Page 73 of Cooking Up a Christmas Storm
‘Of course. I mean, I might eat a whole tub of ice cream and watchWhen Harry Met Sallyon repeat tonight but this is fine. I promise.’
‘So we can have lunch like normal?’
‘Oh please.’ She grinned. ‘When it was a date I was going to insist on going Dutch to set the right boundaries and all that. If we’re here as mates you are so paying.’
‘Deal.’
‘And you’re telling your mam it didn’t work out?’
Pavel winced. ‘Maybe I could email her?’
‘Or tell Anna?’
‘You could put it in the parish newsletter?’
Jill laughed. ‘Same difference. One thing though…’
‘What?’
‘You don’t want this.’ She gestured from him to her and back again. ‘That’s fine. But what do you want, Pavel?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, you do everything for everyone, but what do you want? For you?’
Pavel didn’t want for anything. He’d grown up with love. He was part of a community. He was needed. ‘I’m fine.’
‘So you don’t want anything just for you?’
For a second Pavel’s nerve endings tingled and he was somewhere else entirely, standing in a ballroom full of junk, leaning towards a girl he barely knew – and sometimes felt he didn’t know at all – and then he was back in the pub in the moment. He shook his head. ‘I want a burger and maybe extra chips.’
‘Nothing else?’
‘Course not. I’m fine.’
Two days later Adam dropped Jodie off at the same spot at the end of the lane up to the McKenzie estate main office, wearing a different borrowed outfit. ‘Good luck. Don’t forget your name’s Jodie.’
Jodie had told herself the double deceit would somehow be easier, but the layers upon layers were already blowing her mind. ‘I’ll try not to.’
She arrived at reception at precisely five minutes to nine – as discussed at length over dinner the previous night. Eight forty-five looked too keen according to Darcy but Veronica was very clear that on time was already late.
‘Hi. I’m here for Fiona MacCellan. It’s my first day.’ Jodie smiled brightly. Even though she was being Jodie, she wasn’t being actually Jodie. She was New Jodie, Better Jodie – the sort of Jodie who paid attention and didn’t screw up. She read the name badge pinned to the receptionist’s jacket. ‘Saira. Nice to meet you.’
Saira looked her up and down. ‘Good luck.’
‘What do you mean?’
Saira shrugged.
‘Come on.’ Jodie tried her best to sound girly and matey and conspiratorial. ‘You can’t leave me hanging.’
‘Just her. Mr McKenzie’s great, but she’s all over him like…’
Before she could finish, the door to Fiona’s office swung open and Fiona and John McKenzie strode out. ‘Jodie.’ He strode towards her, hand extended, holding on again for slightly too long. ‘Good to see you. I said to Fiona, she’s the one. You’ve got what we need.’
The urge to ‘accidentally’ stamp down hard on John’s booted foot rose strongly through Jodie’s body. He exuded sleaze, but it wasn’t just her mess if she lost this job the moment she’d got it. She was doing this for everyone who’d welcomed her in and put their faith in her. ‘I hope so.’
‘I know you do. I can always spot it, can’t I, Fi?’
