“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.
“Whatever happens, I still love you,” I assure her, flicking a cherry her way. She catches it and pops it into her mouth, smiling the entire time.
“Do you want to go for dinner later?”
I shake my head, sighing gravely. “I can’t; I promised Eric I’d meet him after work. I need to break it off with him.”
“Poor Eric.” Sasha doesn’t sound sympathetic at all. She also doesn’t look it, if the smile on her face is anything to go by. “You and Nathan suit.”
This shocks me. I wasn’t expecting that. “You don’t think it’s weird?”
“Oh it’s definitely weird, and so against the rules of relationships, but it works and he makes you happy. Right?”
It feels good hearing somebody else say that out loud. It slightly settles my nerves on the entire situation.
“Those cherry spirals aren’t going to make themselves.” There’s Valentine’s singsong voice again.
“I’ll let you get on with work.” Sasha squeezes my shoulder after she stands. “Text me later when Eric has gone and I’ll call you.”
Giving her a nod of agreement, I motion to Valentine that I’ll be just a minute and hastily type out a text on my phone.
Gwen: I’m seeing Eric later. He’s picking me up from work.
Only a few seconds pass.
Nathan: What time?
Gwen: I finish at four. We’re just going to talk for a while.
Again, only a few seconds pass before I receive a reply.
Nathan: You’re going to end it, correct?
Gwen: Yes.
Nathan: Good.
I’m really not looking forward to this. I should have listened to my gut in the first place and I should never have agreed to date. Things were too complicated and now they’re even more complicated.
Why couldn’t you have just lived, Caleb?
“What do you think Eric will say?” Tiffany hands me a cappuccino and holds her own to her chest.
We’re on a break. Yet again the day has been busy, fortunately not as busy as yesterday or I think I’d cry.
“I think he’ll be cool about it.” Eric is a nice guy. It’s not like we’re serious about each other. We shared a kiss, well two if you count the second, which I don’t want to do because I didn’t actually kiss him back. “It’s Nathan I’m worried about. I don’t want him showing up and blowing everything out of proportion.”
Tiffany frowns slightly. “What is his story? I get that he’s Dillan’s uncle, but what exactly is going on there? Where’s Dillan’s father?”
Sigh. I hate talking about this, but I don’t think I can put it off any longer. “He died when I was pregnant.”
Tiffany splutters on her drink, her face a mask of horror. “What?”
I nod, trying to detach myself from the story as much as possible so I don’t feel it and break down. “I woke up one morning, before the sun had risen. He was dead. Some kind of heart condition that they thought had healed when he was a small boy.”