“Deal,” he says.
When lunchtime rolls around, I make my way to the break room, hoping to tell all my work friends in one swoop. Ginny is there, accompanied by Rob. My heart takes a little dip because I know there's no hope for him. Ginny’s affections lie elsewhere. It seems obvious now that she and Steve are right for each other. I don’t see why I didn't realise it before I agreed to that awkward coffee date. But I guess Ginny herself didn't understand it until recently, or she wouldn't have wasted all that time with Piotr. Sometimes life is just one long learning lesson.
I notice Rob’s lunch is a fizzy drink and a chocolate bar again. He eats more like a teenager than a grown man, and it's not good for him. Maybe we should look at providing free food. Then our overly invested workforce might get at least one healthy, nutritious meal a day. I bet Rob goes home to takeout. And I doubt he's the only one.
I take a seat with them, greeting each in turn. Rob studies his unopened Snickers. “How’s my little friend?” he asks.
“Rubbing along. You?”
His eyes move to the doorway. “Same. Good that Anders is back.”
Nur and Chloe walk into the breakroom. Rob snatches up his chocolate. He rises. “Better be off,” he says. “Now that the boss is back, there’s no slacking.”
“Are you saying you slacked when I was in charge?” I tease, arching one eyebrow.
“Absolutely not.” His answer is deadpan but sincere. “Did you think I was?” He frowns.
I relent. “No. I was attempting to be humorous but failed.”
He picks up his coffee and leaves as Nur and Chloe take their seats. I ignore them and concentrate on Ginny. “Does Rob know you're with Steve?” I ask because he seemed a little dejected just now.
Ginny nods.
“You told him?”
She shakes her head and wrinkles her nose. “Steve did. They’re mates.”
That’s good. Steve would have handled it well. Now, to make my own confession. I wait until everyone's settled down, opened their lunch boxes, and digging into their food before I say, “I've got some news to share.”
They all look at me expectantly.
“Piotr’s suing us?” Nur asks.
“He’s sending you to Malaysia?” That’s Ginny.
“You’re pregnant?” Chloe says.
Might as well rip the plaster off. “Anders and I are dating”.
Ginny’s mouth falls open. “No!”
But Nur looks at Chloe, and Chloe looks at Nur. Then the younger woman holds out her hand.
“Told you,” she says. “You owe me a basbousa cake.” Nur nudges her hand away.
“Seriously?” Ginny says, her voice up an octave. “Did you learn nothing from me and Piotr?”
“Anders is not Piotr,” I point out.
“No, but what are you going to do if it all goes to shit? There’s no-one to have your back like Anders did for me when Piotr dumped me.”
I'm not sure if there's anything I can say to reassure her. But I try. “This isn't something I've done lightly. He asked me a long time ago, but I didn’t say yes for ages. We didn’t just leap into bed.” Okay. We sort of did but they don’t need to know that.
“Of course you didn’t.” Nur leans across and squeezes my hand. “But why didn’t you tell us before? We’re your friends.”
“I didn't tell anyone at work, and I asked Anders to keep it a secret. And I’m glad we did. Can you imagine what people would have said when Anders left me in charge? Can you imagine what Piotr would have said?”
I stare at each of them. “It was hard enough as it was. How much attention would he have paid to what I said if he’d known? He would not have been able to conceive that Anders could separate his sexual desires from his company’s welfare.”
