“Seriously, Olivia?”
Small feet pattered into the room. “Is Aunty Livvie okay?” Rose went straight to her.
“Auntie Livvie is fine and she’s going to take you for a hot chocolate. Go get your shoes on.” I pulled out my bossiest mum-voice. “As quick as you can. Aunt Liv is ready to go.”
“She really isn’t. I think I need my toe amputated.” Liv was managing to sit up, still holding her foot.
“More than happy to do that for you. Pliers?”
She scowled. “So much sympathy.”
“Such a hypochondriac.”
I knew if Seph wasn’t there, clearly trying not to double over with laughter, she’d have had something more to say. Instead she stood up, still putting on the dramatics, and hobbled out of the room, saying something to Rose.
Seph stayed standing. I figured he wasn’t planning to stay around. Maybe he was just here to do something nice for a colleague and I’d imagined the flirty comments and the way his gaze had stayed on me for a little too long.
“My siblings bicker the same. Doesn’t matter who’s watching us, we managed to embarrass our mum in fifty different ways if she ever had guests.” He smiled shyly, as if he was telling me something no one else knew.
“Liv and I are the same. You wouldn’t think she was a highflier finance person. Especially when she gets all clumsy.” The air in the room suddenly felt a little short of oxygen. “Do you want another coffee?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’m meant to be meeting my brothers for dinner and I need to wash off about three litres of paint.” He fell silent, pushing his hands into his pockets.
“Thank you for doing this. It would’ve been weeks before I got around to it.” It was a way to fill the void that was empty of words.
“You’re welcome. I like doing a bit of DIY. I’ve helped Ava out enough when she’s needed to get something done at short notice.” He bit his lips together, something I realised he did when he was thinking.
“Georgia…”
“Seph…”
We both stopped our sentences and laughed. I hadn’t felt this awkward since I was fifteen and Marc Cutler had asked me out when I liked his best friend. Only I didn’t like Seph’s best friend.
“You first.” I waved my hand in some stupid gesture.
“I was a dick for avoiding you. Can I show you I’m not always like that and take you out to dinner?” His eyes reminded me of a St Bernard’s, completely impossible to say no to.
I wondered if I’d be on his menu.
Scraping that thought from my mind, I curbed the small child inside me that was now doing cartwheels. “Okay.”
“Okay?” He looked hopeful. “Is there a condition or anything? Do I need to do your photocopying for the next week?”
“No, please just stay away from the copier. No conditions. I just need a couple of days’ notice to see if Liv can babysit.” I felt the wrench of guilt at leaving Rose with someone other than me for a few hours. I needed to get over myself – Rose loved short periods of time without me, which made me happy for having a confident, well-adjusted child and a little redundant.
“Wednesday then?”
I nodded, hoping that he couldn’t hear the rapid thudding of my heart. “Wednesday.”
“Good.” His face had lit up. “Are we hiding it from people at work?”
“Do you want to?” I remembered Rose’s dad and how he’d kept us hidden. I didn’t want a repeat of that. Ever. I deserved to be more than somebody’s secret.
“Not really. I’m not very good at keeping stuff to myself.”
I laughed. He really wasn’t. I’d already heard him blurt out to Payton that Eli had eaten her sandwich that she’d been saving, when he’d been sworn to secrecy.
“How about we don’t tell everyone, we just don’t deny it if anyone asks?” I wanted honesty, not to be the focus of office gossip.
