Page 119 of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
“Oh, sorry, Nory, this is shit for you. I’m so thoughtless. I just didn’t know where to turn. It happened so suddenly, like BAM!”
Nory jumped, but Ameerah carried on regardless.
“One minute we’re walking out of my apartment perfectly normally, and the next Dev hails a cab, and love wallops me right in the solar plexus. I’ve been trying to act casual all the way here, it’s exhausting.”
Nory smiled as she unfastened Ameerah’s grip on her shoulders one finger at a time and then pulled her into a hug. “Don’t ever be sorry for falling in love. You will be fine. You battle miscarriages of justice every day, you can handle being in love. And I will be here every step of the way.”
“Thanks, Nory. I’m not going to tell Dev yet. I need to get my own head round it first.”
“You do it when you feel ready. I don’t think Dev’s going anywhere.”
Ameerah nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay, I feel better now, let’s go and meet the others.”
The brasserie was packed, mostly with rowdy Christmas parties. The Serendipitous Seconds party seemed dwarfed by comparison, but they had been given a table a little away from the bulk of the frivolity and Nory was glad of it. The restaurant and cocktail bar were underground, reached by a sweeping staircase down from the café above. The vibe was the elegant Art Deco era: gold leaf, marble columns, and table lamps in the brasserie and dark wood, leather, and intimate low lighting in the bar. As you descended, it felt like walking into a more glamourous age, where the bright young things had once ruled the night.
While spirits were rising all about them, both emotional and alcoholic, the meal at the Serendipitous Seconds table hadturned into a conference about Nory and Isaac, and the villainous Guy.
“So, how do you feel about Guy’s wife knowing about what happened between you?” asked Seb.
“Actually, strangely relieved. She should know. It felt wrong to lie to her.”
“You didn’t lie,” pointed out Dev. “You just didn’t tell her. Guy is the only liar in this scene.”
“Quite right,” said Ameerah, resting her hand on Dev’s and then glancing at Nory, who gave a tiny nod of approval. Ameerah relaxed.
Dev smiled. He was so obviously in love with Ameerah. Nory hoped they’d be able to tell each other what everyone else already knew sooner rather than later.
“If I were Camille, I wouldn’t take him back.” Andrew waved his knife in the air as he spoke. “All the counseling in the world isn’t going to change him.”
“Maybe it will,” said Nory. “He might sort himself out properly and become a decent human.”
“You are too good,” Andrew protested. “Even after all this, you still see the best in him.”
“Oh, I assure you I don’t, but it’s not about me. I’m remaining hopeful for Camille’s sake. He’s too good for her, but she loves him, and if she’s going to love him either way, then he ought to be the best version of himself that he can be to deserve her.”
“And what about you?” asked Ameerah.
“The way I feel at the moment, I will never forgive him. But I’ll never forgive myself either.”
“Oh, Nory, that’s not fair. You thought you’d found a way tohelp Isaac. If he’d had access to an investigative journalist, he might have done it himself,” Ameerah protested.
“But I broke Isaac’s trust. I thought I was making this grand gesture and imagined him being so grateful and falling instantly in love with me. I guess I got carried away by the fairy tale of it all, the castle and everything.”
“I know what you mean. It felt surreal being all together again, and in a castle for god’s sake! Talk about suspended reality. But I don’t think you’re being fair to yourself. Your motives were good, don’t lose sight of that. What you did wasn’t some kind of ego trip, or because you were enthralled by the scenery. That’s not who you are.”
“I second that,” said Andrew. “You are terrible at parting with books, but you are good at being a lovely human.”
“Can I quote you on that? Maybe I’ll record it and send it to Isaac.”
“Say the word, Nory, and I’ll pay him a personal visit,” offered Seb.
Andrew’s eyes widened. “I am very attracted to you right now, Husband.”
Seb looked over at Andrew and smiled. “Even though I’m a tired and grumpy, harassed parent?”
“Especially because of those things.”
“You guys are actually relationship goals,” said Dev.
