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Bailey shrugs. “Maybe, but if there’s one thing this trip has taught me, it’s that time really doesn’t mean anything. I’ve known Cash for most of my life and look at us.”
I chew on a handful of popcorn. She might be right there. Up until a week ago, I would’ve sworn that Cash hated her but apparently we were both wrong about that. “Do you think he’sThe One?”
“He might be,” Bailey says honestly. “It’s too soon to say, but he’s definitelysomething.” A soft smile creeps over her face. “He treats me so well, Amber. It’s…it’s not weirdexactly, I’m just not used to it, you know?”
If I ever have the displeasure of seeing her ex-boyfriend again, the man who single-handedly shot down Bailey’s self-esteem, I swear I’m going to punch him squarely in the face. And even that will be too good for him.
“Well, I’m a fan,” I tell her. “Maybe I’ll meet my own Cash one day soon.”
Bailey rolls her eyes. “You’ve already met him, babe. It just sucks that he’s three thousand miles away.”
“Three thousand, four hundred and ninety-onemiles away.”
“Why don’t you go and visit him?” she asks. “You’ve got a bit of free time now.”
I snort. “A bit of free time” is an interesting way to say I quit my job at Zensi Designs,and I’m currently in a period of gardening leave, so I can’t technically start working on looking for my own clients unless I want to feel the wrath of Cynthia’s legal team if she ever finds out. Luckily, I’m being paid my full salary for the next two months, and I have a relatively comfortable savings nest to bounce back on, so I don’t have to worry about my bills going unpaid. But that doesn’t mean I can afford a flight to New York on a whim.
“Things just didn’t line up for us,” I say after beat of silence. “It sucks, but that’s life. I’ll move on eventually, and I’m sure he will too.”
And maybe if I say that enough, I’ll actually start to believe it.
24
FINN
“Mama,why does Uncle Finn look like that?”
“Like what, sweet pea?”
Maya makes a truly gruesome face. She sticks her bottom lip out and makes her eyes go all wide and watery. “Like this.”
Nel snorts and even I can’t help but crack a smile. She’s a real character that kid.
“I don’t look like that,” I yell from my spot on the couch.
“No, I think it’s a pretty accurate depiction,” Nel says. She hovers over me and levels an unimpressed look. “If you’re going to insist on coming around here moping, can you at least be helpful and help me get dinner ready? These vegetables aren’t going to prepare themselves.”
I want to say no, but she’s got a look in her eye that says she’s about five seconds away from putting me in a headlock. “Fine,” I grumble as I drag myself off the couch. I’m well aware that I’m acting like a moody teenager and not a respectable 32-year-old man, but I can’t bring myself to care. It’s been a week since I left London, and I’ve been miserable every single day. I even called out of work — something I didn’t even do when I got a really bad case of the flu last year — and blamed it on jet lag. I follow Nel into the kitchen with Maya hot on my heels.
“What’s wrong, Uncle Finn?”
“He’s lovesick,” Nel says with a roll of her eyes. “Isn’t it disgusting?”
“Yuck,” Maya says in agreement.
“I’m not lovesick,” I mumble as I rifle through Nel’s fridge, pulling out the vegetables she needs chopped and diced for this meal. “I’m just—”
“You just miss your girlfriend.”
“You have agirlfriend?” Maya squeaks. “Mama, does Uncle Finn have a girlfriend?”
“Yes, sweet pea.”
“No, princess.”
Maya glares at both of us. “Liars.”
“Uncle Finn’s the liar, sweet pea.”
