Page 34 of Someone Like You

She drops her gaze as she contemplates the question. ‘I suppose it shows that Gaby and Raff are much closer than he and I are these days. She seems to have picked up on quite a few factors I hadn’t considered.’

How is she not making the connection?

‘Frey, I’m pretty sure there’s something else going on here.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘Has it ever occurred to you that Gaby may have feelings for Raff?’ I ask.

‘Feelings?’

‘Romantic feelings, yes.’

Her surprise is so extreme it’s comical, and then she bursts out laughing – and not a snigger or a chuckle or even a giggle. We’re talking full-on, throw-her-head-back-and-guffaw laughter. Soon, everyone in the office is looking our way.

‘Oi, Freya. What’s so funny?’ Nasrin shouts over the laughter.

Freya waves her hand in front of her face as she tries to catch her breath. Nas and I exchange a glance and she rolls her eyes.

‘Are you done yet?’ I ask Freya, my patience wearing thin.

She inhales deeply and gets her laughter under control. ‘Sorry,’ she gasps, running her forefingers under her eyes and blinking back tears.

‘What’s all this about?’ asks Ursula, suddenly appearing at our side.

‘Poppy said thefunniestthing just now,’ Freya replies, still catching her breath.

Ursula’s lips quiver disapprovingly. ‘Do tell.’

‘Just about Gaby being in love with Raff.’

Freya shakes her head at me, her mouth curling into an amused, almost patronising smile. Ireallydon’t enjoy seeing Freya behave this way – it’s very unlike her and almost definitely a result of her being too close to this case.

‘I didn’t say she’s in love with him,’ I say coolly. ‘I was positing that there may be some underlying feelings impacting Gaby’s judgement.’

‘Poppy, Gaby has never fancied Raff – and vice versa. They’re like brother and sister.’

‘Got it,’ I reply.

She sighs noisily, then stands. ‘But thank you for the update.’

As Freya rolls her chair back to her desk, Ursula leans down, overwhelming me with her signature scent, Chanel N°5.

‘After the staff meeting, I suggest you and I meet with Saskia and Paloma,’ she whispers.

I meet her eyes. ‘So, you agree with me?’

‘Oh, absolutely. If you hadn’t raised it, I would have.’

After Ursula leaves, I lean back in my chair as I start sifting through Freya’s OTT reaction. This is worse than I anticipated – she’s completely blind to a major factor that could derail this entire case. Maybe agreeing to keep her in the loop was a mistake.

I take a sip of tea, discovering it’s gone cold, so I leap up and head to the kitchen to boil the kettle. After that interaction, I need all the magical, soothing properties tea can bring.

‘I can see why you brought this to us,’ says Saskia, ‘but perhaps it was merely Gaby’s protective instincts kicking in. Heisher closest friend. Maybe she’s just concerned about him getting hurt.’

Paloma chimes in with, ‘That sounds plausible.’

‘Hmm…’ I murmur, not really convinced.

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