Kiss a Falling Star Page 4

  “Hi, Em.”

  “OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod,” Emma screeched.

  Ally held the phone farther from her ear. “What’s the matter?”

  A long wail of disbelief greeted her question. “Waddayoumeanwhatsamatter? You’re on TV. You’re in the Metro. Probably on YouTube by now. Where are you? I’ve been ’round to your place and your neighbor said you left yesterday—with suitcases. Are you on holiday? Christ, am I calling America or something? Answer quick. What’s happened? Well, I know what happened. You nearly got killed. Bloody hell, Ally!”

  Ally gulped. “I was on TV?”

  “Yes, but they don’t know who you are. Nor does the Metro newspaper. Have you seen the headline?”

  “I’m not in London.”

  “Arrggh. America?”

  “No.”

  “Thank God. So you haven’t seen the paper. It says—Miracle at Angel Station. Train gives birth to ditzy blonde. Well, no, it didn’t say that last bit, but my God, Ally, you could have been killed.”

  Ally took a deep breath. “I know.” Cold shivers ran the length of her spine and shot down her legs.

  “Did you slip? Were you drunk? Though at that time of the morning you have to have a bloody good excuse for being pissed. What happened?”

  “Someone pushed me.”

  A miniscule pause before Emma rushed on. “Christ. That’ll teach you not to stand so near the white line. Bloody commuters are always shuffling around trying to get to the front.”

  Ally mustered a flat chuckle.

  “You didn’t say you were going on holiday. Where are you?”

  She thought about telling Emma she suspected someone was trying to kill her but didn’t. It would freak her out, she’d call the others and tell her boyfriend Geoff, who’d tell Steve, who’d tell Mark, and before Ally knew it, they’d be rolling their eyes at her extreme attempts to win Mark back. As if.

  “Is it obvious it’s me in the paper?”

  “Not obvious, but I recognized that Monsoon jacket I luuurve. The photo is kind of fuzzy. I don’t know if it came from someone’s phone or a security camera. You still haven’t told me where you are.”

  Ally hesitated. If she didn’t tell Emma it would be rude, even though she knew telling her would be akin to an announcement on Facebook. But these were her friends. She couldn’t expect Emma not to tell her new boyfriend Geoff, who was the sweetest guy Ally had ever met. Emma never let him get a word in edgeways, so Ally always ended up talking to him when they were out as a group.

  “Don’t tell anyone.” Ally could live in hope. “I’m staying at Finn’s weekend place for a while.”

  “The countryside?” Emma’s incredulous tone was more than clear. Ally might as well have said the wastes of Siberia. “Why?”

  “I couldn’t afford to keep paying rent on my bedsit when I don’t have a job. It seemed a good idea to get out of London.” Ally could have managed another month but it would have eaten into her savings.

  “You know, you’re right. I think leaving London was a great idea. You can find a job, make a new start, get over Mark.”

  “Hmm.” Such a pain when everyone loved Mark except Ally.

  There was a long pause before Emma spoke. “Mark can be a wanker. Even Geoff says so.”

  Ally’s fingers tightened around her mobile. She was not going to talk or think about Mark. End the call. “Someone at the door. Gotta go. Speak soon. Bye.”

  Ally switched off her phone and groaned. Emma always gave her a headache. She needed coffee.

  When Ally walked into The Rumblin’ Tum café, the line snaked almost to the door and every table was occupied. She breathed in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, smoked bacon and something deliciously spicy, and knew it would be worth waiting. Only one person appeared to be cooking and serving, a harassed-looking brunette about Ally’s age. Those in line ahead of Ally were dressed in a mixture of smart business suits and paint-spattered work-clothes.

  Ally moved one pace forward and three guys came in to line up behind. She thought about going elsewhere but figured at least some of the customers would have done that if there’d been anywhere else. Ally’s stomach joined in with the more verbal rumbles of impatience from those waiting.

  “Sorry, sorry. I’m going as fast as I can,” said the woman serving.

  Ally took a gamble and moved to the counter, sensing the glares digging into her back, though no one said anything. “Like me to give you a hand?”

  “Oh my God, you’re an angel. That would be great. I’m Rose.”

  “Ally.”

  She slipped behind the counter, put her coat and purse on a chair in the corner, washed her hands at the sink and dried them on a paper towel. “Can I grab a coffee?”

  “Help yourself. There’s an apron on the hook.”

  Ally made the sandwiches and guzzled coffee while Rose prepared the hot food and took the money. Everything sat in tubs ready for use so it wasn’t hard. Most of the guys wanted a mug of tea and a bacon sandwich for now, plus a sandwich to go.

  “Can I have an extra rasher of bacon with mine, sweetheart?” asked one florid-faced guy in a tight t-shirt that said, Rabbits. Nature’s little speed bumps.

  “Not unless he pays for it,” Rose said.

  “I could give you a kiss, sweet Rose.” The man puckered his lips. “Or your new assistant?”

  “Oh dear, then we’d have to charge you double,” Ally said.

  He groaned and took the bag she offered.

  “Salmon and cucumber sandwich next,” Rose told her then whispered, “He likes his crusts cut off.”

  “No crusts means your hair won’t curl.” Ally looked up at a bald, middle-aged man in a pinstripe suit. “Oh sorry. So no crusts because you haven’t learned to chew yet?”

  He laughed and Ally breathed a sigh of relief.

  She cut off the crusts and wrapped up his food. Ally was surprised how comforting it felt to do something ordinary. People here said please and thank you. They smiled. They passed the time of day. They were all so lovely she wanted to hug every one of them.

  Ally could make friends here, couldn’t she? She’d met Delia at Paxton’s. Delia introduced her to Kerry, and Kerry was best friends with Emma, and so it went on until Ally had become part of lively circle. She’d done it before, she could do it again.

  “Any chance you’re free to help me out tomorrow?” Rose asked. “My husband usually works with me but his father’s been taken ill. I can pay you. Not much but you’d be doing me a huge favor.”

  “Okay.” Wow, her first job had come easier than she’d expected.

  Rose beamed at her. “Six until ten.”

  Ally held back her shriek. Six?

  “After that, I’m fine on my own. It’s early mornings we get a rush. God, you’re not here on holiday, are you? Sorry, am I wrecking your plans?”

  “No. I’ll be around for a couple of months.” Ally reached up to return clean dishes to the shelves behind them.

  “Hi, Caspar,” Rose said at her back.

  Ally’s stomach flipped. She turned and saw his eyes widen in surprise when their gazes meshed. When he didn’t return her smile, hers wilted.

  “Hello again,” Ally said.

  She watched his gaze settle on her bruised cheek.

  “Is that from last night?” He didn’t wait for an answer before he turned to Rose. “You’ve given her a job?”

  Rose stiffened. “Ally was here, offered help, and I took it.”

  “But—”

  “You weren’t here, Caspar.”

  Rose put a cup of coffee on the counter together with a bacon sandwich and then crossed her arms. Caspar slapped down a handful of coins.

  “There’s no need—” Rose began.

  “Yes, there fucking is,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

  He grabbed the plate and cup and stomped to a table in the corner. Even angry, he was sexy.

  “You know him?” Rose mouthed.

  “I met him l
ast night.”

  Ally saw her glance at the bruise on her cheek. Surely she didn’t think Caspar had done that?

  “It was an accident,” Ally whispered. “Look, does he need the job? I don’t mind stepping down.”

  “No, I want you. Apart from the fact that I doubt he’d be capable of getting up that early, he’s too bloody tempting. My husband would have kittens if I let Caspar work here.”

  Too bloody tempting was right. Ally found it hard not to look at him. A daylight Caspar was even more attractive. He’d shaved and combed his hair, though he looked tired. He picked up a newspaper someone had left and read while he ate. There was a quiet intensity in the way he did everything, a brooding, romantic hero in his long, black wool coat. Except the elbows were threadbare and the collar frayed.

  “Don’t be fooled by his good looks,” Rose muttered. “He even does bad temper with style.”

  The only free chairs were at Caspar’s table but it seemed people would rather stand by the counter than sit with him. What had he done to make people dislike him?

  The rush died down, and when Ally cleared the table next to Caspar, she noticed him looking at the jobs section of the paper. Guilt surged through her. He’d been prepared to work in a café. Rose had even offered to feed him for free but his pride wouldn’t let that happen. Shit.

  “He’s Trouble with a capital T,” Rose said in her ear when she returned to the counter.

  And Sexy with a capital S.

  When he left, just before ten, Rose breathed a sigh of relief and the noise level in the café rose again. Ally wanted to ask about Caspar but something stopped her. If there was a proper reason why he was disliked, Ally preferred to hear it from the source and not secondhand.

  “Want to give me your mobile number and then if my husband comes back, I can let you know.”

  They swapped phones to type in numbers.

  “Where’s the nearest big supermarket?” Ally asked.

  “If you want big, you’d have to go to Buxton. Do you have a car?”

  “No.”

  “There’s a bus on the hour, every hour. If you run you might catch the one at ten. Turn right outside. The stop’s about fifty yards down the road. Here, take this.”

  She pressed ten pounds into Ally’s hand and Ally thanked her, grabbed her coat and purse, and ran. The bus was already there but a line of people waited to get on, including Caspar.

  Ally paid the driver, took a deep breath and walked toward the rear. Caspar sat on his own, his head resting against the window. The seats around him were empty, as if he’d been marooned on an island.

  “Can I sit with you?” she asked. Please say yes. Ally didn’t want to think about what she’d do if he said no.

  He looked up at her with his gray eyes, gave a small smile, and Ally felt her pelvic muscles tighten.

  Caspar had been playing with something in his right hand. As Ally settled next to him, she caught sight of a thick, red ribbon and a flash of metal before he pushed it in his coat pocket.

  “Did you do that last night when you fell?” He nodded at her cheek.

  “No.”

  His mouth tightened. “Ah, you’ve run away from whoever did it. So you are smart. I did wonder when you asked to sit next to me. Just so long as you don’t let Finn think I punched you.”

  Ally sat up straighter. “You know my brother?”

  Caspar half laughed and half moaned. “Finn’s your brother?”

  “His mum and dad fostered me when I was eleven. Finn was sixteen. He’s in America for a couple of months.”

  “Probably lucky for the guy who hit you.”

  Ally didn’t see a lot of Finn but she thought Caspar was right. If a guy hit her, Finn wouldn’t sit back. Ally dropped her voice to a whisper. “No one hit me. I…fell in front of a train.”

  Caspar blinked, opened his mouth and closed it again. He stared at her and Ally’s heart began to bang harder against her ribs. She was careful not to touch him, suspecting her hormones might break out into a song-and-dance routine if she did.

  “You really had an argument with a train and lived to tell the tale?”

  She bent her head toward his ear. “Don’t tell anyone, but actually I’m a ghost, trapped in limbo. I hadn’t racked up enough credits to get to heaven, probably because of the incident with the fire truck and the nun, so I have to do a few good deeds before I’m allowed to stroll down that tunnel of light.”

  His mouth twisted in a half-smile. “If you want to save my soul, you’re too late. I lost it years ago.”

  “That was careless. Anyway, I’m not sure I believe you. You seem a deliberate sort of guy to me.”

  She could see his hand moving in his coat pocket and wondered what the heck he was doing.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re basing this on…?”

  “Angel intuition.”

  “I thought you were a ghost?”

  She laughed. “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Ally cocked her head to one side. “You’re a strange one, Mr. Grinch. People seem to avoid you, yet you don’t let that interfere with how you live your life. The pub. The café.”

  “Maybe I like pushing people’s buttons.”

  Or hiding in plain sight? More fiddling in his pocket. Was he nervous?

  Caspar sighed. “You’re wrong, you know. It’s only men who don’t like me.” He leaned over and breathed into her ear. “Women love me.”

  A burst of cream wet her panties. Damn, damn, damn.

  “How frustrating when you’re so obviously gay,” she whispered.

  He smothered a laugh. “Ah, you’d like me to prove I’m not. We could find a hotel in town and I promise to fuck you ’til you scream.”

  You arrogant prick. Ally made sure her chuckle sounded genuine but she’d started to go off him. Yet something told her he was trying to throw her off.

  “Wow, let me think when I’ve had a more tempting offer.” She tapped her chin. “Oh yeah, when Kevin Prentiss said, ‘Try this. It will be the best thing you ever tasted.’”

  “And was it?”

  “He gave me rat poison. I was in the hospital for a week. I was seven. He was twelve.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Didn’t taste bad, but then it would hardly attract rats if it tasted vile. So no, Caspar, thanks for the offer but I have to go shopping. Finn didn’t even leave an ice cube in his place.”

  Want her, want her, want her, want her.

  Caspar had never been more grateful for his coat. He hadn’t even touched her and his cock had shot to attention. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if she’d taken him up on his offer of a fuck in a hotel room. He hadn’t really meant it. It was a halfhearted attempt to warn her off. Though if she’d said yes, he’d have been forced to ask her to pay. He had no money in his bank account and no credit cards. The fifteen quid in his pocket had to last until his next payment of Job Seekers Allowance. His final entitlement to the weekly sixty-five quid was due soon and that was it. No more from the government coffers. He was fucked in entirely the wrong way.

  “The Peak District is really beautiful,” Ally said as she stared past him through the window. “No traffic jams and concrete towers. Just hills, valleys, crags and moorland. Oh, and lots of sheep.”

  “And not a mountain peak in sight.”

  Ally laughed, her face lit up and his cock twitched.

  He wanted to ask her on a date. Caspar gulped and twisted the metal cross in his pocket even faster. When was the last time he’d asked a woman out? Usually he just talked and they either wanted to fuck or they didn’t. He didn’t have to take them anywhere except to bed. Never his. Always theirs. Though most times they didn’t even bother with a bed. A toilet stall, a wall, an alley. Not many places Caspar hadn’t used.

  He hadn’t asked anyone out on a date in years. Only he’d have to think of something that didn’t involve him spending a lot of money. Any money, in fact. He wished he hadn’t wasted his cash on the wine last night.

  Cas
par wished a lot of things.

  His fingers tightened around the medal in his pocket and he turned the cross back and forth in his palm. He didn’t want to sell it, but what use was it sitting in a box?

  “Having fun?” Ally nodded at his twitching lap and Caspar’s hand froze.

  “It’s not what you think. I wasn’t—” He pulled the medal from his pocket. “It was my grandfather’s.” He stuffed it back and removed his hand.

  “Is it like a good luck charm?”

  “I don’t believe in luck.”

  Ally opened her eyes wide. “Really? You’re not lucky I sat next to you then?”

  Oh God, she’s irresistible. Caspar couldn’t remember the last time anyone had joked with him, pulled his leg, laughed at him without malicious intent. He opened his mouth to say he felt very lucky, and she spoke again.

  “Have you always lived around here?”

  “Not always.” His parents had lived here forever, but he’d been packed off to boarding school at the age of five.

  “I’ve only ever lived around London. I didn’t see a cow until I was eleven. Put me right off milk when I realized where it came from. I’ve never touched it since. I’d have had a problem this morning if I’d needed to boil the stuff. The smell makes me throw up.”

  Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different. Caspar suspected she’d had nothing while he’d had everything.

  “How do you know Finn?” she asked.

  “I met him in the pub. Is he still going out with Melissa?”

  “No, she cheated on him and he dumped her.”

  Caspar felt a pang of guilt.

  “And I am so grateful to whoever tempted her,” Ally said. “I only met her once but I knew she wasn’t right for Finn.”

  Keep your mouth shut. “Why not?”

  “She wouldn’t give up her cats and Finn’s allergic. He said every time he went out with her she made him sneeze.”

  This was normal conversation and Caspar was enthralled.