I bork. ‘NO!’
‘Yes! And the worst part is I did help the cat out – I drove us to the practice I was working at the time, on my day off. And then, she told me we were more cut out for the doctor–patient relationship than a romantic one.’
‘The neck of her!’
‘Veterinary care is expensive,’ he sighs. ‘But still. It was rather inappropriate.’
‘I can’t believe she subjected the dough balls to that.’
‘Yes, I couldn’t quite look at the garlic butter dip the same after draining that abscess,’ he deadpans, and I die laughing.
Once I’ve composed myself, I return to my mission. This is what friends do, after all. I’ll do the same to Malachi later for Whit, obviously. These two interactions are identical and definitely do not carry the weight of any jealousy, nope nope nope.
‘So, it’s a big jump coming on here to get married, isn’t it? Have you been in a serious relationship before this?’
‘Is this an interview?’ He laughs nervously.
‘I’ll tell you if you pass,’ I joke.
‘I’ve been in one serious relationship, yes. We were together eight years, and broke up about six months ago.’
Wowee. ‘What was her name?’
‘Peony.’ He says the word quietly, reverently. I can hear the love in the letters. I don’t think this is just nostalgia or respect; this is being still hung up on your ex, I’m certain of it.
Poor Carys. Does she know?
‘Do you mind me asking what happened?’ I say, aware this will absolutely make it to television as his backstory.
‘We, err. Well. I moved to Harrogate to set up practice, and she was in Newcastle doing her PhD. We’d been long distancebefore that too, and we were getting to the point where we could move in together… I just didn’t want to pressure her when she was busy with her work.’
‘So you ended it?’
‘No, I just said it probably wasn’t a good time for us to live together. And she ended it.’
Oh, this absolute dummy. I would eat my hat (if I had one) if Peony didn’t actually want to move in with him. The last thing a girl wants is being told what a man thinks she might want. I bet she feels like he took away her agency. Mistake dating career-minded women 101 right there, Pat.
I manage to steer the conversation back to my (fake) dating history – several boyfriends in the past, no one caught my eye for years, need a man who is career focused yada yada yada. Pip, Ayesha and Josie become Paul, Andy and Josh.
But all the time, I can’t help wonder if Carys knows about the Peony situation. And if she doesn’t, should I tell her?
When our date ends cordially, I find Carys in the corner of the empty living room reading a book. The tip of her nose keeps bouncing up and down as her nostrils flare in and out. Her eyes shine with excitement. I guess it’s a good book. In another life, I see her in a patch of sunlight, curled up on Mum’s couch with a cup of tea, the pair of them swapping reads.
She notices me, and her smile is hot like the sun. ‘Dolly!’ She snaps closed the book, and pats the seat beside her, like she’s been waiting for me the whole time.
I’m relieved that she seems to have returned to her old self after her shortness last night. Perhaps that was like the first night where she just powered down from being too tired?
‘Good book?’
‘Better company.’ I try to ignore the flip in my stomach.
That’s when I know I can’t do it. I cannot be certain that telling her about Patrick’s hang ups isn’t more about me thanher. Nothing is ever going to happen, and I need to let it die. I need to friendzone her.
Patrick is a good man. He’ll tell her.
‘Who were you out seeing this morning?’
‘Cobey,’ she says, without the dreaminess Patrick is afforded.
