Page 89 of The Wedding Game

‘Is she … dating anyone?’ I ask casually.

‘Why? You found someone to fix her up with?’ Scarlet asks. ‘That’s very generous of you. Where was this benevolence when I was on the hunt for a man?’

I chuckle. ‘I tried setting you up with many single people.You didn’t like them and … I’m just curious. You don’t know if she’s with anyone?’

‘No, I don’t. Why?’ she asks, her eyes narrowing to suspicious slits.

‘I thought she was really nice and I wondered why she didn’t have a boyfriend.’

‘Oh,’ Scarlet says, obviously completely perplexed by this conversation and why we’re having it. It’s clear she knowsnothingabout the likelihood of Victoria and Chris still being together. It sounds as if she didn’t even know they’d got together in the first place. ‘Want me to do some digging?’ she volunteers. ‘I can message and ask if she’s single.’

‘No, that’s weird. You can’t do that. Forget it. It’s not important.’

Victoria and Chris have probably fizzled out by now. It’s not even worth mentioning my concerns to Scarlet. And I don’t know what my concerns are. I don’t want her to dig me out over it. I sit chewing and thinking.

‘You’re being odd,’ Scarlet says slowly. ‘Why are you being odd?’ I wish she didn’t know me this well. She could at leastpretendnot to know what’s going on in my head.

‘Chris is moving back to London,’ I say.

‘That was quite the subject change,’ Scarlet replies. ‘Is that why you’re being weird?’

‘Yep,’ I reply.

As predicted, Scarlet reaches for the cinnamon bun. ‘Why’s he moving back?’

‘Applied for a job and got it,’ I paraphrase.

‘That’s quite impulsive. Mind you, he asked you to get on a plane with him. That’s impulsive.’

‘Why would you mention that?’

Scarlet laughs, tears the cinnamon bun in pieces and hands me half.

‘He’s not normally an impulsive person, I don’t think. Although he seems to be turning into one.’ I’m trying to reason it out in my head. ‘He’s moving because he’s got a job and it’s a good jump up the career ladder.’

Her eyes narrow again. ‘Are you bothered he’s coming back, even though you’re happy with Josh?’

‘What? No.’

‘Are you worried something’s going to happen between you and Chris, now he’s coming back to London? Are you worried you don’t trust yourself.’

‘No!’ I exclaim and throw a bit of pastry at her. I sigh, long and loud. ‘Can I be honest?’ I start.

‘No. Lie to me. I feel that’s a safer conversation.’

‘Ha-ha,’ I say flatly. ‘Iambothered.’

‘Knew it.’

‘But not because I don’t trust myself. I know it’s wrong to be bothered. There’s just something about him. I’ve never dated him, never kissed him, never even …’ I trail off. ‘It doesn’t make sense, I know that.’ I can’t believe the words coming out of my own mouth.

Scarlet looks at me, her lips parted. ‘You two didn’t even kiss?’ she asks.

‘No.’

‘I didn’t know that. I thought you kissed at that wedding.’

‘I kissed Josh.’

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