Page 88 of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

She blushed and looked away. But she found that he suddenly held her chin with his fingers and gently drew it up so she had to look back at him.

‘I mean it,’ he said, suddenly searching her face more intently. ‘You’re amazing.’

There was a long silence as they locked eyes. Amber found she couldn’t look away and had a sudden urge to kiss him.

Then he gave a little shake of the head as if to wake himself up, before letting go of her chin. With a smile, he left her standing in the shop alone and the moment had passed all too soon.

‘Whatever’s the matter?’ asked Grandma Tilly, as she came back into the shop.

‘I’m fine,’ said Amber quickly. ‘I’m just a bit overwhelmed, I think.’

‘You know why?’ asked Grandma Tilly, reaching out to squeeze Amber’s hand.

Amber shook her head in reply.

‘Because you’re a villager too now,’ she said.

Amber smiled and found herself nodding, knowing it to be true. Perhaps she had finally found a place to call home.

35

Once Stanley had been checked out, Josh left him in the pub to head back to the shop.

‘How’s Stanley?’ asked Amber.

Josh sank down onto the chair by the fire. ‘He’s OK. More shocked than anything.’

‘Poor Stanley,’ said Grandma Tilly. ‘But that house was getting too much for him. I told him that the bungalow’s so much easier. I shall be heading back there myself later.’

‘Are you sure?’ asked Josh.

Grandma Tilly smiled at him. ‘It won’t flood now,’ she said, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. ‘If anything, I think those stairs have made me realise that my little bungalow is just right for me. I shall go and pack up my bag.’

‘I’ll walk you home,’ said Josh.

But as Grandma Tilly headed upstairs, Josh went to stand up and found that his legs were like jelly.

‘You look exhausted,’ Amber told him. ‘I’ll make you another cup of tea. And then I’ll walk Grandma Tilly home.’

The tea brought him back to life a bit.

In the warm light of the fire, he could see that she was also looking weary. But he was seriously impressed as to how well she had handled the crisis.

There was a long silence as they locked eyes again.

Josh found he couldn’t look away and had a sudden urge to kiss her, just like he had the previous night.

He was just about to lean forward when his phone rang. He brought out his mobile from his pocket and smiled. ‘It’s Mum,’ he told Amber, heading through the shop and outside to get a better mobile reception.

‘Hi,’ he said, as he went across the veranda and out onto Riverside Lane. ‘Sorry, Mum. I meant to call you earlier.’

‘That’s OK,’ she replied. ‘Denise heard from Amber, so we know that you’re all OK.’

‘The village is a mess, Mum.’ His voice caught on the words and he realised just how hard he had suppressed his distress until that moment.

‘I heard, love.’ She sighed heavily down the line. ‘Those poor people.’

‘We’re doing what we can,’ he told her, looking around at the mud and debris strewn across the lane.