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I pulled on my dressing gown and tucked my phone into my pocket, then headed downstairs to get my case. Amber was already up and boiling the kettle, and she turned to look at me as I yawned my way through the kitchen.
“I didn’t expect you up yet,” she said. “But good morning.”
“Morning,” I replied through my yawn. “The birds woke me, and I need to do my laundry. And go grocery shopping, since the fairies won’t do it.”
Amber grimaced, grabbing another mug down from the cupboard as I wheeled my case in and set it down to open. “Yeah, sorry. I did get a home delivery, but it was only enough for me. I’d have planned better if I knew you were coming home yesterday.”
I waved a hand in dismissal. “I forgot to tell you before I got on the plane. It’s no big deal. I couldn’t be bothered to cook either.” I carried the packing cubes with my dirty clothes over to the washing machine and emptied them all into it.
“At least I left that empty for you,” she said brightly.
“More like you just haven’t done your own yet.”
“Look. You’re going to have to stop calling me out. I intend to find a rich husband who’ll pay for a housekeeper to do these things for me.”
I looked up at her as she handed me down my tea. “How’s that going for you?”
“Absolutely fucking shockingly.”
I pressed my lips together into a grimace. “At least you’re no longer seeing the butt guy.”
“It just didn’t work. Shame, because he was quite good in bed when he located the correct hole.” She sipped her tea. “Although that should have been quite the warning.”
“No kidding. I did try telling you.”
“Yes, then you galivanted off to Scotland and fell in love with an old friend.”
“Falling in love is a bit of an exaggeration.” I put the tea on the counter above my head and retrieved the detergent tablets from the cupboard under the sink. “I don’t know what I feel.”
“Did you miss him when you woke up this morning?”
“Jesus Christ, what is this? A BBC News interview?”
“That’s a yes,” she muttered, grinning at me from behind her mug. “When is he back?”
“Wednesday at some point.” I sighed, standing up. “I just don’t know if seeing him right away is the best thing to do.”
“Oh no.” Amber reached over and pressed her finger to my lips. “You are not backing out of this, Grace. You’re not going to run away just because you’re back to real life.”
“But I—”
“Have issues. You’ve got issues,” she said firmly. “Issues you need to speak to someone about. Your dadora therapist, whichever one floats your boat. You’re letting the past—one that isn’t evenyourrelationship past—dictate your future, and that’s not a healthy thing to do.”
I swallowed. “I know.”
“You care about him. He clearly cares about you. You have a connection from your childhoods, and bonus points, you already know how your families feel about each other. Do you know how much easier that makes this relationship shit?”
“I suppose.”
“Besides, I know you’re screwed, because you’re the one who’s taken the first step with him every time. He respected every single one of your boundaries, and you’re the one who kept changing them.”
“Oh, stop.” I hit the button on the washing machine to make it go and stood up. I picked up my tea and cradled the mug against me while I leant back against the counter, glaring at her. “I know that. I know all of that. I just… I don’t know. I’m having lunch with Granny tomorrow. Maybe I should talk to her about it.”
“Maybe you should talk to a therapist,” she said slowly. “Sort out your daddy issues.”
“I’ll go when you do.”
That made her pause. “Nah, I can’t say I want to relive the time I came from university and walked in on an orgy in the living room.”
