Page 140 of Someone Like You

‘Seriously, Raff, you don’t need to worry about me.Yes, I recently discovered that I have feelings for you, but I promise I’m content just to be your friend – yourbestfriend. And I’m happy foryou –really. I’m glad you’ve found someone, that Freya’s plan worked.’

I recognise the instant the words are out of my mouth that I’ve gone too far, Raff’s sharp inhale of breath proving me right.

‘Look—’

‘What do you mean Freya’s plan worked? Wait, are you talking aboutJulia?’

‘Don’t you meanJules?’

It’s a ridiculous and unnecessary dig and it does nothing to make me feel better about how I’m handling this.

He huffs out another sigh, his jaw set with anger now. ‘What?’

I can’t sit here any longer, so I swing my legs back over the wall and stand, then stare out at the view. In a feat of curious timing, the clouds have cleared enough to see the base of Mount Rainier.

‘You called her “Jules”,’ I say, resigned that I’m in a nightmare of my own making – I may as well see it through. ‘Back there at the house.’

‘She asked me to – that’s what her friends call her.’

Well, that was unexpected. ‘Oh,’ I say, nothing else coming to mind.

‘Oh? A moment ago, that name seemed to carry a bit more weight than “oh”.’

‘Never mind,’ I tell him. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Especially now it’s moot.

‘I will mind, thank you very much,’ he says, getting up and rounding on me. I’ve only ever seen Raff this angry when he confronted CiCi about entering him inBritain’s Best Bakerswithout his consent. It’s unnerving having his anger directed at me, even if I deserve it.

‘And what the bloody hell has Julia – or Jules or whatever you want to call her – got to do with Freya?’

Seriously? Hestilldoesn’t get it?

‘You know, for someone so smart, you can be really dumb.’ It’s mean, but nowI’mgetting pissed off.

‘I beg your pardon.’

‘Yep –dumb. Julia was a set-up, Raff. That party – the one you were invited to last minute – that was so you could meet her. You’d already passed on Jane and Ava, so Julia was Plan C.’

‘Who the hell are Jane and Ava?’ he asks, throwing up his hands.

‘The talkative one from the food safety course and the gal at the day spa. Those were set-ups.’

‘They were not. They couldn’t have been.How?’

‘Come on,seriously? You know Freya. Did youreallythink you could give her the okay to match you’ – he tries to interrupt me, but I continue – ‘what sheperceivedas the okay to match you, and she wasn’t going to run with it? And you told her “no dates”, remember, so we had to get creative.’

‘We?’

‘Oh, yeah. The second we left CiCi and Devin’s that day, she roped me into her little scheme, and it was full steam a-fucking-head.’

It finally seems to be sinking in, and he stares hard at the ground, then sits heavily on the wall.

‘And so, Julia…’ He lifts his head and looks at me questioningly.

‘Julia was “third try lucky”. All we had to do was get you to the party, then she would come over and introduce herself.’

‘So,shewas in on it?’ he asks, unravelling yet another layer of deception.

I nod.

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