen.

“How was the rest of your day?” Lucy took a sip of her wine and soda.

Just imagining the tart taste trickling down Lucy’s throat made Kelly grimace, but she respected the fact Lucy was taking it easy since she had to drive.

As for Kelly’s day, once Lucy left and she returned inside, Jennifer had stormed around the café with an angry scowl on her face, opening and closing doors with a bang.

“That bad, huh?” Lucy asked, apparently taking Kelly’s grimace as a reflection of her day.

“Not quite. It was rough though. The boss is really upset. Her mum’s unwell so I guess the stress of that has flowed over to work.”

What Kelly didn’t add was that Jennifer had called her into her office and stated whatever the auditor thought she’d uncovered had been an innocent mistake and would be rectified.

Taken by surprise, Kelly startled when Lucy reached across the table and gripped her hand.

“Kelly, you have to know it was me.”

Even though it sounded like a statement, Kelly replied, “I know.”

Surprise flashed in Lucy’s eyes. She released Kelly’s hand as if she’d been burned. “You knew. Yet, you didn’t say a word?”

“You were only doing your job,” Kelly stated, hating the defensive tone of Lucy’s voice.

With her eyes locked on Kelly, Lucy took a long, slow, sip of her drink then sat back and crossed her arms. “What are you talking about, Kelly?”

A nauseating sense of Déjà vu washed over Kelly. Only, this time, she didn’t think she was wrong. Flight or fight instinct kicked in. Kelly wanted to bolt, she didn’t want to fight. Opting to do neither, she sat tight.

Mirroring Lucy’s actions, Kelly took a swig of her beer, but rather than lean back she braced her elbows on the table, and dared to throw the question back at Lucy.

“What are you talking about?” Even though the words were barely above a whisper, there was no mistaking the nervous tremor in Kelly’s voice.

After shooting a glance around the pub, Lucy leaned forward, so close Kelly could smell the wine on her breath.

The few seconds it took for Lucy to speak felt like a lifetime. Anticipating what Lucy might say made Kelly’s pulse race. She darted a look around, pleased no one was within earshot.

Being a Thursday night, the pub was far from empty, however, most patrons were standing around the bar.