Page 126 of The One That I Want

‘Well…’ Paloma looks to me.

‘We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. But, in the meantime, Ewan needs to know exactly what happenedandhow you feel about him, so he can make an informed decision.’

‘You mean decide whether he wants to be with me,’ she states simply.

‘Yes.’

We’re all quiet for a moment, then Greta lifts her head and sits up straighter. ‘I think I have something.’ She quickly looks at us in turn. ‘I’m a writer, aren’t I? I should write to him.’

‘Oh, I love that,’ says George, and Greta breaks into a smile.

‘A stellar idea,’ says Anjali.

‘And writing to him… I’ll be telling him how I feel, but still giving him space, right?’ Greta asks me.

‘Exactly,’ I reply.

Paloma gets up and goes to her desk, returning with a notepad and pen. Greta takes it and starts scribbling hurriedly while we all watch. I look up and catch Paloma’s eye with a questioning shrug. She mouths, ‘We should go,’ which is a generous offer considering this is her office.

‘Why don’t the rest of us give you some privacy,’ I say, prompting the others to leave.

Greta barely looks up, mumbling her thanks and the rest of us leave the office. Now, we wait…

33

GRETA

This may be the most important piece of writing of my life. No, forget ‘may be’ – it is. Because the thought of losing Ewan for good, when we’ve only just embarked on a romantic relationship, makes me feel ill. Thishasto work.

I’m vaguely aware that the others left a while back and when I lift my head to check the time, nearly an hour has passed. I quickly read over my letter, satisfied with my first draft.

But it will need to be perfect.

I tear off the pages I’ve filled and put them into my handbag, then leave the pad and pen on Paloma’s desk. When I open the door to the open-plan office, it’s humming with activity. I spy Poppy at her desk reading something on her laptop and make my way over.

‘Hello.’

‘Oh, hi,’ she says with a warm smile. ‘How’d you go?’

‘Good, I think. A start anyway. I should probably head back to work, though, see out the day. I’ve got some résumés to look through.’

‘Will you be able to concentrate?’ she asks.

‘I think so – now we have a plan and I’ve got my thoughts down. I still need to revise it, of course – and I want to run it past Tiggy…’

‘Always a good idea to get your bestie’s point of view,’ she replies. ‘Mine’s still a psychologist; she’s never shy about giving her advice – solicited or not.’

We share a laugh. ‘Tiggy and I are nothing alike, but I think that helps, her having a unique perspective on things.’

‘Absolutely.’

‘I’ll go – I don’t want to keep you any longer than necessary.’

‘Oh, I’m just helping vet some potentials. You’re myclient, Greta. You’re still my number-one priority until the case is officially closed.’

I don’t ask what will determine that. Other than me ending up with Ewan, I don’t want to evenconsiderwhat would constitute ‘case closed’.

‘Thank you,’ I say instead. ‘I suppose that makes me your client-ish.’

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