‘Sounds like this was definitely one of your better dates then?’
‘This,’ I said, ‘was the perfect date.’
‘So, how’s work?’ Jess asked, handing me a glass of chilled white wine as I sat, legs curled under me, on her sofa. Half-packed boxes surrounded us, as Jess began to pack up her little flat, ready for the next step.
When we’d both embarked on the year of saying yes, neither of us had envisioned it involving Jess saying a very big yes to the huge, sparkling rock she now wore on her left hand. Moments into New Year’s Day, as I was being propositioned by a belching city type, Jess was receiving a far more romantic proposal from a far more evolved city type. I’d never seen her so happy and they’d decided that her moving in to Harry’s larger apartment was the logical next step. She’d already begun turning his once sleek and shiny bachelor pad into a much more homely place, filled with scented candles and scatter cushions. She practically lived there anyway, so paying rent on a place she hardly used didn’t seem the most financially wise decision.
Jess stepped over a box and plopped down next to me.
‘Good thanks. I’ve got a couple of new clients and I’m just helping finalise the guest list for the charity’s summer gala so we can get the invitations printed and sent.’
‘Don’t forget to make sure Harry and I are on it.’
‘Already done. Thanks, Jess. We both really appreciate you supporting it.’
Jess smiled. ‘And how is the delectable Major Marshall?’
I rolled my eyes at her.
‘He’s fine.’
‘Still single?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ I said.
Jess gave me a look.
‘What?’
‘Why don’t you just ask him out?’
‘Because I don’t want to!’
She gave a snort of disbelief. ‘We’ve known each other since we were four. You’re going to have to try harder than that.’
OK, so maybe she did know about my crush then. That still didn’t mean I had any intention of actually admitting it.
‘I don’t! He’s a client, that’s all.’
‘A client you talk to every day. A client you remotely watch Eurovision together with. A client who—’
‘Yes, all right. I get your point. OK, he’s a friend, as well as a client.’
Jess opened her mouth to speak, but I headed her off.
‘But he’s still a client. Besides which, he’s never suggested anything, and he’s not exactly the shy and retiring type. If he had any interest in me, he would have said something by now. I think he probably prefers women whose wardrobes don’t largely comprise of pyjamas.’
‘You don’t know until you ask.’
‘I do. And I’m not asking. Can you imagine how awkward that would be? I have to work with this guy. He’s my biggest client. I can’t afford to lose him just because I have a little crush on him.’
Jess gave another very unladylike snort. ‘Little?’
‘Oh pffft!’ I said, blowing a raspberry, before grinning and taking a large swig of wine. That was the trouble with your best friend having known you for decades. It was kind of hard to get anything past her. ‘So, let’s talk about you. What’s with the box explosion going on here?’
Jess looked around. ‘I’m struggling. I start one, and then I find something else and that feels like it should be in a different box and when I look up, I have like twenty-five boxes on the go, get overwhelmed and go and do something else. Rinse and repeat.’ Her normally wide, gap-toothed smile was hidden as she leant down to call Humphrey over from where he’d stuck his nose in a box and was so enthralled by the possibility of what might be in it that he was now two paws in and lifting one back leg up in the effort to explore further.
At her call, he popped his head back out, his ears pricked. His sensitive nose twitched as his long-lashed eyes focused in on what was in her hand. Reversing at speed out of the box, Humph scooted over to us and sat with a bump in front of Jess. She held out the little square of cheese and he took it gently, swallowing it, before nudging her hand for the possibility of more. She opened them both to show him that was it. He gave a little hard-done-by sigh before toddling over to me. I reached down and lifted him up, plopping him on my lap, where he proceeded to make himself comfy. Jess leant across the sofa, placing her hand on Humph’s soft fur and stroked his head.
‘Everything all right?’ I asked.
Jess nodded but didn’t meet my eyes.
‘Jess. If you’re not ready for this step, you need to say so. There’s no rush. Harry’s bonkers about you. He’ll wait.’
She sat up suddenly. Humphrey opened one eye, looked at her curiously for a moment, assessed her for cheese and then went back to sleep.
‘No! It’s not that. I’m totally ready for this. Even more than I thought I was. I’m… I’m just a bit worried that I’m not going to be… good at it.’
‘Good at what?’
‘Living with someone. Marriage.’
‘What on earth are you talking about? There’s nothing to be good at. It just… is. Besides, we lived together for years and you were fine.’
‘That’s not the same. And you told me I was the messiest person you’d ever known.’
‘I said that once because I had a hangover and had just stepped on plate of cold baked beans on toast.’
‘It’s kind of true though, isn’t it?’
I took her hand. ‘Jess. We’re all different. I like things tidy and neat and you are more free-flowing and take it as it comes. That doesn’t mean either is wrong. They’re just different. Although maybe not leaving a plate of cold baked beans on the floor wouldn’t hurt?’ I gave her a wink.
She let out a sigh. ‘I can’t even pack a box!’
‘But you can run a brilliant PR firm, cook the best cakes in the world and bring light to a room just by walking in.’
She looked up at me.
‘True,’ I assured her.
‘I really am sure about this, I promise.’
‘OK,’ I said, hearing the sincerity in her voice and seeing it in her eyes. She was.
‘I guess all the packing started to get a bit overwhelming and then everything takes a knock, doesn’t it?’
‘It certainly can do. But you’re fine, and this is going to be wonderful. Just think, in a couple of weeks’ time, you’re going to get to wake up every morning to a beautiful view of the Thames and look out over the twinkling lights of London every evening. And share all that with the man you love. Plus, you get to cut out the crappy commute for a brief tube hop.’
‘There are definitely benefits. Although the view here of next door’s bins was one that was hard to beat.’
‘I hope the estate agent listed that as a feature.’
‘Why do you think I’ve had such a stream of viewings?’ Her grin widened and she leant over and hugged me. ‘Thanks, Lots.’
‘You’re welcome,’ I said, my voice slightly muffled by her shoulder. Sitting her back, I tilted my head. ‘Do you want some help with this?’ I nodded at the boxes surrounding us.