Page 23 of The One That I Want

‘Right, of course,’ Olivia replies glumly.

‘Look, you’re coming over next weekend. See if you can talk her into confiding in me.’

‘Will do.’

‘I’m happy to help in any way I can, Olivia – just as long as it comes from Evie.’

‘Thanks, Poppy. See you then.’ She ends the call.

Now what’s your deal, Tyler?I wonder. He’d better not be messing Evie about, but if his behaviour has prompted Olivia to make anactualphone call, that’s not a good sign.

Greta

‘Deep breaths, Greta,’ I tell myself as I walk the short – and now familiar – path to the coffee shop. The Daily Grind has become my home away from… well, the office. The décor, the foliage… they soothe me. And a soothing atmosphere has become a necessity ever since I learnt about the Ever After Agency and Anjali’s (mad) plan to match me and marry me off.

Yes, I, Greta Davies amhiding. From my job. That I love and am brilliant at.

They get my name right now, at least – the baristas, I mean, not the agency. Monday morning’s coffee – and yesterday’s – had ‘GRETA’ scrawled across the cups in neat block letters. Maybe Ewan said something to them.

Ewan.

Okay, it’s not just the blond wood furnishing and pot plants that make me feel comfortable here, Ewan does too.

I wonder what work he does that he can hang about in a coffee shop, working on his laptop. Well, that’s assuming he’s here when I’m not. He may be like me – simply taking a daily breather from one of the dozens of workplaces within a two-minute walk.

Regardless of what Ewan does for work, he’s becoming the biggest drawcard for The Daily Grind – and that speak volumes considering the calibre of their coffee.

He’s just so easy to talk to, sonormal. He also doesn’t know I’m being forced to write a series of articles about dating, so when we talk, it’s about anything else, like his spoodle (half cocker spaniel, half poodle), Remy.

We also talk about travel – mostly his, as I’ve been adding to my travel bucket list for years, but because I’ve focussed on my career, it remains largely unvisited – and books we’ve read – again, mostly books he’s read, as my TBR list is as long as my bucket list. If the day ever comes that my career isn’t as fulfilling as it is now, you’ll find me holidaying somewhere exotic with a stack of books by my side.

Something especially fun we’ve started doing is hypothesising what different coffee orders say about the person who ordered them.

Yesterday, a bloke ordered English Breakfast tea – no milk – with a shot of espresso. Teaandcoffee. Together. In the same cup! When the bloke behind the counter shouted the order to the barista, the barista did a double take. Half the people in the coffee shop did too.

Ewan and I decided he must work for MI6 and that his order was a coded message. We even scoured the rest of the patrons, trying to work out who his contact might be, then fell about laughing when we came up short. Everyone else seemed toonon-descript to be a spy – although, I suppose that’s what theywantyou to think.

And who knew people watching could be so much fun? If The Daily Grind hadn’t become a sort of sanctuary where I can spend an hour or two away from the office to decompress and collect my thoughts, I’d invite Bex to join me. Maybe she could write aWhat Your Coffee Order Says About Youlisticle.

I queue up to place my order, scanning for Ewan but, disappointingly, don’t see him. I’ll save him a seat just in case he shows.

When I collect my coffee from the counter, there it is again: ‘GRETA’. By java, I think they’ve got it! Ha-ha. I make my way through the crowd, most of whom seem to be getting takeaways, and find a table at the back next to the window.

I sip my coffee – it’s perfect – and watch the passers-by outside.

‘Am I interrupting? You seem deep in thought.’

I look up, smiling. ‘Hello, you.’ Ewan raises his brows inquiringly, then flicks his eyes towards the chair opposite me. ‘Please – sorry, yes, sit,sit.’

He does, chuckling.

‘That came out like a command, didn’t it?’

‘That’sexactlyhow I talk to Remy,’ he says, his blue eyes twinkling. ‘So, not working this morning?’ he asks, indicating my still-closed laptop.

‘I will. I’ve got a few decisions to make by the end of the day: articles for the?—’

‘Oh, for the next issue already?’ he asks, interrupting.

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