Page 17 of Gold Digger
“Claire, I believe you were leaving?” I took matters into my own hands and grabbed Claire’s arm to propel her out of the kitchen and away from Lottie. Once we were in the corridor, she turned to me with an excited expression.
“Youlikeher!” she burst out.
“What are you talking about, Claire?”
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Bucky. Youlikeher. There’s no other explanation for keeping Mrs H on so that your cleaner, who you like, doesn’t have to do any actual cleaning. And the way you guys looked at each other! I mean, you’re my brother, but even I have to admit it was objectively fire emoji.”
“Back off with this. I mean it.” I tried to inject a sufficient amount of brotherly clout, but that’s never worked on Claire. Her smile was so wide now it was a bit unnerving.
“Oh, this is perfect! Wait until I tell the others. You haven’t liked anyone properly since?—”
“Don’t say her name,” I growled, and Claire pressed her lips together but still looked unreasonably excited.
“It’s just we’ve all been worried, Ols,” Claire told me. “Sinceyou know who, you haven’t been right. You’re… colder. Not my little Ollie.”
“Claire, I’m well over six foot. I haven’t beenyour little Olliein over two decades.”
Claire ignored me. She was bouncing on her toes in excitement. “You know what I mean. You’ve been a stubborn shit about women for too long.”
“I’m well aware of your opinion on me and women. I can’t walk out of my house without you or, worse,Mumtrying to set me up. Have you two ever considered that maybe Vicky and I want to be single?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Vics just needs to act a little less… weird and?—”
“Claire,” I said in a warning tone and she rolled her eyes.
“Ugh, you know what I mean. I’m not having a go, okay? It’s just she tends to intimidate blokes with her mega-brain. And as far as you’re concerned, you just need anicegirl this time. Not some bitch who sells you out. Anyway, none of the attempts we’ve made have been successful at all. You haven’t liked any woman, full stop. Not in over five years, Ols.” She’d stopped bouncing now and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I was worried that she broke you a little bit.”
I sighed and pulled Claire in for a hug. “You lot worry too much,” I said as I kissed the top of her head. “I was still a stupid kid back then. I thought I loved her, but…” I trailed off. Truth was, the sting of what happened had lasted for years. The humiliation, the heartbreak. But now… “What Cordelia did hurt me, but it didn’t break me, Claire.”
“I’m glad you can say her name now,” Claire said softly. “That’s progress right there. Maybe it’s because of this girl?”
“Don’t jump the gun, Claire Bear,” I said sternly. “There’s the small issue of her working for me.”
“Oh pish! People meet at work all the time.”
“There’s a bit of a power imbalance.”
“There’s always a power imbalance, Ols. Right, well, let me think. You should get her flowers, right? And ask her to?—”
“Oh my God, I am not discussing this with you,” I groaned. “Right, how’s Mum?”
We talked for a while about Buckingham Manor and the upkeep that Claire didn’t think Mum was keeping on top of. Claire gave me some more shit about Lottie. I asked her if she thought anything was bothering Vicky who’d been quiet recently.
“How should I know?” said Claire dismissively and I sighed. Just when I thought my sisters were starting to get on a little better a few years ago, everything went to shit when Claire married Blake. Vicky did not like Blake and she wasn’t particularly subtle about it.
“Right, come on. Let’s go and find your demon spawn,” I said after seeing the time and realising that Vicky would start the meeting on her own if I didn’t get a move on. I pulled Claire down the corridor and followed the sound of Florrie’s music into the library.
“Hi!” Florrie appeared abruptly from behind the sofa.
“What are you doing back there, darling?” Claire asked.
“Nothing!” Florrie squeaked, glancing down at the floor next to her and then back up at us. Her face was red and she was avoiding eye contact. The kid was a shit liar. Hopefully, she hadn’t spilt nail polish on my hardwood floor like last time.
“Right, well we better go so?—”
“Yes!” Florrie shouted, running over to us and shooing us out of the library. “You both need to go.Right now.”
“You just keep getting weirder, kid,” I said as I mussed her hair again.
