Page 127 of The One That I Want

‘There you go,’ she says with a grin. She leans closer and lowers her voice. ‘She does say that a lot.’

‘Anjali?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You get used to it.’

I’m dawdling, but I know it’s because I feel safe here – in the agency, with Poppy. And once I step outside, I’m on my own.

Yes, I have a whole slew of people supporting me from the sidelines, but it’s solely up to me to deliver – literally, as I’ll be the one dropping off my letter to Ewan’s – and I need to do this on my own.

‘Well, bye, Poppy. I’ll keep you updated.’

She reaches up and lightly clasps my forearm. ‘You’ve got this, Greta. And I’m here if you need me – any time of day. I’ll even go over there with you to deliver it if you like.’

It’s a generous offer, but I meant what I told myself just now. I need to do this on my own.

‘Thanks, Poppy.’

And with that, I head out into the sunshine to catch the Tube back toNouveau.

I watch Tiggy closely as she reads, clocking every nuanced twitch, brow furrow, and utterance. She reads the letter three times, back to back, before she looks up.

‘It’s good.’

‘Really?’ I ask with a relieved sigh.

‘Really. I’ve read everything you’ve ever written, remember, and this,’ she says, holding up the pages, ‘is top tier. It does need to be cleaned up a bit…’

‘Of course, it’s only the first draft but… Will it work, do you think?’

‘Well, I’ve never actually met the bloke, so it’s hard to say…’

‘No, I know, I know.’ I leap up and go to the kitchen, where I swing open the fridge and study the contents.

‘I will say this,’ Tiggy says, having followed me. She gently reaches around me to close the fridge and I peer up at her. ‘It’s not just good, it’sbeautiful.’

‘It is? I mean, that’s what I was aiming for.’

‘Well, you’ve succeeded.’

I exhale a sigh of relief.

‘And if he doesn’t fall instantly in love with you after reading it, he has no soul.’

This makes me laugh. Though, it could be nervous laughter, as I’ve been a wreck since I left the office. I was fine throwing myself into work – editing an article by one of our contributors,advising Lisa on a pull quote,andeven during a quick impromptu meeting with finance. But once I stepped outside the office…

All I could think of, all I couldpicture, was Ewan’s expression when Harrison told him about our date.

‘What?’ asks Tiggy. ‘You’ve got a strange look on your face.’

‘I can’t believe it’s still today.’

‘Huh?’

‘It was only this morning that I went to The Daily Grind to see Ewan… Then everything exploded. Orimploded.’

‘It’s been a day, that’s for sure,’ she commiserates.

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