Pete sat beside her while Patsy, after a few spins, fell asleep on her knee. Closing her eyes, Ally too let the craziness of the day recede for a moment. Pete seemed to be having a similar experience; and rather than start a lively conversation, they just leaned against each other and felt the comfort of their breath.
‘We’re like a pair of shipwreck survivors,’ she muttered at last.
‘So, Fired Barbie, would you like to tell me more about what happened?’
Ally took him through the events of the day and how Georgina had simply dismissed her, albeit regretfully.
‘I don’t know, Pete, is it me? That’s the second time in a few weeks that I’ve found myself literally packing up my things and being kicked out of a job. What’s wrong with me?’
Pete listened to the whole story carefully, without interrupting or trying to problem-solve. When she’d finished, he gazed at her intently.
‘You haven’t done anything. Well, OK, definitely not this time.’
She smiled.
‘It sounds like a lousy experience, and I should know – I’ve had a few of them recently. Are you all right?’
‘Not really.’
‘All I can say is that maybe it’s leaving a space for something else.’ The words were left hanging in the air.
She realised it was only now, when it was all over, that she could actually allow herself to think about it. What would she tell her mum? She stayed leaning against the rough leather of his jacket. Please, oh please, don’t cry, not in the jolliest pub in the world.
‘It just shows, Pete, sometimes you can do all the right things, but it still won’t work out.’
He nodded and looked away. ‘Tell me about it.’
OK, time to cheer things up a bit, she decided. As her mindfulness app said, they’d never have this moment again, so don’t waste it.
‘So, how was your day? Better than mine, I hope?’
He did that exhale-laugh thing that wasn’t really a laugh. ‘My day was .?.?. complicated.’
Ally raised a quizzical eyebrow, and he hesitated.
‘I may as well tell you. I had a call from my ex .?.?. about Christmas.’
Ally’s heart dropped. ‘Oh. Does she want you to come back for it?’
‘Let’s say, it was suggested.’
After everything she’d put him through. Oh no, she could feel Pete starting to grow distant and detached like he had that Sunday morning. But what right had she to care?
‘And are you going to, Pete?’ She was trying hard to sound casual and emotionally neutral.
He shrugged.
‘So .?.?. do you want to? What d’you think would be best for you?’Stay in the friend zone. She was trying really hard to be objective, even though every fibre of her was fighting it.
‘I’d love to see the boys, of course .?.?. and I will take them out .?.?.’
‘Look, Pete, maybe this isn’t for me to say, but .?.?. maybe you need to start taking care of yourself. What about your business partner?’
‘Tony?’
‘I don’t want to intrude, but where is he? What’s happening with him?’
‘He was in Spain. Now .?.?. I don’t know.’
