Page 93 of The Suit

I picked up the bags and found the nearest bench to sit down on, very tempted to break into the box of cupcakes while I went through the additional dozen thoughts which had been added to the many,manyalready there. I was amazed people couldn’t actually see them spewing out of my ears, because there was no way my head could contain them all.

Margaret and Muscot?

Grannery and Muscot?

Grannery working here?

Grannery and Rafe?

Rafe?

Feather?

“Beulah?”

I jolted at the voice coming from my left, to find Kit walking across the grass to where I was sitting. I stood abruptly, only just about managing to stop all the bags from falling off the bench as I did.

“Hi… hello… hey!” I quickly checked to see if there was another greeting I could tag on, just to really cement myself as an utter loser.

Kit hugged me, then stepped back to glance down at all the bags. “Did you get lost shopping?”

“Oh, no,” I snorted awkwardly, “I actually came to see you. These are for you.” I thrust the flowers at her surprised face.

“What? Why? Not that I’m complaining, these are my favorite.” She buried her nose in the rich pink hydrangea blooms. “Thank you so much.”

“I wanted to come and see you and apologize for everything.” I picked up the cupcake box, holding it out to her. “And also, to thank you. These are a thank you.”

“Jesus, not sure I deserve all this, but I’m here for it.” She jostled the bag which was slipping off her shoulder. “I just spoke to Murray; the boys have all gone to the club for drinks. No idea how seeing as Murray was still drunk this morning, but if you don’t have plans tonight, do you want to come back to my place? It’s just round the corner. We can eat these while we wait to order takeout. I also have some tequila we can open, or champagne. No reason why the boys should be the only ones enjoying themselves.”

“I would love that, thank you.” I hadn’t been expecting an invitation anywhere, but from the way my belly flipped excitedly, I wasn’t about to turn it down. It was followed with a wince as I remembered the car. “Oh, I actually have a rental parked here, and I need to return it before six p.m. Would you mind if I did that and then came over?”

She shook her head. “Tell you what, I live just round the corner. Leave it here and we’ll call the car rental place to come and collect it; they usually do. You can run down when they get here.”

“Okay, great, if you’re sure.”

She lifted her laden hands up. “You brought me cupcakes and flowers, I’m sure.”

I smiled again with genuine happiness; this friendship thing wasn’t going too badly. “Okay, lead the way.”

Ninety minutes later, I signed the return slip and handed the keys over, then ran back to Kit’s place, which really was right round the corner. She would only have to roll out of bed for any early classes she taught.

I got to the stoop of her apartment at the same time as the Postmates guy, so I tipped him and carried it all in. Considering we’d already demolished two cupcakes each, I was surprisingly hungry - a good thing seeing as we seemed to have ordered enough Pad Thai and spring rolls to feed the entire building.

“Oh, yum.” Kit grabbed the bags as I walked back in, setting them on the counter of her little kitchen, already laid out with bowls and chopsticks.

The flowers were sitting in a vase on the side, and she’d lit one of the candles I’d bought her, the scent of fig and blackcurrant now fighting against the smell of the food. I poured us another glass of champagne each while she unpacked the food, then perched on a stool opposite her. I snatched a cracker from the bag she was offering me and crunched down. “Thank you. Where’s Bell tonight if Murray is out with the boys?”

I’d checked my phone again when I went out but had nothing from Rafe with details about the dinner he’d suggested. Considering Kit had said they’d all gone drinking, I assumed this meant he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to see me tonight - something I wasn’t feeling quite comfortable with.

“We have a nanny who stays three nights a week.” She mistook my confusion. “I know it’s unusual…”

“No…” I interrupted, before I could cause offense, “it’s not. I just thought you lived together,”

“We did, when I worked for him, but when we realized we had feelings for each other, I stopped working for him and moved out. I didn’t want to be there by default, and I wanted us to have a fresh start in a real relationship. I found this place a month or so ago,” she waved her arms around, “it’s why it’s still a bit of a mess, sorry.”

I followed her gesturing. This place was anything but a mess; there weren’t even any unpacked boxes. When I’d moved to Chicago, it had taken me two years to unpack the last box, not that I had many, but all I’d cared about was getting all my law books on the shelves. Everything else was lower down the priority list, and I spent too much time in the office to notice anyway.

“It’s really not, it’s lovely.”

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