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“Get in there and wash your mouth out with soap.”
“I’m only pointing out the obvious, Mum.”
“Really?” she deadpanned. “I thought you were reading scripture.”
Grace pulled her scarf over the lower half of her face and coughed into it, but I was sure I’d heard a laugh in there somewhere.
I looked between them both. “I’ll, er, put the kettle on, shall I?”
“Yes, and take the dog with you, while you’re at it. Make sure you clean his paws. I don’t need to hear it from your grandma about him tracking mud across the rug.”
“Yes, Mum.” I looked at Grace. “Does that mean you two are going to talk about me?”
“Absolutely,” Grace replied without missing a beat.
Mum smiled. “I already have the baby pictures ready.”
Fantastic.
I sighed and looked at the dog. “Come on, Charlie. I know when we’re not wanted.”
CHAPTER NINE – GRACE
Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit
I knew William’s mum.
Well, I didn’tknowher, per se, but I recognised her. And it was far more than a simple, “Oh, I’ve seen you before.” Irecognisedthis woman. Like she’d been in my life at some point for a relevant period of time, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know when, I didn’t know why, and I didn’t know what the fuck I was going to do now.
I didn’t even know if she recognised me. If she did, would she know how we met? Why I knew her? Did I dare ask her?
No, I didn’t.
This threw a big frigging spanner in my plans. Surely Katie would tell William if she knew me from somewhere. That might not be the worst thing in the world, but then surely we’d have to come clean about our fake relationship, and I’d definitely have to come clean about who I really was.
God, this was a nightmare.
What was I doing? Why had I said yes? Why had I suggested a fake relationship when William himself had suggested we just be friends?
Oh, because I thought I was doing a good thing, saving him from the Grandpa Matchmaking Service.
I was.
I was doing a good thing, but it was backfiring like hell on me.
Now I had this little ball of panicked terror bumbling about my stomach, and I didn’t know what I was going to do about it.
“Grace, do sit down,” Katie said, motioning to the sofa. “Forgive me if I was a little surprised outside. I was under the impression you and William were friends.”
Great.
He could have led with that upstairs in his little flat-slash-wing-slash rooms thing.
“We’ve kept it somewhat quiet,” I replied slowly. “I have to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how he’d introduce me.”
That was a dreadful reply. Was she going to buy it?
Ugh, she was so not buying that.
