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“I’m going to find the real me,” Carts said. “Might even take up yoga.”
“Go for it.” Aaron kept a straight face. “Though maybe drop the Che Guevara T-shirt.”
Carts frowned. “What do you wear to yoga?”
“I don’t know. Leggings? T-shirts with Buddha heads, maybe? Om signs?”
“Man, I’ll end up a freakin’ hippy at this rate.”
They got up, both laughing. Aaron decided not to suggest that anything was preferable to Carts’ current exercise gear. Instead he threw an arm round Carts’ shoulders as they walked towards the train. “Thanks, mate,” he said, feeling a thickness in his throat. “You’re a real friend, you know that?”
“Yeah, well…” Carts cast him a sideways look. “I have your promise you’re not going to break Alice’s heart?”
“You have my solemn promise.”
“Bloody oath.” Carts grinned. “One more thing—and dude, this really is the litmus test.”
“Go on.”
“I want to be your best man.”
Aaron didn’t even flinch.
* * *
Alice stacked the last of the job lot of Penguin classics on the shelf and turned back to the shop. She’d felt calm since she got back from Sydney last week. She was at a crossroads and whichever path she took, her life had purpose. Meaning. Direction.
She knew the direction shewantedit to take. The path she wanted to tread was with Aaron. But if he didn’t feel the same, she knew beyond doubt her life would be fine. She was exploring doing a masters, then opening up her very own Book Genie. Maybe in a cute little English town somewhere with a hyphenated name. There were so many options; something she’d never really believed before.
Even so, she’d been trembling at the idea of contacting Aaron, so when his text pinged onto her phone, her heart had leapt.
Aaron had made the first move.
Her spirits had soared at the possibility that they might be able to sort this out.
She spent the rest of the week trying not to be irritable at her mum’s constant questions: “Did you discuss Henry’s work on Oscar Wilde? When are we going over there together, darling?” At work she finally taught herself how to use the computerised accounts system properly. To top it all off she’d bought Rowena an antique crystal shot glass on eBay, identical to the one she’d smashed. Anger was not worth holding on to, she decided; love was so much better.
But maybe ask her again after Gran’s party.
“Hello, Alice.” She swung round at the sound of a well-modulated woman’s voice to find Delia Trojan smiling at her. Delia, Alice remembered, had been the nicest and most relatable of the Trojan wives. Even if the other two had talked over her unmercifully, she felt she and Delia had formed a rapport. She was as immaculately groomed as only a Trojan’s wife could be, in navy blue slacks and jacket, but her eyes were brighter, her face more relaxed somehow.
Alice beamed. “Oh, Delia. How are you?”
Delia huffed out a sigh. “Things have been better. I guess Aaron would have told you the whole story?”
What to say exactly? Situations like this were always awkward, like the person was fishing to see how much you would divulge.
“Mmmm?” Alice left a question mark hovering; it was up to Delia to interpret.
It was clearly enough. “You’ve heard, then? About the Archie debacle.” She made it sound like theBourne Conspiracy; then proceeded to look over her shoulder as if to check there were no Trojan spies around before hissing, “The affair.”
“Oh, yes.” Alice rolled her eyes, then tried to tone it down. “Aaron gave me a brief account.” Understatement of the century.Like the whole thing hadn’t blown her and Aaron’s fledgling relationship into tiny pieces and scattered them into the stratosphere.
“It’s got really nasty.” Delia’s tongue clucked on the roof of her mouth. “Geoff is trying to sort it out, but it won’t be good for Trojan’s image once this gets out.” She sighed heavily, her eyes travelling over to the crammed bookshelves.
“Will it get out?” Alice asked.
“You met Miranda. She will not go quietly, I can assure you.” Delia’s smile was the kind you wore to funerals. “Anyway, enough of that. I’ve been meaning to pop in and have a look around your lovely shop.” She moistened her lips. “Actually, I’m after some law books.”
