Page 31
“Back up! Are you saying this grumpy Scotsman has a thing for you too?”
“I’m saying, Grace, I’m not going to be taking things any further!”
“Oh . . . right. Well, you know best.” Grace gives me a sceptical smirk. “But maybe don’t rule it out. Sex is, after all, a great stress reliever.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “As you know, I went on a man detox after Mark, but I’ve left it so long now that the thought of getting together with someone else . . . well, I’ve made it into a big deal in my head. Looking back, it might have been better had I slept with someone else straight away to get him out of my system.”
“Oh, Grace. Don’t worry about that. When you’re ready for a relationship, the right man will find you. I know he will.”
Grace smiles and then glances off camera. “Oh! Sorry, Emily. I know this is a private conversation, but I think someone might have overheard some of it, and he’s coming over now.”
The next moment, a new face appears on screen, as David—Grace’s twin brother and flatmate—snatches the phone from his sister. He has a wide, toothy grin and thick-rimmed glasses, and his short afro hair is tapered at the sides.
“Emily!”
Grace tries to get her phone back, but David holds it out of reach.
“Hi, David,” I say. “Wow, that is some shirt. It’s very . . . bright.”
It’s not exactly a compliment, but David takes it as such.
“I know, right? I absolutely love it. Now, hun, I’m devastated about what happened with Harry—I’ve been thinking about you a lot—but I’ve been warned by Grace you’re not ready to talk about that stuff with anyone else. That’s fine—I won’t say another word about it—but I am going to need you to tell me exactly what this Scotsman looks like.”
He raises his eyebrows, waiting expectantly, and I can’t help but smile.
“Well, he’s . . . just like a character from Outlander.”
David gasps and clenches his free hand in excitement. “Which one?”
Outlander is one of David’s three favourite TV shows. He’s forever rewatching episodes.
I chuckle. “Okay, honestly, I only said that to get you excited, but to be fair . . . he is very attractive. Seeing as you were eavesdropping, though, you must have heard I’m planning to focus on myself for the time being.”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard that bit, but . . . have you seen this guy in a kilt yet?”
“No.”
“Well, that’s disappointing. You better sort that out, hun. Take photos!”
I laugh. “Okay, even though nothing is going to happen between me and this guy, if I see him in a kilt, I promise I’ll send you a picture.”
“Perfect! Right, Grace is desperate for her phone back, but seriously, if ever you grow tired of her advice, you can call me any time—I’m here for you! And don’t forget the kilt picture!”
“I won’t. Bye, David!”
Younger than Grace by just ten minutes, David is in some ways like the brother I never had. When your best friend is a twin, it’s almost inevitable you become close with the other twin too, especially when they’re flatmates.
“Sorry about that,” Grace says once she’s got her phone back. “You know what he’s like.”
“I do, and it was no problem at all. It was nice to see him.”
“All right, well, apart from today’s activity with the grumpy Scotsman, how are you doing in general?”
I shrug. “I’m getting by. But . . . do you think rather than rafting, napping, and reading, I should be thinking about important things, like my wedding-planning business? I mean—”
“No!” Grace interrupts. “Don’t worry about that stuff. Focus on you.”
“It’s my source of income, though, so it’s a pretty big deal, especially as I’m now technically homeless.”
“When you’re back in London, you can stay with me and David for as long as you need. It’ll be cosy, but we’ll get by. And you’ve got plenty of time to worry about your business. For now, you’re not in the right headspace. Remember, you need to prioritise you. Are you eating well?”
