Page 41 of Sleep

“Bah. Don’t let Chef Ben hear you talk like that. We’ve won awards, I’ll have you know.”

“The company was better. Apart from Kurt.”

“Kurt is sweet.”

“Hmm. Though I do like Tabitha.”

“Everyone likes Tabitha. She’s great. Very capable.”

“Not like you.”

“She’ll slip into my shoes with ease. People won’t even notice I’m gone.”

“Don’t put yourself down, Pickle.”

“Pickle,” they muttered.

“I’m still confused about where we’re going with this,” I said. “I mean, most of the time, things move quickly, don’t they? People meet, have a whisky, and wham bam, full-blown sex.”

“Then sneak out in the morning,” they added.

“Something like that. This feels different. Like we’re actually getting somewhere.”

“Friendship. Connection. It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Is that how you see it?”

“In a way. I don’t know where we’re going either, and I’m not sure know what I want, but—”

“That hug earlier was lovely,” I interrupted.

“Hugs,” they said in low seductive voice, “are freely available. I may not be good at them, but if you need them, they’re yours.”

“Thank you.”

This was so nice. And maybe, just maybe…

“Would you please stay the night?”

“In the guest room?”

“Where else would you like to sleep?”

“Well, if I’m going to turn this around, I suggest we start simply.”

“With?”

“The bedroom. That plastic comes off the mattress, and we make the bed. Easy first steps. That okay with you?”

I suddenly wasn’t so sure.

16. Mabel

If living my life in the shadow of Mark Quinton had taught me anything, it was that I was not an impulsive person. I thought things through. Well, I’d made a few mistakes in the past—slept with people I shouldn’t have, said words that should never have left my mouth, made decisions that sometimes hurt my head.

I was a person who made emotional decisions over business ones. I kept staff on to give them a final chance instead of kicking them out the door headfirst. I smothered people in kindness when I should have stood up for myself. I was the one person who fought for other people, all the time.

But I was also painfully aware that no one else ever fought for me. That sounded childish, but it was the truth. Growing older had taught me some harsh life lessons, and each one had hurt.

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