Stand-In Saturday: (A standalone romcom. Book 2 in the Love For Days series)

by Kirsty Moseley

  She leans in closer; her smile is a smirk. “I’m also not, not saying it.”

  Laughing, I catch on immediately. Nodding eagerly, I reach for the buttons on my shorts at the same time she reaches for hers.

  Best. Damn. Weekend. Ever.

  “I’ve decided I’m buying a boat,” I announce.

  Lucie laughs and watches as I hop out of the rowboat, pulling it further up onto the sand so her shoes won’t get wet when she disembarks.

  As she jumps off the boat and onto the beach, she winces and shifts on her feet. “Oh my God, I’m not sure I can walk; you know, you might have to carry me. I’m not used to all this sex. My poor cooch has taken a battering in the last twelve hours.”

  I burst out laughing and step closer, tracing my fingers across her cheek, dipping my head to kiss the tip of her nose. “In that case, allow me, signorina.”

  While on the boat, when I wasn’t buried balls deep inside her, Lucie taught me a few basic Italian words and phrases. So far, I know how to order two ice creams and ask if she wants to have sex. No joke, that’s what she taught me. Vuoi fare sesso? It’s my new favourite saying, especially when she was speaking it with her sexy Italian accent caressing all the vowels.

  I turn and squat in front of her in invitation for a piggyback, holding my arms ready to catch her.

  “I’m too heavy,” she protests.

  “You weren’t too heavy when you sat on my face earlier …”

  She snort-laughs and grips my shoulders. “You’re so filthy sometimes; you make me blush.”

  I take that as a compliment and grin wider. “Are you getting on or what?”

  “If you die, just remember, you asked for this.” Her grip tightens on my shoulders, and she jumps onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck as I loop my arms around her thighs.

  I’m unable to temper my goofy grin as I carry her up the beach and to the hotel. We’re laughing and joking around the whole time, the flirty banter bouncing back and forth. Her arms are loosely wrapped around my neck, and her cheek occasionally brushes against mine as I walk. It’s so nice that I’m almost tempted to suggest we don’t go home today, that I pay for another couple of nights here and she could call in sick at work. I don’t want my time with her to end.

  As I step into the hotel, Lucie and I are both snickering like little kids because she just blew a loud raspberry on the side of my neck. The first thing I see are my parents, Amy and Jared, and Anne and Peggy, all sitting in the lobby, drinking coffee and talking. Silence falls over them as they look over at me with Lucie wrapped around my back like a koala. Amy beams, and so does my mother. Jared raises one eyebrow at me. I know him well enough to understand his question without him having to verbalise it; maybe it’s a twin thing. We didn’t get cool telepathy, but I can tell what he’s thinking most of the time from his expressions.

  This one is … You hit that?

  I nod a resounding yes and smirk proudly.

  He understands and gives a small incline to his head in congratulations, his lips pressed together to disguise his smile.

  “Uh, hey, guys,” I greet, walking over, carefully squatting and setting Lucie in a spare seat next to my mum. I’m trying for casual, but I just got laid on a boat, so really, I’m grinning from ear to ear. I might as well be wearing a sign, announcing it. “Lucie got something in her shoe.”

  They all see through it, of course, probably because when I look back to Lucie, she’s beet red and chewing on her lip. Mum clasps her hands together in her lap and looks at us like we’re the cutest thing since Jared and Amy.

  Peggy leans forward in her chair, pursing her lips. “Ah, that explains it then. Silly me, I thought maybe it was some weird foreplay thing,” she teases, knowingly winking at Lucie.

  “Mum!” Anne gasps, nudging Peggy’s arm as everyone laughs.

  “Um, no, just a pebble, Peggy,” Lucie lies, shuffling awkwardly on her seat. Gripping my wrist to get my attention, she looks up at me. “Shall we get a drink before we go pack? We have time, right?”

  After checking my watch, I nod. “We do, provided you’re not gonna take longer than half an hour to throw your stuff in your bag.”

  “It won’t take long at all; I already did most of it earlier.”

  I nod down at her. “Great. I’ll go order. What do you want? Vuoi fare sesso, bella?” I jokingly try out my newly learned sex-request phrase and grin smugly at her.

  Jared chokes on his drink, dribbling Coke down his chin and coughing as his eyes go wide. Amy frowns and worriedly pats him on the back as she hands him a napkin.

  Realisation dawns on me, and I turn to my brother and wince apologetically. “I forgot you speak Italian.”

  Lucie lets out a small gasp, and then she chuckles and shakes her head. “Just a cappuccino, Theo, thanks.”

  We spend just long enough downstairs with my family to drink a cup of coffee, and then we say our goodbyes. Lucie is hugged a lot. My mum tells her she’s welcome at the house anytime, and then she gives me a you’d better keep hold of this one look that I choose to ignore. I’m doing my damned best, but it’s not my call. This is all Lucie’s decision if this goes any further. Peggy “accidentally” gropes my bum as I hug her goodbye. I watch as Lucie exchanges numbers with Amy. It’s so sweet how well they get on. Amy vows to let Lucie know all about her honeymoon to Bali when she gets home in two weeks.

  Once we’ve hugged everyone twice (cue another bum grope from Peggy), we excuse ourselves to go upstairs to pack. We are the only ones getting this flight. Other people are flying out today, too, but they’re flying into a different airport, seeing as it’s closer to their homes. Only Lucie and I are flying back to London this afternoon. I must admit, I’m a little glad because it means I get her to myself some more.

  After packing up our stuff and dropping off my hired wedding attire and my fancy-dress costume with the concierge (Jared prearranged to have most stuff couriered home again along with the wedding gifts), we check out of the hotel, handing back our room keys, and then we cram ourselves into the ridiculously small hire car and head for the airport.

  Our flight isn’t boarding for a while, so once we’ve cleared customs and untrustworthy-looking Lucie has had her second pat-down of the trip, we head for the food court.

  I nod towards the bar. “Need some Dutch courage again? I might have something stronger this time, see if I can dull my pain receptors before you crush my hand again on the flight.” I send her a teasing wink.

  She smiles gratefully and nods in agreement.

  We have two drinks before they call our flight. Again, Lucie opts for the window seat and sits there, a little pale and nervous, one hand pressed to her stomach.

  I lean over and drop a kiss on the top of her head, taking her hand and lacing our fingers together. “We’ll soon be home, Luce. Don’t worry. I got you.” I’m not expecting the level of disappointment that hits me as I say it. I don’t want to go home.

  She nods and leans closer to me, setting her head on my shoulder, her hand gripping mine for dear life.

  As the plane ferries us back to London, I’m acutely conscious that we haven’t spoken about what this all means and what happens now. I’m hopeful it means she wants to see me again. She’s ruined me for other girls. I need to see this through.

  I can’t help but wonder, Is she my version of Amy?

  Maybe fate threw me a bone that day I got stuck in the lift with her.

  Our chemistry is electric. It’s like hanging out with a best friend that you fancy the shit out of. I’ve never had that with any of the other girls I’ve dated. Something deep down is telling me that this might be something special and that I need to nurture it and try everything to hold on to it.

  This weekend has left a scar on me, and I’m not only talking about the fingernails scratching at my back or teeth sinking into my shoulder kind. I mean, it’s left a scar on my heart. I want this all to happen again and again. I want to be the first thing she sees in the mor
ning and the last thing at night. I want more of her than I think she’s willing or able to give because she’s still hung up on a guy she caught cheating on her.

  Is this just a weekend-long affair in her eyes?

  I have a horrible, dejected feeling in my stomach that this is purely a physical thing for her, an itch she needed to scratch and I was in the right place at the right time. I don’t think she feels the same about me. Her stipulation of our bargain was for me to accompany her to her dad’s party and let her use me to make Lucas jealous, but to what end? So he realises he made a monumental mistake and they give it another go? She deserves better than that. The thing is, I’m not sure she believes that.

  How much I like her scares me a little. I want to see her again after this, to keep getting to know her, to build on this weekend and see where it can go. But I don’t want to come on too strong and ruin it or rush her. She’s delicate, still hurting for her ex, and she likely isn’t ready to trust another man after he broke her heart so carelessly. I need to tread carefully.

  We went into this weekend with boundaries and a clear agenda to get what we wanted. For me though, that agenda has changed. I want her. I want more.

  Have I done enough this weekend to claw her attention from her ex? Who knows? Maybe this weekend is the start of something for her too.

  God, I hope so.

  I spend most of the flight sketching her, my spare hand wrapped around her thigh as she absentmindedly trails her fingers up and down my wrist and reads her book. It’s luxurious.

  Once we land and disembark, we head through customs. I walk her to the taxi rank and feel my heart sinking with every step because I don’t want to say goodbye.

  Stopping next to the kerb, I reach out and touch her hip, hooking my finger into her pocket and giving it a playful tug. “Thank you for coming with me this weekend. I had a really great time with you.” There’s so much truth in that sentence. I had a blast, something I never thought I would say about the wedding I had been dreading for the last year.

  She smiles up at me and pushes some stray hair back into her messy bun before shouldering her massive handbag. “I did too.”

  Okay, Theo, just man up and ask! “So”—I take a deep breath—“when am I seeing you again?” I mentally cross my fingers and look at her hopefully.

  Her forehead creases with a frown. “Um, next Saturday, at my dad’s party,” she says sarcastically. “You’d better not be punking out of our agreement now that I’ve fulfilled my part! I have a signed contract; don’t make me sue you for everything you own.” She purses her lips and jokingly slaps my chest.

  I catch her hand and hold it against my chest, pulling her closer to me. “Of course I’m not punking out. I just thought … maybe we could meet up before then. Hang out?” Or make out.

  Understanding crosses her face. “Oh! I’m not sure I’ll have the time this week. It’s gonna be manic with work because I took Thursday and Friday off last week.” She smiles apologetically, her hand giving mine a gentle squeeze. “Plus, didn’t you say Cambridge was, like, an hour away on the train?” She scrunches her nose and shrugs. “There’s no point in you travelling all the way to London just to see me.”

  There’s every point in the world, Luce.

  “Okay. It was just a thought.” I force a smile, trying to cover my disappointment. No, it’s not disappointment. I’ll admit I’m the tiniest bit devastated by her knock-back. I thought maybe I’d done enough, but obviously, she’s not ready to move on yet.

  A taxi pulls up next to us, the driver rolling down his window and expectantly looking at us. I nod at him and grip Lucie’s suitcase, stowing it in the boot for her.

  Stubbing my toe against the pavement, I clear my throat. “So, you’ll let me know about the party? You said posh, so I’m thinking … suit and tie?”

  If so, I’ll have to raid Jared’s wardrobe again while he’s away. Luckily, I have a key to their apartment.

  Lucie nods and turns her nose up. “It will be a bit posh, yeah. Mostly my dad’s business contacts and stuff. I’ll book you a hotel somewhere near my flat, so we can share a taxi on the way back. You won’t want to get a train home that late, so you might as well stay in London for the night. I’ll text you the details once I’ve booked it.”

  Ouch. I’m not even staying with her. “Sounds good.”

  She smiles widely and wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly, pressing her face into my neck. My heart thumps in my chest as I hug her back, tracing one hand up to cup the back of her head, my other arm clamped around her waist, holding her against me. Her smell makes the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end. It’s delicious. I drop a kiss onto her temple, letting my lips linger there, savouring every last millisecond.

  “I’ll see you next Saturday then, Luce.”

  “Thanks for an epic weekend. I had a great time, and your family is lovely. I hope me being there helped it not hurt as much, watching Amy marry your brother.”

  I grunt and nod, not knowing what to say to that. She isn’t privy to my epiphany about it not being Amy I wanted. “See you soon.”

  When she pulls from my arms, I reach over and open the car door for her, leaning on it as I watch her slide in and settle her handbag next to her on the seat.

  As I’m about to close the door, she says, “Oh, and, Theo? Thanks for the orgasms.” She sends me a flirty wink and a cheeky smile.

  I burst out laughing. “You’re most welcome.”

  Watching her wave goodbye from the window of the taxi as she speeds off is painful. How have I allowed myself to catch feels for another unavailable girl? I truly must be a masochist.

  eighteen

  Lucie

  By the time I let myself back into the flat, it’s after six thirty, and I’m exhausted, but at the same time, I can’t keep the smile off my face. This weekend was incredible, a relaxation and bit of time away that I hadn’t even realised I needed so badly. My stomach rumbles as I smell remnants of Aubrey’s dinner. I skipped lunch because of pre-flight nerves.

  “Is that you?” my best friend calls from the living room. “Come in and tell me everything!”

  I smile and dump my suitcase by the door as I head in, seeing her sitting on the sofa, nose stuck in her Kindle, probably reading some submission or other. “Hey. I’m going to make a cup of tea and a sandwich. You want one?”

  “Tea, yes. Sandwich, no. There’s some leftover chicken chow mein in the fridge if you want that instead.”

  My eyes widen. “Hells yes. You’re the best!”

  I head into the kitchen, flicking on the kettle and finding a takeaway container in the fridge. After dumping it into a bowl, I nuke it in the microwave while I make two cups of tea. By the time I take it all back to the living room and plop down onto the sofa next to my best friend, she’s turned in her seat, legs tucked up under her bum, expectantly looking at me. We haven’t spoken since Thursday morning, so she knows just the bare minimum about my weekend from the texts we exchanged. She’s going to lose her mind when I tell her about the life-altering sex.

  I shove in a bite of food, chewing quickly because my stomach is aching with hunger now. “I had a great time. Theo is adorable and hilarious. We day-drank and did some water sports together. The place was stunning, and the wedding was beautiful. It was everything you’d want your dream wedding to be. His family is lovely.” I skirt around the issue, knowing what she’s waiting for. I’m dragging out the suspense to torture her.

  “Annnnnnnd?” Her eyes are wide with a silent question: did you follow my advice and jump his bones?

  I give a little nod.

  She squeals and spills some of her tea down herself as she pumps the air with one fist. “Tell me. I want to hear all of it!”

  And so I tell her all of it—from meeting him at the airport right through to us saying goodbye at the cab stand a little while ago. I don’t leave anything out, and she sits there, riveted, her eyes not leaving mine the whole time, apart from when she steals
my phone and watches the TikTok videos Theo tagged me in. She hasn’t seen them because they’re on his accounts, not mine.

  “Wait … he wanted to see you again? Oh my God, Lucie, he asked you out, and you said no?!” Her voice is so screechy, it makes me wince.

  I scoff and roll my eyes. “He wasn’t asking me out. He was suggesting we hang out. There’s a difference.”

  “He likes you!” She blinks and disbelievingly shakes her head. “Bloody hell, I didn’t realise my best friend was so damn clueless!”

  “He doesn’t!” Trust me, he’s into someone else. I want to say it, tell her about Theo being crazy about his new sister-in-law, but I can’t because I don’t want her to dislike him. It’s not his fault he likes her; hell, even I like Amy. You can’t help who you fall for in life, and he wasn’t an arsehole about it. In fact, he was gallant and supportive, and it made me hold him in even higher regard because of how he handled the situation.

  He doesn’t like me, like me. I was merely a distraction to him and a chance to get his leg over, and although it was great at the time and I’ll never regret my weekend or the incredible sex, I’m not into casual hook-ups in real life. We had that one fantastic weekend, but neither of us is in a position to take it any further. It would simply be friends with benefits, and I’m not into that. I have to focus on my career, get myself back together, and maybe make Lucas beg for forgiveness.

  Maybe in another life, un-broken Lucie meets un-infatuated Theo, and more than just one amazing weekend happens. But this is not that life.

  It’s just after nine o’clock the following night when I text Theo with the details of the hotel I’ve booked for him. It’s just around the corner from my flat, so we can share a taxi back after the party. I’m already in my pyjamas (aka vest top and a massive pair of granny knickers; it’s damn hot, and I miss the air conditioning of my Scottish hotel room), and I’m in the process of making a cup of tea to take to bed with me while I read when my phone rings.