“You two seem to have history, though,” Simon persisted.
Not good history, but I didn’t want to discuss that debacle with him.
“We went to primary school together, didn’t we, Tabs?”
Tabitha scowled at me.
What?It was the truth.
“Clearly, you’ve seen each other since?” Simon tapped his lips.
Nope, not going there. “Tabitha and I are working together on her parents’ renovation in the Cotswolds. We’re turning it into an inn themed ‘Must Love Animals’ for pet-loving singles who want to find their soul mate. She’s a qualified architect and is doing the designs.”
Tabs jerked forward, probably to counter anything else I added about her skills as an architect. To be fair, I did complain a lot that she wasn’t practical, realistic, or experienced, all of which were true. Designing houses had been her dream job; as kids, she’d bossed me around for hours as we’d piled up branches, bricks, and stones to make little homes. But she hadn’t stayed at that architecture firm for long. I’d never understood why.
Simon and Freya looked at each other, their eyes shining.
Why were they so interested?
Simon sighed happily. “You two have the sort of chemistry you can’t even get from actors. I want you to work together on the project you already have for the show. Win-win. We will, of course, pay you. And there is prize money for best design.”
No, no, no,I wanted to yell.I needed this gig, and I needed to win the prize money. I did not want the complication of Tabitha sniping at me every second, questioning my judgment and competence. She would slow everything down.
“Tabitha already has a full-time job in London, and it’s a big job,” I said. “She’s editor of the Home and Garden section of theUK News. Which, as you probably know, is the best-selling newspaper in the country. She’s usually only in the Cotswolds at the weekends.”
Tabitha was quiet. She didn’t say,Don’t speak for me, as I expected. She was frowning, like she was thinking very hard. I would have thought she’d be irritated by the suggestion and completely dismiss the idea.
Surely she wasn’t truly considering it?
“We’d schedule around you both,” Simon said. “You already work together on the house on the weekends, so we’ll just film then. I don’t see why we can’t start tomorrow.”
My heart missed a beat.Tomorrow?No, this could not happen.
“Forms signed, of course,” Freya added.
Panic stabbed at my insides. Tabitha was going to mess this up for me. I took a breath and tried to sound reasonable. “But we don’t get on.”
“Precisely,” Simon said. “You two are quintessential telly.”
“What’s the payment for taking part in the show?” Tabitha finally asked.
My heart leaped into my mouth. She was considering it.
He told her the number. She gasped.
Yeah, it was a lot, but surely she didn’t need cash? She had family money. A bottomless pit of it, judging by her parents’ spending habits.
I could see the wheels turning in her head. “And what is the prize amount if we win?”
“One hundred thousand pounds each.”
“Hell’s bells—what?” she exclaimed.
Fuck. Please, for the love of God, do not consider this.
Especially because I wasn’t sure how I’d cope spending more time with the woman who annoyed and confused and distracted me…daily.
5
