by Emma Hart
This was why it was a really bad idea to have a salad as dinner.
I ran through my intro again, but I was more than a little uninterested in the guy in front of me.
Why was Oliver here?
Dear God.
This was a nightmare.
“And break!” Holley said over the megaphone. “We’re going to take a fifteen-minute break. If you’re a speed dater, you have priority at the bar for the next fifteen using your date cards. If you’ve found someone you’d like to talk to, buddy up and let us know so we can bring in someone new!”
“Can I buddy up with you?” Piper asked, grabbing my arm. “This is hell. Men are hell. Let’s be lesbians for the night. Nobody will know.”
“Holley will know,” I said into her ear. “Besides, we can probably get out of this now. I mean—”
“This is a bit of a shitshow.”
I turned at the sound of the distinctly British accent I knew belonged to Oliver. “A bit? Just a bit?”
“All right, a lot of it. This is a terrible idea.”
“I’m going to get a drink,” Piper said, waving her number card between us. “You want anything?”
I shook my head. I’d had more than enough, thank you very much.
Oliver did the same. When she’d disappeared, he leaned into me and said, “How do you feel about pretending we’ve paired off and getting out of this shit?”
“You do realize that if we do that, everyone is going to think this is legit?”
“Who’s to say it isn’t?”
“How much have you had to drink?”
Laughing, he guided me toward the bar and, with a quick flash of his card, managed to secure us quick service from a bartender I didn’t recognize. He quickly ordered two drinks, sveltely naming the type of wine I’d been drinking.
“Have you been keeping an eye on me?” I teased.
“Saylor is very loud,” he replied, leaning in a little too close.
Hooey.
There was something about that voice in that accent being that close that was doing things to me.
Things it had no business doing.
This was why I didn’t drink.
I took the glass of wine I was offered, regretting it instantly, and slipped off to a small table that was empty. Oliver followed me and pulled his chair in close to mine so we could talk without screaming at each other.
“I thought you didn’t want anyone to think this is legit,” he said, leaning in as he raised his beer bottle to his lips.
“I don’t, but if we go back to the group now, Holley will drag us back to the speed dating,” I replied. My shoulder brushed up against his. Some wisps of hair had escaped my ponytail, and I reached up to push them behind my ear, accidentally brushing his jaw in the process.
I swallowed. “I’m sorry. I was just—”
“It’s fine.” He smiled at me, and I realized just how close his face was.
I cleared my throat and leaned back a little. This was a very, very bad idea.
Capital letters Bad Idea, actually.
“So Leo’s with his dad.”
Ah, good. Comfortable subject. “Yep, until Monday morning. I’ll pick him up from school, then he’s doing the same thing next weekend while he’s here for work.”
“Seems like a nice enough guy. Very into the training,” Oliver said slowly.
“Well, nice enough is relative.”
“Bad breakup?”
“If you can call him cheating on me six months before our wedding a bad breakup, sure.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “It’s fine. Turns out the woman he cheated on me isn’t the biggest fan of his son and it’s taken him four years to realize it, so they finally broke up.”
“How can anyone not be a fan of Leo? He’s one of the best kids I know.”
I blushed. “Yeah, well, you don’t have to pick up his socks.”
He laughed. “Does Leo know she doesn’t like him?”
“Leo can’t stand her,” I replied. “He calls her the Wicked Witch of Miami. They never really spoke as I put my foot down and didn’t let her be around whenever they saw each other. It wasn’t much of an issue after his work transferred him to Florida a few months ago as they only video called, but apparently two weekends in a row with his son was too much for her.”
“Ouch. Must suck for Leo not seeing his dad.”
I shrugged again. It was my default action when talking about Christopher. “It’s a decision he made. He could have turned the job down, but he didn’t. It’s fine. Leo’s happier in White Peak than he was living in a city, and we have our family here now, so it’s better for us. It’s not like Chris is a bad dad, either. He pays more than he’s supposed to, he doesn’t hesitate to get Leo stuff when I can’t afford it, and they talk almost every day.”
“That’s good. Does your mum live near?”
I shook my head. “As a rule, she tries to avoid my grandmother as much as possible. She’s kind of eccentric.”
Which reminded me I’d promised Grandma Rosie I’d visit this weekend.
That was always fun.
“Your mum or your grandma?”
“Huh?”
“Eccentric. Your mum or your grandma?” he asked, swigging his beer.
“My grandmother. Have you ever visited the senior home? They’re one more animal away from starting a small hobby farm.”
“I have heard about the ducks.”
“Just the ducks? Not the chickens that look like cotton wool balls?”
His brows drew together. “Chickens that look like cotton wool balls?”
“Fluffy pom pom things,” I muttered. “Cute, but stupid as hell.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I laughed, pressing my hand to my chest. “Lucky you. Have you seen your family since you moved here?”
He hesitated. “Once. I went home for my grandfather’s funeral. My parents keep saying they’re coming to visit but never do, so I’ve given up inviting them.”
“I’m sorry. For both. It must be hard with the time difference, too.”
“We Skype once a week, but that’s about it. My sister has three kids so they’re usually busy hanging out with her. Meanwhile, I’m lucky to get a text back.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah. It’s part of the reason I’m considering going home. It’s hard to be alone, you know?”
I smiled sadly. “Yeah, I know.”
“What are you doing?” Holley came bursting over. “You can’t just bounce on me like that!”
Oliver blinked at her. “We swapped cards.”
“You swapped cards so you didn’t have to speed date anymore!” She pointed her finger at us both angrily. “That’s not how this works.”
“It looks to be working just fine,” I replied as the round ended and two couples split off. “Although you’re running out of people.”
“That’s why I need you two back out there!”
My phone buzzed in my purse. The only reason I could feel it was because it was on my lap and my phone must have fallen to the bottom of the pit. I held up a finger to Holley and dug it out, grinning when I saw Chris’ name.
“No can do,” I said, getting up. “Leo’s calling. Sorry!”
“Oliver?”
I disappeared before I could hear his response to take the call to wish Leo goodnight.
And thank God for that.
***
I woke the next morning with a thankfully minor hangover that was quickly solved by throwing two ibuprofen down my throat, a hot shower, and leftover pizza from my post-night out snack.
After a quick call with Leo where he told me all about his plans for the day, which included pizza for dinner and a hike with his dad, I got in the car and headed for the retirement home.
It’d been one whole week since I’d last visited Grandma, and boy was she making sure I knew it. I was fed up of the texts, so I was getting thi
s out of the way.
I got the home in record time, signed in, and went looking for her. It took me a while, but I eventually found her in the new crafts room, cross-stitching onto a circular frame.
“Hey, Grandma. What are you making?” I kissed her cheek.
“A cross-stitch.” She held it up. “The pattern says, ‘Kindly Fuck Off.’ I’m making it for my bedroom door.”
“Of course you are. Where else would you put it?”
“Exactly.” She returned to her stitching. “Where’s my boy?”
“He’s with his dad,” I reminded her. “I did tell you Christopher was here for the weekend.”
“Mmph. No good son of a bitch.”
“His mom is actually quite nice.”
“Raised a cheater, though, didn’t she?”
She had a point. Kind of. “Not sure you can blame his mom for his inability to keep it in his pants, Grandma.”
“You can always blame the mother. And the father. I’m an equal opportunistic blamer.”
Didn’t I know it?
“When does the scumbag go home?”
I was so glad she didn’t speak about him like this in front of Leo. “He’s here for work, so he’s here this week, he has Leo again next weekend, then he’s going home.”
“Two weekends in a row? I have candy here for Leo. I can’t wait that long.”
“I’ll bring him by one day this week that he doesn’t have practice, okay?”
“You better.”
“I will. I promise.” I pulled up a chair and finally sat down. “So, what’s new here?”
“Agatha wants a goat,” Grandma said, admiring her handiwork. “She was told no, then kicked up a fuss because there are chickens and ducks. She didn’t seem to care that they’re a lot easier to look after than a goat.”
This was getting out of hand. They really were one more animal away from being a hobby farm.
“I would have to agree. Goats are pretty tough to look after, and they’re accomplished escape artists.”
“How would you know? You don’t raise goats.”
“I have access to the internet, Grandma.”
“Oh. They banned it in our rooms. Mabel kept watching videos on how those gentlemen escaped from Alcatraz and I think the staff thought she was getting ideas.”
I’d pay to see that. “You didn’t join in?”
“No. I’ve come to rather like this place, if you ignore the dumb animals. I get hot meals, I have a nice room, everyone has to wait on me hand and foot… it could be worse. I could live with your uncle. Or your mother.”
There it was.
“Mm.” I smiled. “Any chance we can talk about something else?”
“What’s new with you?” Grandma finally put the cross-stitching down. “You mentioned a work project.”
“Yes. I’m working on something pretty big.” I explained what I was doing. “So I’m going to the office this afternoon to clear up some paperwork, then tomorrow I’m spending the day interviewing Seb at the center.” And I’d get to run into Leo at some point because he had basketball practice.
“Amazing. Has Reginald sacked that horrid Ebony yet?”
“Uh, no.”
“He should. You’d be way better at that job than she would.”
“Thanks?”
“You’re welcome.” She paused. “Now, let’s talk about your dating life.”
“Let’s not.”
“I know it’s hard to talk about something that doesn’t exist—”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
“—But Leonard’s grandson visited last week and he’s very handsome. A single dad, too, so there’s no cold feet over Leo, and he owns a travel company.”
I bit the inside of my lip as I listened to Mrs. Matchmaker. As the only single granddaughter remaining, I should have expected that she would get involved sooner rather than later.
“Thirty-eight so a bit older than you, but I believe his son does soccer with Leo so they already know each other. He got divorced a year ago.”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“I’ll pass on your number.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.”
“It’s fine. It’s not a bother, London.” She paused. “It still annoys me that your mother named you after a place and not a plant.”
I grimaced. “Thank you. It’s been a lovely visit with you, too.” I got up.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Well, in the last two minutes you have both tried to set me up with someone and insulted my name, and I have fifty thousand things to do for my job.”
“Oh. I’m still passing your number on.”
“You do that, Grandma,” I finally acquiesced. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going out with him.”
“You will. He’s terribly handsome.”
“Mhmm.” I kissed her cheek. “Be good.”
“Never am.”
She could say that again.
CHAPTER SEVEN – LONDON
RULE SEVEN: DO NOT LET GRANDMA GET INVOLVED.
There were a lot of things I tolerated in my life.
Finding Legos on the floor after I’ve asked eight times for them to be picked up. Socks constantly stuffed between the sofa cushions. Clothing always missing the laundry basket as if by magic.
Rain.
Bad book-to-movie adaptations.
My grandmother being involved in my dating life was not one of those.
She hadn’t been lying when she said she was going to pass my number on to Leonard’s grandson. He’d already texted me, apologizing for the intrusion, explaining that our grandparents were on the warpath and he was looking forward to meeting me in person tomorrow night at soccer practice.
Turned out the kid who wanted to be striker, Tom, was his son.
I had a horrible feeling it was going to end up with us meeting up so the boys could practice.
Look, I wasn’t against it.
I wasn’t against dating. It was just hard for me to justify bringing someone into Leo’s life, and it wasn’t like I had tons of free time where I could date quietly and introduce them when things got serious. If Chris lived closer, that would be different. I couldn’t keep springing stuff on my aunt and uncle or paying Felicity just so I could go out for dinner.
Thirty-eight also seemed a whole lot older than twenty-seven, when I considered he was divorced.
Then again, I’d had to grow up pretty quickly when I fell pregnant when I was twenty, and I’d just about managed to get my degree before Leo was born.
Not to mention the whole being cheated on thing.
I sighed as I put my phone back in my purse. I’d been interviewing Seb for two hours already, but there was so much to see and do at the center and the story behind it all was so long, from his injury to his epiphany that playing baseball again was more hassle than it was worth, that I had the distinct feeling I’d be writing a novel instead of an article.
“Sorry,” he said, emerging from his office. “What next? Or do you want to get some lunch?”
“Actually, can we get a couple of snaps in your office?” Sydney asked, holding up his camera. “It’ll accompany the personal section of your interview well.”
“Sure.” Seb opened the door. “What do you want me to do?”
“Oh, wow.” Sydney beelined for the trophy cabinet. “Do you mind opening it so I can get some photos?”
“Of course not.” Seb fumbled with his keys where he selected a small silver one, then unlocked the cabinet.
“You’re going to need to label a photo of that for me,” I teased him. “I’ve seen less gold in a jewelry store.”
He laughed as Sydney snapped photos from several angles. “Send one over and I’ll talk you through them all.”
“Okay, amazing, thanks.” Sydney pulled back and adjusted his hat. “Can we get a couple candid ones of you at the desk? Pretend to be on the phone, working on your diary, the computer, just pretend like I’m not here.”
I quickly scribbled a few decorative points in my notebook—the furniture, the style, the view out onto the outdoor sports areas and the boot camp barn that was being built…
“Great. Is it lunchtime now?”
I laughed. “Yeah, Sydney, you’re good. Thank you. Shall we take forty-five minutes and meet back at the gym?”
Sydney nodded and left, heading down the corridor.
“Come on,” Seb said to me. “There’s food in the staff kitchen for us. Holley spent yesterday bulk cooking and I stole some pasta salads from the fridge this morning.”
He didn’t need to tell me twice. “So what’s left for us to cover?” I asked, following him down the hall.
“The gym, where you’ll find Dylan, and he’s set aside twenty minutes to talk to you about the classes before he goes home.”
“Awesome.”
“Then the outdoor areas and the boot camp barn, I think. It is a construction site, but we can both go in as long as we follow the rules and put hats on and all that stuff. Hi!” He waved over a lithe woman with blonde hair tied into a bun on top of her head. “Lily, this is London. She’s writing the article on the center.”
“Oh, hi!” She held out her hand for me and I shook it.
“Lily runs the Zumba and Pilates classes,” Sebastian explained.
“Oh, cool. Would you mind answering a few questions about those for me some time this week?” I asked hopefully.
“I have ten minutes before I have to set up the next class and my studio is right in here. Does that work?”
Seb nodded. “Staff kitchen is just down this hall and to the left. You can’t miss it, it’s a big red door. I’ll cook some chicken for us to go with our lunch.”
“Okay, yeah, that’s fine.” I blinked and quickly had to formulate some questions in my head. “Lily, do you mind if I take a minute to write some questions down?” I asked as she walked ahead of me into her studio.
One wall was entirely made of mirrors. Yoga mats were rolled into a pile in front of the mirrors, and a laptop connected to a speaker was standing off to the other corner. The pale pink walls were adorned with fairy lights and motivational posters that said shit like, “Mind over matter!” and, “Hustle for that muscle!”