“What? No! I mean, yes, I do fancy him. Neil’s my sexy little Clark Kent, but it’s not that simple,” I replied, flushing the toilet before I emerged from the stall and walked over to wash my hands.
Leanne emerged, too, and proceeded to wash her hands in the sink next to mine.
“Sexy little Clark Kent! Oh, my goodness, that’s the perfect description of Neil. How isn’t it simple, though? You like him, and I’ve known him long enough to see that he likes you, too. I just don’t get why Annabelle is even in the picture.”
I blew out a breath, the many drinks I’d consumed making me feel much looser-lipped than usual. I eyed Leanne through the large mirror hanging on the wall over the sinks. “How much do you care about Neil?”
“A lot. He’s like family,” Leanne replied without missing a beat.
“I guess that means you’d forgive him if he did something really bad,” I said.
Leanne frowned. “Well, yes, within reason. I’d forgive Neil most things bar murder. He’s been the backbone of our group for years. Every time there’s an emergency, Neil is there with a clear head and a cool reserve to handle things. There are so many times when I’ve relied on him, times I’m sure I wouldn’t have gotten through without him.” She paused to eye me, a hint of concern on her face. “Afric, is there something I should know?”
“What about Callum?” I asked, avoiding her question. “Does he feel the same way?”
“Yes, he values Neil just as much as I do. Every member of the cast adores him. He’s been with us through thick and thin.”
“Okay, that’s … that’s good to know,” I said, my thoughts racing. Was I really doing this? Was I actually going to tell Leanne the truth?
“Afric, talk to me. You’re freaking me out.”
I met her gaze, the buzz of alcohol fuelling my honesty. “Neil probably won’t forgive me for telling you this, but I’ll take the hit because I care about him so much and he’s too nice a guy to tell Annabelle where to shove her blackmail.”
“Blackmail?” Leanne gasped, gripping my upper arm and ushering me over to the fancy velvet couch at the far end of the bathroom. She sat us down and levelled me with a serious look. “Tell me everything and start from the beginning.”
So, I did.
20.
Neil
I watched Afric and Leanne walk in the direction of the bathrooms when Callum spoke, drawing my attention.
“I’ve actually been meaning to discuss something with you,” he said to me before casting an apologetic glance in Annabelle’s direction. “Sorry, love, I hope you don’t mind if we talk about work for a minute?”
“Not at all,” she replied, demurely flicking her hair over one shoulder. “Go ahead.”
Callum brought his attention back to me. “James and I have been working on a business idea for a while,” he said, and my eyebrows rose.
“You have?”
He gave a self-deprecating smile. “Neither of us is going to be fit enough to be jumping off buildings the rest of our lives. My knee is already fucked up. I swear it gets an ache right before there’s a rainstorm these days. But anyway, my point is that both of us aren’t the young whippersnappers we used to be. We need more long-term financial security.”
“Seems smart,” I said, nodding as I took a gulp of my drink.
“So, we’ve come up with a plan to start our own sportswear brand.”
“Oh, that’s so cool. I would definitely buy your sportswear if you had a women’s line,” Annabelle put in.
I really, really wish you weren’t here, a voice in my head complained. Every time she spoke, I thought of what she said over at the bar and the USB drive she had in her handbag that she’d clearly brought along to threaten me.
“It’s early days yet, and there’s still a lot of planning to do,” Callum went on, “but both of us have been in agreement about one thing, and it pertains to you.”
“To me?” I asked, not entirely sure what he was working up to. I was too busy fretting over Annabelle.
“We want you to be our COO,” Callum said, and I blinked. “It’d be a big step-up from your current job, and there’d be a significant pay rise.”
“Wow, what a fantastic opportunity for you, Neil,” Annabelle chirped with false sincerity, and just like that, turmoil set in. I remembered all the reasons why I didn’t deserve such a wonderful