Georgia looked up, her expression slightly softer. “Yeah, if you have time. I know she looks forward to you helping her do that.”
As much as Rose liked reading, she hated maths. I’d been pretty good at maths in school, and I enjoyed talking her though the very basics of adding and subtracting, trying to introduce a few more difficult ideas too. We did it through games and real life concepts, which she enjoyed and stopped her getting too frustrated or bored.
“I have time. I’ll come round and help her, then leave you to your early night. Unless you want to tell me what the matter is?”
She looked a little taken back that I’d called her on it.
“Nothing’s the matter.”
“Really?”
I thought back. We’d had a coffee together at about eleven, just before I’d gone into a meeting. When I came out of it, I’d seen Cassie.
Cassie.
That was why I was getting an extra chilled shoulder. She’d seen me talking to Cassie.
I wanted to tell her off for being ridiculous, ask her if she thought I was deluded – because I’d have to be to give up Georgia for a girl who’d almost broken me. We’d almost broken each other.
“You sure there’s nothing you want to ask me?”
She shook her head.
I stood up, stretched and clicked my fingers, which made her scowl.
“So you’re not sulking about my ex turning up here?”
Her cheeks went pink immediately.
“Don’t lie, Georgia. Either you saw her talking to me, or the grapevine told you.”
She looked back down and shook her head, like I was an irritating child.
“I’m not bothered about Cassie. I just want an early night.”
“Bullshit.” I folded my arms.
She looked up and I saw the fire in her eyes that told me I was about get seriously scorched. Her temper was well-managed; I’d only seen it a couple of times and it hadn’t been directed at me.
“You’re pissed because my ex was here.”
“You were with her a long time.”
“I was. On and off. But I haven’t had anything to do with her for three years and I’m not interested now. I’m especially not interested now because I’m with you.” My chest felt as if it was bursting with everything I was storing in there for her. “I’m not with her, I don’t want to be with her. I want you.” I bit my lips together before I could wax even more lyrical about how she’d hung the stars and the moon and created the goddamn sun to, because that was how I felt.
She put her elbows on the desk and put her face in her hands.
I strode towards her, unsure if I was going to get a hug or an elbow to the balls. Knowing Georgia, it could be both.
I felt marginally better when I pulled her into my arms and didn’t receive an injury. Pressing my lips to her hair, I murmured to her, telling her she had nothing to worry about, that she was it for me. I wanted to tell her I loved her, but even I knew that now wasn’t the right time. Those words couldn’t be a sticking plaster to make her smile again.
“I didn't know she was here until Beth from accounts came and told me. It was like it was the best thing she'd heard since she last got a pay rise, and she couldn't wait to tell me that your ex was in the office. I know that she just wanted to see my reaction because I saw exactly the same expression on the faces of some of the women I work with when they found out that I was pregnant and who the father was.” She was standing up now, allowing me to hold her.
I wanted to take away the worry and the embarrassment that I knew she would have felt from being the source of gossip, I wasn't entirely sure how I did that. I was one of the owners of the firm and the stuff I'd gotten up to in the past made me something of a hot topic. Only time was going to change that, and that was one of the things that I'd wanted to do this year; change people's perception of me. Now I didn't just want to do that for myself, I wanted to do it for Georgia as well.
“I'm sorry you felt that way. If I'd known Cassie was going to be in the office I'd have done what I could not to bump into her. I did try and get rid of her as soon as I could.” I swallowed, felt a sickening feeling fester in my stomach. I needed to tell her what Cassie had said because I wanted to be honest, but I also knew that telling her everything might make her feel insecure.
“I heard you practically threw her out.” She rested her head against my chest.
