Page 49 of Just Like That

‘I think that means we’ve been caught,’ says Nick, who doesn’t seem at all bothered by this.

‘I think you’re right.’ I gulp, as it becomes clear to me what this might mean. ‘Suppose it would have been naïve of me to expect that Lauren and Serge would keep this on the down-low. You know how I said I want to rescue my career? Well, this could be what sinks it.’

‘You think your boss will have an issue with it.’ Nick says this as a statement of understanding rather than a question.

‘At the very least, I think that’s a distinct possibility. And to be fair, it wouldn’t be wholly unreasonable of him to be concerned that it might damage the company’s reputation.’

‘Then in that case, let’s go to Gwen – right now.’

I look at him in alarm. ‘And say what? We don’t even know what this is yet.’

‘Doesn’t matter.’ Nick is already on his feet. ‘It’s something, and it’s going to get round the place quickly, because that woman standing next to Lauren is essentially the source of all the park gossip.’

‘Aww man, this is really not the start to my day I needed,’ I grumble without thinking.

Nick’s face falls and he looks really gutted. ‘This is my fault, Jess. I apologise for putting you in this position.’

Realising the impact I’ve had on him, I regret my clumsy reaction and grab his hand tightly.

‘Hey, you havenothingto apologise for. I’m a big girl. I could have declined your offer of having coffee here. It was also me that kissed you. I’ve made my bed and now I need to face the consequences, so you’re right, let’s go and speak to Gwen before it gets back to her another way.’ I’m feeling way less confident than I’m making out, but there’s no way I’m letting Nick carry that guilt. I reach up and kiss him tenderly on the lips. ‘Let’s see what the judge and executioner have to say, yeah?’

Chapter 22

Nick and I are immediately thwarted in our quest to speak to Gwen. Having forgotten in the heat of the moment that I have a project meeting to run, we quickly come up with a game plan for when we do speak to her, then I head straight to the meeting room, while Nick is left to find something else to focus on for the next hour until I’m free again. He looks a bit lost as I’m leaving him – despite what I’ve said, I know he still feels responsible for this mess I’m potentially in with Craig – so I give his hand another reassuring squeeze before I go.

In a way, it’s funny how I’m the one dishing out the emotional support when I’m also the one with the most at stake, but having finally found Nick’s vulnerable side, I feel this insane urge to protect him. Perhaps that’s because I know he’s been hurt in the past, or it could just be that I’m developing real feelings for him already. Whatever it is, it’s at least a helpful distraction from what the nagging voice in my head is telling me that is, if Craig has a problem with Nick and I seeing each other, then I’ll have no choice but to call it quits with Nick to save my career.

I sail through the project meeting agenda points at record speed, in the hope that I can maybe wrap things up a little early. Everything seems to be well on track, with Lauren ready to kick off the first paid events this week, and Serge having secured contracts with several suppliers for the park’s Christmas market. Monika has made good progress with the retiree events, which will now have a chartered coach as part of the offering at an additional charge. She’s also confirmed, much to our delight, that our group of retirees would in fact be interested in having some dating events of their own. That really brightens my morning, because it will provide a further revenue stream with minimal additional effort.

At the end of the meeting, which I manage to bring to a close twenty-five minutes early, I’m about to shoot out of the room when Lauren blocks my escape route with a telling glint in her eye. Thankfully, she waits for Serge and Monika to leave the room before saying anything, but it’s clear she’s after juice – and she’ll be hard to put off.

‘How are things with lover boy?’ Her mouth spreads into a mischievous grin.

‘I think you know how they are, given you secured yourself a front row seat at our morning coffee catch-up.’ I raise a judgemental eyebrow.

‘What? You think I was there on purpose? No, I was checking in with Gordon about…’ She hesitates on seeing my sceptical expression. ‘OK, I saw Nick getting coffees and heading for the gate and I was curious.’

‘You mean nosey?’

‘Oh, come on. I finally got the two of you together. You should be thanking me.’

‘OK, thank you for giving me a giant pain in the arse of a problem.’ I roll my eyes as I say this, but make sure to smile so she knows I’m joking. ‘I’m now on my way to see Gwen with Nick to declare our “conflict of interest”, which might or might not cost me my job and/or my career.’

‘You’ll be fine. Gwen’s a pussycat. She’ll probably thank you for taking him on.’ She laughs loudly at her own joke.

‘It’s not so much Gwen I’m concerned about. Nick’s certainly not. Though I’m not sure how she’ll react if she thinks the contractor she’s hired to save her business is putting more effort into getting it on with one of her management team.’

Lauren bobs her head as she weighs this up. ‘I suppose if you look at it like that. Guess all you can do is have the conversation and find out. So, it’s your boss you’re really worried about then?’

Dammit. Why didn’t I keep my trap shut? I’ve overshared and now all I want to do is hit the eject button. Floundering for a moment, I decide the best thing to do is avoid answering the question.

‘Look, sorry Lauren, I need to go. Let’s get a coffee at some point, yeah?’ This isn’t a wholly sincere suggestion, but I can’t feel bad about that right now when there are more pressing matters to see to.

‘Yes, let’s.’ She seems pleased by my invite that isn’t really an invite, and I’m about to make my move when she looks me straight in the eye with an earnest expression. ‘Jess, I get the impression you’re dealing with a lot in your life, and I want you to know that I’m here for you. I can be discreet, I promise. Don’t see me as your client’s daughter, see me as a friend – someone you can trust.’

As she says this, something tugs at me inside, and I recognise this as a longing to share all the stuff I’m shouldering. While I do talk about things with Amelia on our calls, it’s not the same as having someone physically there. A swell of emotion chokes my throat and I swallow it down before it can give me away.

‘Thanks Lauren,’ I simply say in response. ‘I’ll keep that in mind.’

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