Page 58 of Shout Out To My Ex

‘Oh,’ he says with a laugh. ‘I thought you were wondering why I’m going to London.’

‘Er… no, I?—’

‘Well, I— Sorry,’ he says, having interrupted me. ‘You go.’

But now he’s said that, I’m curious. Whyishe going to London when his fashion house is based in New York?

‘Okay, why London?’

He grins at me. ‘Home base for the next six months, maybe longer. I’ve rented an apartment in Hackney.’

‘You what?’ Hackney is where Cass and I liveandwhere our fashion house is located.

‘Yeah, the UK’s got some incredible vegan leather producers, so I’ll be connecting with them, doing some exploring… getting inspiration for the next couple of collections… Operations and distribution will still be run out of the US, but who knows what the future holds?’ He shrugs with nonchalant optimism.

‘And, you know, a change of scene’s always good,’ he continues. ‘London’s big but after New York, it’s going to feel… I don’t know,spacious? I’m looking forward to it – a fresh perspective, reconnecting with old friends…’

Well, fuck. In one go, Leo’s invalidated more than half my reasons we can never work together. And ‘reconnecting with old friends’? What’sthatsupposed to mean?!

‘Here you go,’ says Cassie, appearing at precisely the right – or is it wrong? – moment. She and Poppy distribute food and drinks amongst us and settle back into their seats.

‘So, what have you two been up to?’ asks Poppy.

Trying not to fall back in love with Leo while discovering that he’s moving in around the corner!

‘Actually,’ says Leo, ‘I was just telling Elle that I’m staying in London till at least the fall.’

‘Interesting,’ says Cassie. She smiles at him broadly, looks to Poppy pointedly, then raises her eyebrows at me with a smile I’d describe as ‘evil mastermind’.

‘Interesting’ my arse, Cassandra Evelyn Bliss! If I didn’t know better, I’d think that Cassie orchestrated this entire thing, right down to us sharing a berth on the flipping Eurostar with Leo!

18

POPPY

I’m at the morning staff meeting and the briefing on ‘Elle and the Shoemaker’ (still a dumb case name, IMO) is up next. There is so much happening that I’m not even listening to George’s update (very rude and unprofessional of me). Instead, I’m consulting the notes on my tablet.

‘And Poppy?’ says Saskia, directing everyone’s attention to me. ‘How are you and Nasrin getting on?’ I love how casually she asks this, as if she’s enquiring about a tardy coffee order.

I sit up taller in my seat and don my Poppy-the-Professional expression. Part of my update is bound to be contentious, and I want to convey an I’ve-got-this vibe.

‘The highlights are…’ I say, pressing a button on a remote. The photo of Elle receiving flowers from Leo at the end of her show appears on the large screen above Saskia’s head. She swivels her chair and everyone looks up. Freya – the romantic – sighs.

‘Elle and Leo-slash-Lorenzo connected several times over the time in Paris, including at the conclusion of her fashion show, in which he gave her flow?—’

‘So, they’ve reunited?’ Ursula interjects. ‘Is the case closed?’Hah! Far from it, I think.

‘Uh, no, not yet,’ I reply. ‘They havetalkedon several occasions, but I’d say it’s more “reconnecting” than “reconciling” at this stage. Iamconfident there are feelings – on both sides – that could lay the foundation for a reunion.’

She doesn’t seem to have follow-up questions, so I proceed.

‘Additionally, a few factors have come into play over the past several days that impact the case. First, Leo announced that he’ll be living in London for the next six months, maybe longer, which, of course, works in our favour’ – several murmurs of encouragement – ‘andwhile in Paris, he introduced Elle to his sister, Brandy, which we also consider a positive.’

I can sense Nasrin squirming beside me, bursting with the news I’m about to share. But she won’t interrupt me – we have aplan.

‘However,’ I say, advancing to the next image: Leo and Franzia on the small stage at the H&M party. Freya exchanges a sigh for a gasp and I want to say, ‘I know, right?’ but I don’t.

‘This was taken two nights ago. For those who don’t know, standing with Leo is Franzia, the supermodel. This was taken moments after she announced their engagement.’

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