Page 16 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

Where I must have left it.

She glared at Richard. ‘I thought he wanted to meetmeat the top of the Empire State building at noon. He knows it’s my favourite ever movie. We watched it together last week. So that’s why I thought... but I was obviously wrong. The note was clearly for you.’

She turned and we exchanged a look of understanding that might have been comforting if I wasn’t currently dealing with the biggest emotional betrayal of my life.

‘Look, I’m sorry, Emily.’ Richard’s voice was low and urgent and he tried to take her hand but she snatched it away. ‘I didn’t get around to talking to Katja before I left and I didn’t want to break up with her over the phone...’

‘So you decided to let me come all the way over here? So you couldthenbreak the news to me that it wasover?’ I gave a bitter laugh. ‘I can’t believe this. Why didn’t you just tell me over the phone? Or better still, break the newsbefore you left for New York? Because it seems to me that you were just keeping your options open until you met someone you fancied more than me.’

‘It wasn’t like that. Honestly, Katja. It wasn’t.’ He looked so crestfallen and sorry that I almost believed him. ‘I just... didn’t know how to tell you... that I’d... well, that I’d fallen out of love with you. I didn’t even realise it myself until... well, until I got to know Emily.’

‘Right.’ I nodded, my throat aching. It felt thick with unshed tears. ‘Well, I obviously know now, don’t I? So I guess there’s no point in me sticking around because you’ve clearly moved on.’ Ismiled stiffly at Emily. ‘You seem nice. I just hope he treats you a whole lot better than he’s treated me.’

I looked at Richard. ‘So did you seduce her over a mop and bucket?’ I snapped.

‘No.’

‘So how did it happen?’

He glanced away. ‘We met in The Old Ale House. That’s Emily’s local.’

‘Ah! The Old Ale House. Now things are starting to make sense. No wonder you didn’t want me to go in. You were obviously worried Emily might be in there and your dirty little secret would be out.’

I stared up at him, my lips pressed together, determined not to show that I was falling apart inside. ‘Well, I’ll be booking the first available flight home after I’ve collected my things,’ I told him, grasping my hands together to stop them shaking. ‘It was nice knowing you, Richard. Have a great life!’

I started walking away from them towards the lift, but my eyes were so blurry with tears, I kept blundering into people and having to apologise.

‘Katja, wait! I’ll come back to the apartment with you.’

‘Just don’t, Richard.’ I turned and held up my hands to stop him getting nearer. ‘I’ve still got the spare key. I’ll post it through the letterbox when I leave.’

‘But...’ He gazed at me helplessly. ‘I never meant to hurt you, Katja.’

‘Really?’ I looked at him in disgust. ‘Thatold chestnut? Is that all you could come up with?’

‘Look, it just happened with Emily and me. It feels right. I didn’t know how to tell you.’

‘So you let me travelthousands of milesso you could break the news to me face to face! Seriously, Richard, on what planet does that make any sense at all? You could at least have got ona flight yourself to tell me. Didn’t I deserve that? Or was I never that important to you in the first place?’

‘Ofcourseyou were important to me. You still are. But I’ve been so busy since I got here... working.’

I glared at him. ‘You probably weren’t even going to tell me it was over, were you? Were you planning on keeping me hidden from Emily for the whole visit? Then you could have waved me off at the airport and avoided the unpleasantness of having to dump me for another few months?’

He looked appalled. ‘What? No way! OfcourseI was going to tell you.’ He took a step towards me but I flinched back.

‘Get away from me.’

‘Look, I’m so sorry, Katja.’ He held out his arms in a gesture of helplessness. ‘One day you’ll thank me. You’ll meet someone new who’s more suited to you than I ever was.’

‘Like you and Emily?’

He gave me a sheepish look. ‘Emily and I... we just couldn’t help ourselves.’

‘No? Well, I hope it works out for you and that you’re not making a huge mistake. Are you sure you weren’t just flattered by her attention? She can’t be more than twenty years old, for goodness’ sake.’ I shook my head. ‘You’re pathetic, Richard.’

His face hardened. ‘Whatever.’ He shrugged. ‘It hadn’t been right between us for a long time, and you know that. And by the way, she’s twenty-two. And anyway, age is just a number. Emily makes me feel like a teenager again. Is there anything wrong with that?’

I was so furious with him, I couldn’t even formulate a reply to that. Instead, I looked him straight in the eyes and said, ‘Look, go back to Emily and good luck making it right with her. If she has any sense at all, she’ll already be seeing the red warning flags.

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