Page 73 of Best Man
“That makes me sound quite a character.” He pauses and winks at me. “I like it.”
I run my hands agitatedly through my hair before bending to start going through the desk drawers. Felix stares at me, immobile until a stapler and a hole punch sail past his nose. Then he activates.
“What are you looking for? Also, much as I love this new devil-may-care side of you, do you think you should maybe have saved it until you’re actually due in the office and not, say, when you’re supposed to be at the church?”
The door opens and we both turn to watch Max edge into the room. “No,” he says loudly. “No, you can’t see him.” He makes a gesture like a lion tamer, so I know he’s talking to Miss Higgins, and then slams the door shut.
He looks up and grins at me. The smile manages to intensify for a brief second as he looks at Felix, like the last flare of a star, and then it dies as Felix glares at him.
I stare at Max. He’s wearing a morning suit, but his hair is loose and longer than it’s ever been and his beard is quite wild.
Felix sighs loudly. “Great. Who ordered the Jesus?”
“Felix,” I sigh, rubbing my nose. “Can we concentrate on more important things?”
He shrugs. “He doesn’t exist for me, so I’m a go with that plan.”
“Oh, so I don’t exist unless you’re making unpleasant and quite anti-Jesus remarks about my appearance,” Max drawls, sitting on the desk and folding his arms. “I’m actually offended.”
“You’re an atheist,” I say baldly.
“It’s the point of the matter,” he says primly. He stares at me. “I have to query your pre-wedding game, Zeb. I must say I don’t think I’ve come across many best men who’ve managed to fit in a spot of office reorganisation around their duties.”
“I thought you were allergic to weddings, Max,” Felix says coolly. “Or was that commitment? What a silly twink I am.” He smiles. “Ah,but now I remember. You’ve been a best man before. Nowthatmemory is still evergreen for me.”
Max winces, and I lose it.
“Shut up, both of you,” I shout. The room stills and they both turn their heads at the same time and same angle. It’s like talking to meercats. “Good,” I say. “Now, I need an address in Devon and that isallI need from you. No backchat. No smart remarks. Just the address.”
“Any address or something in particular?” Felix asks, showing absolutely no sign of being cowed.
“I need Jesse’s parents’ address. I’m sure they live in some small village there.”
“Well, that narrows the field,” he says. Over-sarcastically, in my opinion. He pushes me out of the way. “And did you manage to find it before you became involved with chucking stationery and Apple products about?”
I scuff my foot. “No.” It’s more of a question than I’d like, but Felix is a scary person. The only person who isn’t wary of him is Max, but then he did used to run towards gunfire, so he obviously has a death wish.
“It’ll be on his employment records as his next of kin,” he muses. He looks down at the sad sight of my computer. “Oh dear, maybe we could attach a string to it and shout the answers through the gaping holes in your keyboard.”
“We’ll use yours,” I say decisively but he puts a hand up to stop me.
“Absolutely not until you calm down. You’renottouching my computer in this current mood, and if you go out there you’ll lose more customers if you don’t watch it.”
“I don’t care,” I say impatiently. They stare at me and I huff. “What? I don’t.”
“Why?” Max asks. He’s staring at me as if I’ve gone mad. Maybe I have.
“Because I need to find Jesse, and I need to do it as soon as possible.”
“What about the wedding?” Felix says slowly. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the church soon?”
I shake my head. “I’m not going.” They gape at me and I grimace. “What? I’m not going. I’ve got more important things to do.”
“And to clarify, Jesse is that important thing?” Felix asks, folding his arms and leaning against the desk. I nod. “And what about your promises?”
“I’m an idiot,” I say despairingly. “I don’t care what promises I made to Patrick. Jesse is the important one.”
He grimaces. “I’d give a rousing rendition of ‘Hallelujah’, if I thought the world was ready for the perfection of my voice, and if I wasn’t also completely sure that there’s more to this story than you’re telling me.”
