‘That didn’t go quite as planned, did it? How embarrassing.’
‘Hey, it’s fine. Don’t be silly.’ Gracie felt awful. He obviously didn’t fancy her at all. ‘I think I may just head home.’
‘It’s 1 a.m., Gracie. Are you sure? We could go to bed and cuddle, then see what comes up in the morning, maybe?’ He kissed her on the forehead.
‘No, I’d really like to go home, it’s fine. I’ll get an Uber.’
Ed smiled weakly. ‘I know this is so cliché, but it’s not you, it really is me. And I’m so sorry if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable.’
Gracie reached for her phone and booked a car.
Ed brushed her lips with his at the door. ‘Make sure you text me when you get in, yeah?’
Gracie got in the car and rested her head back on the seat. Yes, things like that did happen, but it still seemed odd. If the drink had affected him, then fine, but the fact she had seen his huge erection in the mirror when he ran to the bathroom made it all the more strange. She wasn’t that unsexy, was she? It didn’t make sense. He really had seemed to like her. Maybe she should have stayed but her feelings of rejection had made her want to run. She was just thinking that she hoped that she hadn’t left Ed feeling bad about the situation when the driver braked too hard and jolted her out of her thoughts.
Remembering she had run out of her favourite tea bags and skimmed milk, she asked the driver to pull into a garage. And that was when she saw him.
Lewis.
Staggering out of the garage with a full carrier bag of hangover supplies, Gracie guessed by the look of him. He was smashed! Hiswhole face lit up when he saw her. ‘My Gracie… My Gracie with the special hair!’
She put her hand to the back of her head and realised she had a bad case of ‘rolling round on sofa’ hair. Shit!
He put his hand on her arm. ‘I miss you, Gigi,’ he slurred. ‘I miss you so much.’
She thought she was going to cry. ‘Look, I do need to talk to you, but not now. I’ll ring you this week, I promise.’
She scurried back to her Uber shaking. He had looked so sad, then so happy when he saw her. Her heart was beating too fast. Maybe she did still love him?
That was the trouble with the head and the heart, Gracie thought. How could you just switch love off? One day everything seems perfect, and the next day they cheat and you have to hate them. The heart doesn’t understand, as it’s the head telling you what to feel. Gracie’s thoughts were confusing her. The sooner she got home and into bed the better.
A text from Ed flashed up.
You home yet babe? x
Then another.
I still love you Gigi X
THIRTY-TWO
‘Come into the meeting room and take a letter, Miss Davies.’ Rob Warhurst laughed as he minced by Gracie’s desk and beckoned her into an empty office. He shut the door behind her.
‘How are you?’
‘Great, thanks. Been doing lots of exercising and thinking.’
‘I was going to say you are looking trimmer. In fact, you look great. Probably not supposed to say that in this day and age, but I just did. And how are you feeling about everything now?’
‘Confused. Lewis realises he’s made a dreadful mistake, but I think it’s my time now. I feel that I need a fresh start on life.’
‘Please don’t say what I fear you are going to?’
Gracie made a face. ‘Oh, Rob, this is so hard. You’ve been so bloody brilliant about everything, but I have got the chance to do something where I can make more of myself, for myself.’
‘Go on.’
‘There’s a function room behind the Windmill Café on Wimbledon Common and the woman who part owns it says I can make it my own. Just give her a commission of whatever I earn on events.’
