Page 72 of The Work Husband

Which is a bit different from saying he accepts it, I realised with disappointment that was bordering on dismay.

‘It was hard for you, I know,’ he went on. ‘I get that. I never said I didn’t. Maybe I could have done things differently. Probably I should have. But I was so blindsided by what Ava told me, I guess I was still processing it, and I wasn’t ready to tell you even if she’d agreed I could.’

‘It’s a huge thing,’ I agreed. ‘Poor Ava.’

‘I was there, you know,’ he said grimly. ‘Afterwards. I saw her having panic attacks and heard her screaming in her sleep, and there was nothing I could do to help her because she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. It was…’

‘It was what?’ Tenderness for him filled me, along with relief that he was confiding in me again.

‘It was almost a relief when she ended things with me.’ He shook his head.

Hearing that should have made me feel relieved too. If Sam had seen the end of their relationship that way, it meant that he hadn’t spent the intervening years hankering after Ava as I feared he had.

But I didn’t feel relieved. I just felt sad for them both. Tears pricked my eyes as I reached my hand across the table to him.

He didn’t take it.

‘So, yeah,’ he said. ‘I guess that’s a bit of context, from my end. Hopefully you understand better now.’

‘I really do,’ I assured him.

He took a long gulp of his lager, looking away over my shoulder and then meeting my eyes again.

‘When the stuff with you and Jamie first started happening,’ he said, ‘I thought you were just trying to wind me up. I was angry about it, but I was angry for all the wrong reasons. I thought it was stupid, petty game-playing. I thought you were better than that. But also, I could kind of understand why you were doing it. At least, I thought I could.’

I listened to his words, bewildered. At first, it seemed like he was getting it – that he’d seen through me, that his lack of a reaction had arisen from him not taking my pretence seriously.

But what he was saying now did sound serious.

‘But, Sam,’ I began, my words coming out in fits and starts. ‘That’s just what it was. It was stupid and petty. It was Jamie’s idea. He thought if we made you jealous, you’d understand how I felt and you’d see my side of things. I should never have gone along with it, but… I didn’t know what else to do.’

‘I don’t believe you, Georgia.’ His words felt like icy water being dripped down my spine.

‘You have to believe me!’ I could hear the panic and urgency in my voice. ‘It’s the truth.’

‘Then why did you kiss him?’ he asked. There was anger in his voice now. ‘Just yesterday, outside Green Park station? Jared was leaving work, and he saw you. He told me this morning.’

‘But I didn’t…’

Somehow, I couldn’t get any more words out. I couldn’t deny that it had happened, because it had, and Jared had seen us. I couldn’t tell Sam it hadn’t been my fault, because it had been.

He finished his pint and stood up.

‘I’m sorry it had to end this way, Georgia,’ he said. ‘I hope he makes you happy.’

THIRTY-SIX

‘Sure, Okan,’ I said. ‘Don’t worry. It’s all under control. The event planner’s on the case with the flower arch for the top of the Shard, the room’s booked, we’ve got alcohol-free champagne and caviar ordered for you.’

It was Wednesday. So far, my week had been almost entirely occupied by the elaborate choreography of Okan’s proposal. All the pieces of the puzzle were falling neatly into place, but he was still as twitchy as hell. I sensed that what he was actually worried about wasn’t whether the flower arch would be present and correct, the private room ready for their dinner afterwards, or even whether the fickle London skies might decide to piss it down for the occasion.

He was worried about whether she was going to say yes.

But I was less concerned about that. In the few weeks I’d been working with him, I’d become fond of Okan. He was always polite, grateful for the work myself and the army of drivers, florists and hotel concierges had done to make his trip a success.

Never mind his father’s billions, I thought – whoever the (hopefully) future Mrs Okan was, she’d caught herself a catch.

‘Can you be there, Georgia?’ he asked. ‘Just in case anything goes wrong?’