He looks so troubled, I start to relent. Anyone can be engaged for twenty-four hours by mistake.
“OK, well, I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just…” I hesitate, breathing out. “It’s quite hard, you know? Genevieve’s not like a normal ex, who disappears off the scene. She’s still around…your parents love her…you obviously had super-hot chemistry—”
“What makes you say that?” Matt stares at me, and I flush. That just kind of slipped out.
“I saw you in this video online,” I confess, feeling a familiar gnawing in my stomach as I recall it. “Doing a presentation with Genevieve about some new nautical line? And you were awesome together. You had such a spark. I guess it made me feel—” I break off, not knowing how to continue. Matt is peering at me, perplexed. Then his face clears.
“The presentation in Birmingham.”
“Yes. The one where you kept finishing each other’s sentences and you looked really happy,” I add for good measure.
“I was happy,” Matt says slowly. “You’re right. But I was happy professionally. You don’t know the backdrop. We’d had a lot of acrimony in-house. We’d lost a key member of staff. There was a lot of arguing about what direction we should go in. Then Genevieve came on the scene, she knew the fans, she got the brand—and we instantly agreed on a lot of issues. Business issues,” he clarifies quickly. “She was a great new asset and it was a relief for me. I guess that’s why I looked happy. Seems a long time ago now,” he adds with a wry twist to his mouth.
I have a flashback to Topher talking about Matt being “stale” in his job. But I’ve said enough on that subject for one day.
“It can’t just have been professional chemistry,” I challenge him instead. “You fancied her too. And she fancied you.”
“Well,” says Matt, looking uncomfortable. “Maybe. But we weren’t even a couple yet in that video. We were just two colleagues agreeing with each other.”
“So how did it turn from business into romance?” I persist. “Did you ask her out? Or did she? Or what?”
“Ava.” Matt surveys me seriously. “Do we need to do this?”
I open my mouth to say, “Yes!” then close it again, because I’m not sure it’s the right answer.
“I’m with you,” he continues. “I love you. We’re hosting a party.” He gestures with his arms. “We shouldn’t be huddling in here, going over old ground; we should be out there enjoying ourselves. Everything’s great and Genevieve is just a shadow from the past. Genevieve who?”
He draws me close for a slow, deep kiss, and I feel the Matt-magic working on me again. He has a point. Where are my priorities? I’d actually almost forgotten we were hosting a party, just for a minute.
“OK,” I say at last, smiling up at him. “You’re right. Genevieve who?”
“Exactly.” Matt clasps me tightly, then releases me. “Shall we get back?”
As we head toward the others, I whisper to Matt, “Sam’s pretty perfect for Sarika, isn’t he?”
“Seems to be.” Matt nods. “Good for her!”
We both sit down, and Maud shoots me a quick “Is everything OK?” look. I nod surreptitiously, then tune back into the conversation.
“I’m visiting her tomorrow,” Sam’s saying. “Just talking about my colleague,” he adds to me in explanation. “She had a baby a couple of weeks ago. He’s called Stanley.”
“Stanley!” exclaims Nell.
“I know.” Sam grins. “Great name, isn’t it? I’ve just arranged to see them. Can’t wait. I spent like an hour trying to choose a present.” He rolls his eyes ruefully. “I was like, ‘I’ll be original. I won’t just get some massive fluffy teddy bear.’ But in the end what do I buy? A massive fluffy teddy bear.”
“D’you want children, Sam?” says Nell provocatively. There’s a tiny, tense pause—then Sam laughs, glances briefly at Sarika, and says, “One day. With the right person.”
Oh my God. Just when I think he couldn’t get any more perfect—he does!
“Shall we get some food? Like…pizza?” says Maud, looking around vaguely, as though hoping it might just spring up. Meanwhile, Sam turns to Sarika and touches her gently on the arm.
“D’you want to…We could go on somewhere?”
“Sure.” She smiles happily at him. “Love to. I’ll go and freshen up.”
As she heads off to the bathroom, Nell addresses Sam again.
“That’s very nice of you, visiting your colleague.”
“Well, she’s my neighbor too,” explains Sam. “We both live right next to Queenwell Park—do you know it?”
“I thought you were five minutes from Golders Green?”