Page 16 of The Work Husband

‘Creepy AF, that was.’ Jamie grimaced, then followed the thumb with his index finger. ‘Level Two: It’s actually getting kind of old being recognised all the time. Surely I’m entitled to some privacy?’

‘Yup. That’s normally when the passive-aggressive posts on their socials start. The ones that go, “I’m not talking about you guys, but…”’

‘Oh God. Don’t let’s start about the passive-aggressive social media posts.’

‘Three words: Brooklyn Peltz Beckham.’

‘Not sure there was anything passive about that,’ he countered. ‘Anyway. Moving swiftly on to Level Three: If this is what I have to put up with, I deserve more than mere mortals who don’t.’

‘And Level Four,’ I chimed in. ‘And what’s more, I shouldn’t be expected to pay full whack for it.’

He nodded. ‘Correct.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Yep, Cormac’s there all right. What’s Level Five?’

‘Level Fives don’t have to ask for discounts; they get offered them. But they’re rich enough that they don’t generally accept. Sadly, they’re also rich enough that they’ve got their own PAs organising this stuff for them and have no need for the likes of us.’

‘Well, we’ll just have to count the days until Cormac reaches those dizzy heights and fucks off off our books,’ I said, glancing guiltily around to check that Jasper hadn’t somehow materialised in the office and overheard me.

To my relief, he hadn’t. I was even more relieved when my call to the Ritz got me my favourite bookings person, who told me that she was a massive fan of Cormac’s, they’d had a cancellation, and she was sure she’d be able to knock ten per cent off the cost of the room and throw in a free spa treatment for good measure.

I ended the call and gave a little fist-pump of triumph. ‘Nailed it!’

‘Well played,’ Jamie said approvingly.

But the brief surge of adrenaline the exchange had given me faded almost immediately. I felt myself returning to the state of leaden gloom that had started a few seconds after I woke up that morning, which was how long it had taken me to recall my conversation with Sam the Monday after he returned from visiting Ava – over a week ago now – and huffed out a sigh.

Jamie looked at me astutely. He had been out of the office for most of the past week, so was out of the loop on the Sam situation – not that there was much of a loop to be in – but I could tell he was reading my mood as accurately as ever. ‘You look like you could use a stiff drink. But since it’s only eleven in the morning, how about a coffee, extra sprinkles?’

‘Yes please.’

He strolled off towards the kitchen, and I sent Cormac a message to confirm his booking was all sorted, but my thoughts had returned to Sam. While we were getting ready for work that morning, he had acted totally normal – maybe even nicer than normal, as had been the case for the past week. He’d offered to iron my favourite linen trousers when I pulled them out of the wardrobe. He’d promised to pick up sushi for dinner on his way home. He’d given Milton an extra treat. He’d kissed me goodbye with extra tenderness.

But none of those things had done anything to assuage the sense of deep unease I felt over what he’d told me about Ava – and more than that, what he’d refused to tell me.

‘Here’s the question on everybody’s lips.’ Jamie had returned with our coffees. ‘Why does Cormac Kennedy want to spend a weekend at the Ritz anyway?’

‘Because he can?’

‘Georgia.’ Jamie sighed theatrically. ‘Do keep up. Not only has Cormac recently finished refurbing a luxury apartment in Primrose Hill – estimated cost two and a half million – but also, rumour has it his much-publicised romance with Taisha Clooney has hit the skids.’

‘Really? But they were going to get married.’

Taisha, an impossibly glamorous model, had been dating Cormac for several months – practically a lifetime in celeb relationship terms. Jasper had intimated that if we played our cards right, Devereaux Partners stood a chance of getting the gig to plan their big day – a prospect that had been giving me sleepless nights before Sam’s revelation about Ava had started giving me nightmares instead.

‘Not according to Gossip Guru on TikTok,’ Jamie said. ‘Rows have been reported. An anonymous “friend” of Taisha’s was reported as saying she broke down in tears in Browfique. A removal van was spotted outside Cormac’s Primrose Hill pad.’

‘Likely moving stuff in rather than moving it out, surely?’

Jamie shrugged. ‘How would I know? I’m just saying, it looks sus. And Gossip Guru doesn’t usually get things wrong.’

I sipped my coffee, wondering if I was off the hook when it came to planning Cormac’s wedding after all, and hoping that my reluctance to get involved in it hadn’t somehow jinxed Taisha’s happiness. To my surprise, I found that idea making me quite emotional – so much so that a lump came into my throat, and I sniffed loudly.

‘Anyway,’ Jamie continued, ‘speaking of relationships going tits up – or not – what about you? Did you and Sam have that chat?’

I nodded miserably.

‘And?’ Jamie pressed.