‘I’m curious. Seven.’
‘Are you sure? Okay, then. I met Olli on a press trip to an Icelandic Ice Hotel. He worked in hospitality.’ And he looked after meverywell. ‘My boss, who’d gone off on maternity leave, had come back around this time and it felt like I’d been given a whopping great demotion, so, after meeting Olli, I resigned and went freelance. Mum was now an assistant cruise director and touring the British Isles, and, as Iceland was one of their stops, I decided to go back to cruise coordinating so I could drop in on Olli every few weeks. I blogged in the staff Internet café in my spare time and sold off my articles to magazines and newspapers.’
‘I think I read your Olli account,’ Charlie says.
I remember him saying that he agreed with Fay about Nicki and me having a similar tone of voice. ‘Olli was the one who couldn’t remember me,’ I remind him.
‘That’s right. He sounded like a total dick.’
I laugh. ‘Yeah, he was. I think he’s got a whole jar of hearts somewhere, like the Christina Perri song.’
He gives me a blank look.
‘?“Jar of Hearts”? By Christina Perri? Never mind. Anyway, after Olli dumped me, Mum and I went and joined the Caribbean cruise set. I played the field a bit during those twelve months. It was hard not to, working on that ship. I didn’t fall in love again for another year.’
‘How old were you?’ he asks.
‘Twenty-five. That was Dillon.’ I’m hit by a wave of anxiety. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to Ireland tomorrow to meet up with him. Ooh!’ I put my hand on my belly.
‘You all right?’
‘Yeah, fine. I’m just nervous.’
He looks surprised. ‘I thought you took it all in your stride.’
‘God, no! It stresses me out massively.’
‘Why do you do it, then?’
‘You’ve got to step out of your comfort zone sometimes.’ I take a gulp of my beer. ‘Anyway, I started feeling homesick after so long away so I went back to do the British Isles to be a bit closer to Dad. Dillon was part of the ship’s entertainment crew – a musician. I fell so hard for him that I ended up handing in my notice and going on tour with him and his band of merry Irishmen.’
On board he’d played jolly folk music for our passengers. Off board, the band’s music had more of a rock edge. Dillon played the guitar and the banjo and was one of three singers.
‘He was very sexy, a bit of a bad boy. The girls used to go mad for him. I walked away after a few months before he cheated on me – I was certain he would. He wasnothappy,’ I state, remembering how he refused to accept that we were over. He said that I’d live to regret it.
I thought twice about contacting him prior to my visit, just in case he told me to go jump, but in the end I risked it and got a surprisingly warm email in return. We’re meeting at a pub tomorrow night – he’s got a gig a few doors down.
‘What am I on now? You still want to hear this?’
Charlie nods. ‘I think you’re up to nine...’
‘Okay, super quickly. After I left Ireland, I went to work for another travel magazine in London. That’s where I met Liam. He was a picture editor. Very sweet, very sexy. We tried to keep our relationship under wraps for a while, which was fun, but we were together for a good eighteen months.’
‘You like the whole forbidden-love thing, don’t you?’ Charlie comments drily.
I grin. ‘Yeah, I do, actually. At least, I did. I’ve grown up a bit now.’
He smirks at me.
‘After Liam came Seth. I was twenty-seven and I wanted to get away from London for a bit, so I joined Mum on the Japan route. It all went a bit pear-shaped. I won’t bore you with the details. Eleven was—’
‘Wait,’ Charlie interrupts. ‘How did it go pear-shaped?’
‘Urgh, seriously, I’ll tell you another time if you really want to know.’
‘Okay.’ He seems intrigued.
‘Eleven was... Beau!’ I say brightly. I cast a quick look at Adam over my shoulder. ‘I wonder if he’s seen Michelle to ask about him.’ I turn back to Charlie. ‘Beau was fun-loving and gorgeous. The perfect antidote to Seth the Wanker. I’d be so happy if I could track him down while I’m here,’ I say. ‘And, finally, there was Felix. I was twenty-nine and had agreed to do a freelance lifestyle piece on unusual forms of exercise. Felix was a free runner. He was also a dental hygienist.’ I laugh. ‘He was always looking at my teeth, which could be really annoying. We broke up about three times, but kept getting back together. I think I just wanted to settle down at that point, but it was a couple more years before I found Elliot.’
