‘But what was it on your laptop and on your phone that you didn’t want me to see? And why did you lie about Sally?’
‘I’d been googling and I’d asked a couple of people for advice and I was…’ He paused and visibly swallowed ‘I just didn’t know what to do. I have something I do need to talk to you about…’
‘What?’
Declan closed his eyes and then said, ‘I know that this sounds utterly ridiculous, and that you have every right not to believe me given that I’ve been behaving oddly, but could you just give me a few days? It’s a very strange thing. I just want to make sure of my facts. Ididlie to you about Sally and I am so deeply ashamed of that. It’s the only thing I’ve ever lied to you about. I was speaking to someone else and I just panicked because I wasn’t ready to explain to you because I’d like to have my facts straight first. But just to be very clear: I have not been unfaithful. I wouldn’t be.’
And now that they were talking properly for the first time for a while, the weird thing was that Poppydidbelieve him, despite the incredibly frustrating mystery behind his words.
His voice broke and she looked at him.
‘Poppy, I love you.’ Declan’s voice broke as he spoke. ‘I am not having an affair.’
‘I’m sorry for suspecting you,’ she said.
‘No, no, no. No apologies. Ihavebeen acting oddly. And I will talk to you properly very soon.’
‘Okay.’
‘Are you sure?’
Poppy nodded.
‘Come here?’ Declan tentatively held his arms out towards her and she smiled at him and reached out for him.
It was difficult and not that comfortable to hug while wearing seatbelts, but it was a wonderful hug.
14
GEORGIE
‘YouareTorvill-esque,’ Raf told Georgie, as they handed their skates back after their lesson. They’d squeezed another session in at short notice because Raf was home from Melting for a night after a late afternoon meeting.
Georgie rolled her eyes. ‘Yep, I’m short like her.’
‘And a natural on ice, as it turns out.’
‘Natural is obviously stretching it, but oh my goodness thesatisfactionwhen I binned the penguin.’ Georgie had skated across the ice all by herself a few times, not fastbut not thatslowly either. ‘A couple of times I felt like an actual skater.’
‘You were brilliant. You could get the resolution done next time if I lift you.’
Georgie realised with a jolt that she didn’t wanther skating resolution to be finished that soon because she waslovingseeing Raf.
Oh, no. She could feel her skin heating.
‘Did I put the photo on the chat?’ she asked, to divert attention from her now probably tomato-coloured face.
‘Yes, think so.’ Raf checked his phone. ‘Yep, you did. Skates very visible.’
‘Good. Okay, hot chocolates on me? I owe you for skating with me again.’
‘No.’ Raf shook his head. ‘Ioweyoufor feeding the cat the other evening and for any future cat feeding I might have to beg you for. There’s a nice Italian round the corner from me where I might have provisionally booked a table in the hope that you’d join me?’ He paused for a second and then his eyes widened. ‘I’ve just heard what I said. I feel like you could now feel verypressured into having dinner with me. Please don’t feel pressured into it. You might want to go home. You might have other plans. You might have no plans but can’t imagine anything worse than sitting opposite me watching me splatter spaghetti sauce all over my chin. Please feel extremely free to say no. I have a neighbour who isalwaysup for an Italian, so the restaurant owner won’t suffer.’
‘What’s the neighbour’s name?’
‘Clive.’
‘I don’t want to deprive Clive of watching you with your spaghetti sauce.’
