AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘There were certain aspects that I wasn’t comfortable with as the evening progressed,’ I replied. ‘Please don’t mention any of what I told you on the phone to Eleanor.’
‘You know I won’t. So the foot massage didn’t go well?’ he pressed, seeming super curious to know. Was he angling to find out if I’d slept with Jeremy?
‘We didn’t have sex if that’s what you’re asking.’
Was it my imagination, or did Thomas seem relieved to hear that?
‘I wasn’t prying,’ he said smoothly. ‘I just hoped it went OK for your sake. You seemed really upset about the whole whip thing. And I was a bit worried when you didn’t message me after.’
I shook my head. ‘Honestly, it started off OK, but it went downhill rapidly when I found out some ... things about him. And now he’s going to hire Irish Lucy as my research assistant.’
Thomas raised an eyebrow. ‘Irish Lucy?’
‘Blonde, big tits—my worst nightmare. He was interviewing her in his office the other day and pretty much ignored me completely.’
Thomas took my hand and squeezed it. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Now I can’t even enjoy a nice evening with my fake boyfriend because my awful sister and cheating ex will be there.’
He chuckled and kept hold of my hand. I assumed he was getting into his fake boyfriend role, but his large warm hand around mine felt lovely anyway.
‘Thanks for this and for taking time off work. I owe you big time.’
He shrugged. ‘Been thinking I might cut down on the guide work anyway. It’d be nice to have one day free on the weekend.’
‘What would you do with your day off?’
‘Dunno. Go for a bike ride maybe.’ He paused. ‘If I did, would you come too?’
I shifted in my seat. Well, we were sort of friends now. Hanging out with Thomas on the odd occasion wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It was nice to know he was thinking longer term. ‘Perhaps. If it wasn’t raining.’
***
It was an eight-minute stroll from Paddington Station to Cleveland Square, where my mother’s flat was situated. I could tell Thomas was impressed by the way he was looking around at the white-stucco-fronted mansions with their porticos.
It was a nice area all right, and at any other time, I would’ve been enjoying the visit. But knowing that in a few minutes’ time I would be facing my sister and ex was causing me to freak out. What with the Jeremy date being a flop and reading about Mercy’s issues with Jasper and Rose, everything was getting a bit much.
I scrabbled in the pocket of my overnight bag for the key I’d stashed in there in case I needed a breather.
‘Thomas, do you mind if we sit in the park for a bit before we go in?’
He stopped and glanced at the leafy park we were walking adjacent to. ‘Sure, but it looks private.’
‘It is, residents only. But my mother gave me a copy of her key.’ I held it up to show him.
Thomas looked doubly impressed. ‘Nice!’
Inside the garden, I made a beeline for the nearest park bench. There wasn’t anyone around apart from a couple of girls chatting on a blanket in the late-afternoon sunshine. I sat down and stuck my head between my legs.
‘Whoa, are you OK?’ asked Thomas worriedly.
‘No, I’m not looking forward to this.’
He sat down beside me and placed a hand on the middle of my back, resting it there.
‘Just breathe for a bit, in and out. That’s it.’ Tears pricked my eyes at his kindness. ‘You know we could always blow the whole thing off and book into a hotel. Grab dinner, watch a movie, and chill,’ he added.
The thought of that was hugely tempting. I took one last deep breath and sat up. ‘I can’t. I have to face them.’ A tear overflowed and ran down my cheek before I could wipe it away.
