Page 113 of The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love

‘You can. By being one of the couples,’ Carlos says. ‘You can bring Zach.’

I’m busy maintaining eye contact with Carlos but it doesn’t stop me feeling George’s interested gaze swivel sharply in my direction.

Wow.

How could I have forgotten about Zach?

‘Um, right. I could. Of course,’ I say, lamely. ‘I will.’

‘And George, you’ll come too, right? And bring a date?’

Chapter Thirty-Four

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…

George

The first thing I notice walking into Oscars for its first-ever Bake-Date is Ashleigh. Her hair is loose and falling past her shoulders in silky, touchable waves. She’s wearing a dress.

A “date” dress?

‘What do you think?’ Carlos asks as he greets me at the door and presses something soft into my hands.

I think she looks incredible.

‘Does it fit?’ Carlos asks.

‘Yeah,’ I mutter, drinking in the sight. ‘It fits really well.’

‘You haven’t even tried it on, yet,’ Oz says, walking out from behind the counter.

I’m confused, until I realise that they’re actually referring to the apron Carlos shoved into my hands when I walked in. Hurriedly, I unfold it and put it over my head and as I fumble with tying the strings at the back I ask Ashleigh, ‘Where’s yours?’

She looks up from her phone, locates a garment in identical black and gold and smiles shyly at me. ‘Carlos had these printed for tonight. I was telling him they should sell them as merchandise. Like a reminder of the experience?’

‘Great idea. Here,’ I say stepping towards her, ‘let me help you tie it?’

‘I’ve got it,’ she insists.

‘Of course.’ I move back to the second bank of tables set up with bowls of ingredients. ‘Where’s Zach?’ The question pops out of my mouth without warning.

She answers in the form of a wide-eyed blink and I guess the innocent-sounding question may not have sounded innocent so much as extremely blunt but hey, I’m more than a little curious to meet this guy she’s supposedly dating. The guy that up until the dinner party at Mrs. Lundy’s a couple of weeks ago I had absolutely no idea existed. Considering all the things we’ve told each other I’d found the fact she’d never once mentioned him way more interesting than I should have.

‘Yes, where’s Zach?’ Carlos asks. ‘Don’t tell me he’s broken his other ankle. Not tonight.’

‘He just messaged,’ Ashleigh answers. ‘He’s running late.’

‘Make a habit of that, does he?’ I ask.

A scowl forms over her big brown eyes. ‘No, he doesn’t make a habit of that. He has a work emergency.’

‘A work emergency?’ I say, sounding unconvinced. ‘What does he do?’ With my luck he’s a heart surgeon.

‘He’s an HVAC engineer.’

Hopefully not at the hospital. I’m not sure I could take another mention of the place. I’m finding it hard enough that the job the Head of Cardiology offered me keeps popping into my thoughts.

Ashleigh’s staring, waiting for me to comment on Zach’s job. I end up going with, ‘Cool.’ Except it’s probably something Ashleigh finds hot? Couldn’t be more different to sitting in an office, thinking creative type thoughts, like I do. Or did. And my exercise is the gym and to be honest I can’t remember the last time I fixed something. I’m not feeling like I’m much competition here.

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