Page 118 of The One That I Want

‘A bit.’

‘How about this: who is the biggest gossip in your friendship group?’

‘Bella,’ she replies instantly.

‘Well, then, I suggest you set up a coffee date with Bella – or whatever you young people do these days…’ I tease.

She sniggers. ‘You’re like, what? Ten years older than me?’

‘Thereabouts – closer to thirteen – but I’m an old soul.’ This self-deprecation is for entertainment purposes only – to make Evie laugh, which she does. I don’t actuallyfeelold, especially as I’m only thirty-seven.

‘Anyway,’ I say, getting us back on track, ‘meet up with Bella and tell her your sob story. Lay it on as thick as you can. That will get the word out. And then you will see who your true friends are.’

‘And justice will be served,’ she declares.

‘Says the woman with a degree in social justice,’ I reply, and she grins proudly. ‘And I’d say it’s very likely. So, does that make you feel a bit better about things?’

‘So much better. Thank you, Poppy. You know, Liv and I think of you like a big sister. We just love you.’

‘Oh, I… Thank you for saying that.’ My tears make another appearance right as Tristan does.

‘I thought— Oh no. Nowyou’recrying, darling,’ he says, looking helpless.

‘My fault,’ says Evie. ‘Just telling Poppy how much Liv and I love her.’

‘Oh, well, of course,’ he says, crossing to the sofa. He leans down and kisses the top of my head. ‘She’s very lovable. You both are.’ He smacks a kiss on Evie’s head then strides off to the kitchen. ‘Right, so am I making us dinner?’

‘Yes, please,’ we chorus from the sofa. Saffron must have heard the word ‘dinner’ because she wanders in from her room and Evie leaps off the sofa to play with her.

As I watch them, sipping my wine, I consider that ‘set of special skills’ I have at my disposal – namely, the agency’s vastresources. I could make Tyler’s life a living misery. He’s just lucky I’m not Liam Neeson.

31

GRETA

I hover in the doorway to Anjali’s office, waiting for her to finish a phone call. She waves me in with a smile, then mouths, ‘Just wrapping up,’ as she points to the phone.

I slide into the chair opposite her right as her smile falls away and she says, ‘I mustn’t have made myself clear – I’m notasking, Jerome. Amelia was explicit…Yes, this is coming directly from Amelia. Mmm-hmm, I thought as much. Look, I have to go – a colleague’s just stepped in.’ She ends the call with a shake of her head and without saying goodbye.

All these years working with Anjali and in the past few days, I’ve witnessed a different side to her entirely. Maybe it’s me being promoted to managing editor that has fostered the shift in our relationship from (awed) subordinate and boss to something closer to peers. She did just refer to me as her colleague.

‘So, Jerome…?’ I ask.

‘Ugh…’ she groans. ‘He’s new – based out of New York. He’s come over fromTorque Talk.’ I make a face. ‘I know,’ she says, rubbing between her brows. ‘He’s not my hire – the son of one of Amelia’s friends, apparently. But you don’t need to bother with all that. What’s up?’

‘I was just about to pop down to The Daily Grind – did you want me to bring you back a coffee?’

Her expression shifts from annoyance to bemusement. ‘That sounds innocent enough,’ she says cryptically.

‘Innoce— What do you mean? I only offered to get you a coffee.’

She places her elbows on her desk, steepling her fingers and resting her chin on top.

‘What?’ I ask again. ‘Now you’re making me feel self-conscious.’

‘This doesn’t have anything to do with a certain bloke who frequents the coffee shop, does it? The one who reminds me of that handsome Scottish actor?’

Oh no.Whatdid Poppy tell Anjali? I didn’t explicitly ask her not to mention Ewan to Anjali, but I’d hoped she wouldn’t. And the possibility that she did feels like a betrayal.

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