Page 8 of The Best Book Boyfriend
Chapter 4
Kara
“Justcoffeeforme,please.” Hattie wrangles the bird’s nest of her hair into a ponytail. “I’ve got a spin class at ten.”
“Rather you than me,” I yawn. I pour her a large cup and swipe her pain au chocolate for my own plate. I’m a teeny bit hungover, standard fare on Saturday mornings. The unwritten rule of girls’ night is that whoever gets up first bakes the frozen pastries I keep stocked, but in reality, it’s always me. I’ve not slept very well since Adam left.
Friday nights always end with the three of us having a tad too much wine, then falling asleep one after the other on the sofabed. I normally wake in the early hours and head for to the comfort of my own room. Three of us on the sofabed is manageable, but it seems daft not to sleep where I can stretch out without someone elbowing me or drooling in my hair.
“How did you sleep, poppet?” Megan asks, stumbling into the kitchen, her eyes half open.
“So, so.” When I turn to the counter to pour her coffee, she stands behind me, wrapping me into a big hug. I lean into it, grateful for the sun streaming through the window, the fresh coffee, warm pastries, good friends.I am OK. I am OK. I am OK.
Hattie gathers up her things. “Sorry I have to dash. There’s a new instructor I’m desperate to wrap my legs around, so I want to make sure I’m early and get the best spot up front. Do you want me to come back later?”
“No, don’t be silly.” I wave her away. “I’ve got a load of social media stuff to do.” The girls used to stay all weekend when I couldn’t bear to be in the house alone, but things have gotten easier. Business has really taken off too. I need my weekends to catch up on admin and plan my content. I don’t mind though, it’s such a fun part of the job that it doesn’t feel like work.
“OK babe, text me when you’ve texted Luke though, yeah?”
Luke.I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about him already this morning. When I woke up, I read a bit of a regency romance and wondered if he’d like it. Then I wondered where he was waking up, and what he looks like when he’s asleep. And then, of course, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like to wake up in his bed, warm in his arms, one of his big hands spreading out across my stomach and slowly…
“Ugh.” I lay my head on the kitchen counter. “Leave me alone.”
“Seriously babe. Text him, or we’ll go in there on Monday and scope him out.”
“Do not do that,” I scold. “That is a terrible idea.”
“Why? We’ll be subtle.”
“Ha! You two are incapable of being inconspicuous, and you won’t be able to resist saying something.”
“Guess you’d better text him them,” she sticks her tongue out, then drains her cup. “Right, I’m off. Love you both!” Hattie lets herself out, leaving me and Megan to eat our breakfast in peace. When it’s just the two of us, we often sit in comfortable silence, but she has a knack for always knowing what I’m thinking.
“Why are you so worried about texting him?”
“I’m not.”
“Don’t tell fibs,” she teases.
“I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t even want to be meeting other men. But I also know you’re right. It has been nearly a year.” A horrible milestone. An entire year without my love, my sidekick, my builder buddy, my best friend. I hate that he’s still in my head so much. “I’m just not ready.”Will I ever be?
“He asked for book recommendations, right? So just send him some and see what happens next. You can do it. Be fearless Kara.”
When Megan leaves I get dressed, put on a bit of makeup and head through to my home office to set up my camera. Our, sorry,myhouse, has a spare room but when I started my interiors business, I transformed it into a studio space. It’s my pride and joy. The spacious desk in the middle of the room is perfect for spreading out mood board ideas for clients, and I’ve painted a branded wall as a backdrop for all my social media content. There’s not a trace of Adam in here, and I’m glad.
This weekend I plan to take advantage of the nice weather and good light to create a couple of DIY tutorials. I started my Instagram account when we bought this house. At first it was a diary of our renovation but I’ve built quite a good following by sharing DIY tips and tricks, and easy projects that most people can do in a day. People seem to really enjoy it because I include plenty of low budget and rental friendly options. I know not everyone my age is lucky enough to have their own place.
I start all my tutorials the same way, standing in front of my brand wall, introducing the project while holding some of the materials needed. I hit record, grab a large picture frame, and throw on my biggest smile.
“One way to add impact to your walls on a low budget is to hang large frames filled with wallpaper or wapping paper, sorry wrapping paler…”Ugh. Start again.
“Want to decorate your walls but aren’t allowed?”No, that’s shit. Start again.
“If you can’t wallpaper your walls with wallpaper, try this quick, cheap hack using wallpaper samples instead.”What is going on? I’m usually so good at explaining these things in an off the cuff, casual way. I force myself to do some star jumps, stretch my neck out, take a deep breath and give it another go.
“If you want to add impact to your walls without spending a lot of money, then you’ve got to try this easy weekend DIY project. You can usually find large frames like this one in charity shops for under a fiver and today I’m going to show you how to turn them into glorious works of art. I’m going to clean them up, spray them in a new colour, then frame large pieces of wallpaper samples or fancy wrapping paper for a bold new look. Let’s go!”
Ha! Nailed it.
