‘This is Monika, she’s Polish,’ Laurie adds.
‘Ignore Scottie. Welcome,’ she says to Ian.
As I watch Laurie introducing him to everyone, it dawns on me what it is about Laurie that has changed. It’s the way she carries herself; it’s as if, finally, she understands that she’s worth something.
As for Angus, he’s spending more time with his children. When he arrived at the café today, he told me he’d spent the previous night at home, on the sofa bed. ‘The look on Benjie’s face when he saw me this morning for breakfast,’ he said, glowing. ‘Even Amy looked happy I was there, though of course she wouldn’t admit it. I don’t want to raise their hopes, who knows what’s going to happen between Soph and me, but it was good to have breakfast together, as a family. It felt almost normal, Holly. Whatever happens, our children come first. Soph and I are even talking now, without it descending into a row.’
I can’t deny that as he was talking, I felt that fear again of losing us, our team of three, but I keep forcing myself to focus on the bigger picture: that I want him to get back together with Sophie and his family, that I want Angus to be happy. As for me, Milla’s words kept haunting me. ‘What if he gets back with his wife? He’ll go back to his family and then what?’She had a point, so finally, I bit the bullet and spent last weekend signing up to an online dating agency. I need to prove to Milla, and to myself, that I’m not falling in love with Angus. So tonight, I’m going on a date, with Giles. I’m so anxious I need to keep busy. I decide to head upstairs to print the menus.
‘Sorry,’ I say, flustered when I see Angus in the office, semi-naked, about to put on a clean shirt. ‘I should have knocked.’
‘Holly?’ He grins. ‘It’s only me.’
Head down, I walk over to the printer, before promptly dropping the menu sheets. Paper scatters on to the floor. Angus and I both reach down to pick up the sheets, heads bumping, hands touching. ‘Sorry!’ I say, staggering back. ‘Sorry.’
‘Holly, what’s up?’
‘I’m nervous.’ I bite my lip.
‘I can tell. Why? What’s going on?’
‘I’ve got a date tonight.’
‘A date?’
I nod again.
‘When?’
‘Tonight,’ I repeat.
There’s a lengthy pause. ‘Say something encouraging, Angus!’ I break into a nervous smile.
‘Who’s the unlucky guy?’
‘Funny,’ I say, pushing him away.
‘So who is he?’
‘Want to see a pic?’
‘Hmm. What if I don’t think he’s good enough for you?’
I reach into my apron pocket, dig out my mobile and show him a picture of Giles: forty-eight, divorced, three grown-up kids, hedge funder. I wait for Angus to say something, but he’s unusually quiet. ‘You don’tknowhim do you?’
‘No.’
‘He looks OK, doesn’t he? With any luck he won’t argue over the bill.’
‘You don’t know hedge funders very well.’
Milla and I had wondered about this but forgave him since he was good-looking. Superficial, I know.
‘You wouldn’t quibble over the bill,’ I say to him, ‘would you?’
‘He’s good-looking,’ Angus decides. There’s a ‘but’.
‘Angus, I’ve got to get out there again,’ I say, as I put my mobile back into my apron pocket and get the photocopying machine to work.
