‘Sooooo, Sandy and Jackson got engaged on Saturday.’
‘What? That’s so fast! I mean, fab and all, butreallyquick.’
‘You think so? I guess it is but if you know, you know, right?’
‘Still. Super quick. When do you think they’ll get married?’
I whirl my hand in the air as I clear my mouth of a yellow M&M. ‘Not for a while, she said. I think it’s the money thing really and then other stuff, like where they’ll live. Sandy lives with and works for Lara and Jackson needs to be where Gregory is. They’ve got some things to work out, I guess.’
‘You must be happy for her.’
‘I really am. She’s spent her life looking after me and then Dad; she deserves to have something else, someone to love her in a romantic way.’
‘How are you coping with that? Your dad, I mean. Everything else has kind of taken over, hasn’t it? But it’s still so close.’
‘Honestly, I don’t know how I feel. Everything that’s happened lately is just a massive blur.’ I killed a man and whilstsaving another’s life, I don’t know how much of me killed to avenge my father’s murder.
My fate could be decided any moment now. I glance at my phone but there are no calls or messages showing on the screen.
‘I know that I miss him,’ I sigh. ‘I miss him like mad.’
Amanda darts forward in her seat and presses a hand against her chest. ‘Oh, crikey, I feel so sick.’
‘Where’s your stamina?’ I laugh. ‘At uni, you could’ve done 500 grams before you felt sick.’
She retches then and puts her other hand over her mouth.
‘Shit, you’re not playing.’ I grab the bin from under my desk and push it in front of her just before she vomits.
I pull two tissues from the box on my desk and hand them to her. She wipes her mouth and her brow, then slumps back in her chair.
‘Are you okay? Do you want me to get you some water?’
‘No, I’m fine.’ She sips her coffee. ‘I feel better now. It just came over me so quickly. This stupid bug. I’ve thrown up every day for a week. I just can’t shake it.’
‘Amanda, if you’ve been sick for seven days, you need to see a doctor. Do you have a temperature? Let me feel.’ I move to her and place the back of my hand on her forehead the way my dad used to do to me. ‘You actually feel okay.’
‘I know. It’s not constant. It comes and goes. I’ve tried taking something to settle my stomach but nothing works.’
‘Erm, I hope you don’t mind me asking but is it, erm?—’
‘Coming out of the other end?’
I laugh a little. ‘Sorry, it’s not funny; you’re just so blunt. Is it?’
‘No. No diarrhoea.’ She laughs too and pops an M&M into her mouth as I look on with a furrowed brow.
‘And you’re not off your food?’
‘No. Well, actually, certain things but not M&Ms.’ She grins.
‘Bloody hell, Amanda, you don’t think you could be?—’
‘Pregnant!’ She jumps up from her seat. ‘Holy shit!’
‘How hasn’t this occurred to you?’
‘Jesus, Scarlett, now’s not the time for a lecture! I can’t be. Can I?’
