Page 82 of The One That I Want

‘Another?’ asks the bartender, pointing to my nearly empty glass.

‘Sure, why not?’ If Poppy returns with good news, it’ll be a celebratory drink. And if not, I can drown my sorrows.

Only, which news is which? Is the agency agreeing to let me go out with Harrison good news or bad?

‘Oh, Greta, how did you get yourself into such a confounding situation?’ I ask myself.

Poppy

‘It’s not like you to second-guess yourself, Poppy,’ says George.

‘No, I know, but I think Anjali showing up at the agency has made me a little gun-shy.’

It’s only as I say this that I realise how much it rattled me to have my matchmaking methods questioned like that. I’ve gone to Saskia and Paloma for advice in the past – and there have been a handful of extreme situations in which I’ve sought their permission to implement a creative (i.e.way-outside-the-box) solution – but typically, I’m given full autonomy on my cases.

‘Understandable,’ he replies. ‘But youdidsay Ewan was a potential match. I mean, we bumped him up to the number-two spot.’

‘That’s why I called you – to get a sense check.’

This is one of the main reasons we’re always assigned a second – a lieutenant who can act as a sounding board and help us make sense of sticky situations.

‘So, which way are you leaning?’ he asks.

‘That’s the thing – in the five minutes since she brought it up, I’ve gone back and forth twice. Harrison is not going to stay single forever, and we don’t want Greta stringing Ewan along if she and Harrison are a match. On the other hand, she met Ewan organically, which is always a plus, and based on her recount of last night, I’d say there’s a strong chance they’re a match.’

‘Right. Hmm.’

I watch the traffic along the Strand as George and I silently chew on this dilemma.

‘I suppose the big question is,’ he says eventually, ‘will Greta be able to set Harrison aside without meeting him? What if she always wonders, “What if”?’

George is right. I hadn’t even considered that aspect.

‘Then it could hinder her building a successful relationship with Ewan,’ I reply.

‘So, are we saying what I think we’re saying?’ asks George.

‘We are. If we take Harrison off the table right now, it could backfire and I’m not prepared to take that risk. So, Greta gets one date with Harrison, then she must choose.’

‘Only you have to make it a recommendation, rather than a mandate.’

‘Yep.’

‘Well, good luck, Poppy.’

‘Thanks for being such a good second.’

‘Of course! Oops, gotta go. My ride’s here.’

He ends the call and now it’s just me and an anxious client with two love interests. What could possibly go wrong?

22

GRETA

‘That’sthe one,’ says Tiggy, nodding vigorously from the bed. She’s stretched out and munching on pickled onion Monster Munch. I can smell its pungent aroma from here.

‘Are you sure?’ I ask, turning this way and that in front of the mirror. ‘You don’t think it’s too “business-y”?’

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