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“Get off me!” I shout, spinning in my attacker’s arms.
Eric raises his hands, taking a startled step back. “Whoa.” He glances around, looking at the locals who have stopped to see what’s going on.
“I’m sorry.” I place my hands on my chest. “Honestly.”
He grins and shrugs. “I was just helping you out, but I can see why you’d freak out.”
I return his smile and grab the final box from the tray. He takes it from me and climbs into the van. “What are you doing here anyway?”
As he climbs out, I see his smile vanish. “You haven’t called. I got worried.”
Bugger. “Yeah.” I nervously tuck my hair behind my ear. “I’ve been busy.”
He lets out a breath, his eyes solemnly scanning me. “Do you want to hang out after you finish? I could come over?”
Well I can hardly break up with him in the middle of the street. Plus, I don’t have any other plans. “Sure. I finish at four today.”
“I’ll pick you up.” He grins, not looking so solemn anymore. “Food?”
“No, actually…”
“I have to go; we’ll grab something on the way home,” he calls, cursing at his watch. “Later.”
“Great,” I mutter, rubbing my eyes with my fists. What the hell am I going to tell Nathan?
“The truth?” Tiffany suggests from behind me. I startle and turn to face her. I didn’t realise I’d spoken out loud. “What’s the big deal? He already knows you’re going to break up with him.”
“Who?”
“Eric, it was all over his angelic face.” She clasps her hands under her chin and sighs. “What a yummy male.”
Nathan is definitely yummier. There’s no question about that.
“You’re right.” I scratch my head. “Should I text him or call him?” Another thought flashes through my mind. “How did you know I was dating Nathan?”
She grins wickedly. “I didn’t, but I do now.”
“You’re dating Nathan?” A voice I know to be Sasha’s asks from behind me, her tone definitely one of shock.
Seriously? This is how my day is going to be?
Great.
“Since when did you start dating Nathan?”
I arch a brow and fold my arms over my chest. “Since when did you start taking an interest?”
“I deserve that,” she mutters. “But give me a break, I’ve been busy and you’ve been busy, one week rolls into the next…”
Tiffany continues, “Which rolls into the next.”
Sasha, seemingly grateful for the support from a woman she’s never met, nods eagerly and holds out a bag for me. “I got Dillan a new outfit. I’m sorry. I know I’ve said this already, but truly I am.”
Aww, look at the little denim jacket. “I’ll have to think about it for a moment whilst I search through this bag.” Once I’ve seen Dillan’s new outfit, I look at my ‘supposedly’ closest friend and smile. “Okay, I forgive you.”
Sasha beams and throws her arms around me. Tiffany, not wanting to be left out, squeals and throws her arms around both of us.
She’s nuts.
Once Tiffany is out of earshot, I pull Sasha into the kitchen and sit her in the corner near my workspace.
“So… Nathan?”
I contemplate for a moment whether or not I should tell her. It’s then I remember her encouragement of this exact situation, way before it even happened. So I tell her. I tell her everything, from the beginning to the middle, right up until today.
She stares at me unblinking, then she slowly slumps in her seat and says a simple, “Whoa.”
“Yeah.”
“If it makes you feel any better…” She clears her throat and looks at the lemon drop cakes cooking in the oven. “Tommy and his girlfriend split up.” Another one? “I went to Doncaster to cheer him up and we… well… he… we almost slept together.”
It’s my turn to sag, lean back into the counter and say a simple, “Whoa.”
“Yeah.”
“I pay you to work you know?” Valentine says in a singsong voice from across the room.
“Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She turns and leans against her own counter. “I couldn’t help overhearing… are you dating your son’s uncle?”
“Yes.”
“I used to have a huge crush on my husband’s brother, but he got a receding hairline in his twenties and I realised I picked the right brother.” She randomly tells us before going back to work. I’m not sure what the moral to that story is.
“So, you and Tommy…?” I stare at Sasha expectantly, trying to gauge how she feels about it all.
She shakes her head. “No, he freaked out. Said it was a mistake.”
“Well, you have been friends for a long time.”
“Yeah, but…” She looks at me expectantly this time. “I don’t know what to say about any of it. I’m waiting for him to make the next move; I won’t push him again.”
In my opinion, I agree. Tommy is a complex male who loves a lot, almost too much. Maybe he’s just not ready to settle down. He and Sasha together could be magical, but it could also be a disaster. They’re too well matched; they like all of the same things. It’s how they’ve stayed friends for so long.
