Page 38 of Date with Destiny

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It’s been a week since we got back from our kinda-life-changing trip, which means three months of living back at Celeste’s house. And still – every day – I wake up baffled by where I am and how this could’ve happened.

Getting ready for work, I take it all in again, surveying my old bedroom, in my old bed with my old bedsheets; old curtains hanging from the windows, and surrounded on all sides by old teddy bears and a bookshelf full of oldSimpsonsDVDs.

I know I should change things up a bit. Like, at least take down that oldTwilightposter of Robert Pattinson? But that would mean Ilivehere. It would mean admitting defeat, conceding that I now really do co-habit with my mother in the house I grew up in.

And I can’t do that.

So far it is definitely meeting – exceeding – all my worst expectations.

Celeste has beenonme the whole time. She immediately assumed the old mother–child dynamic I was so eagerto escape at eighteen by running away to uni. She’s been hovering around me ever since I moved back in – fussing, haranguing, asking at all hours if I need her to ‘put on a wash’.

She follows me from room to room, telling me off for putting on the overhead light and leaving the sofa cushions at the wrong angle. Last night, when I announced I was going to bed, she chased me in here and I swear to god, she wasthis closeto tucking me in. Every boundary I’ve spent the last fifteen years erecting is crumbling down around my ears.

I pull on a blouse, tucking it into my pencil skirt and smoothing out the creases with my hands. One nice thing about this situation, I think cheerfully to myself, is being able to commute to work with Toni!

I pad my way softly down the hall and knock lightly on Toni’s door.

‘You ready?’ I ask, peering around the door.

‘Yep!’ She lays down her hairbrush, beaming at me and I step out of the way as she joins me on the landing.

‘We’re off,’ Toni announces to Celeste as we pass the kitchen and she turns quickly, bouncing up from her seat.

‘I’ll take you! I’m going in today!’ She grabs her car keys and Toni and I glance at each other in surprise. Celeste so rarely comes to the store, especially for opening hour! She is not really a morning person, a fact the studio have had to get used to around filmingEngage!But maybe this is my chance to put those manifestations I made on the trip into practice. I’ve brought up my engagement concierge idea with Celestea couple of times, but only in passing and she’s given me the brush-off. If she’s working in the store today, I can sit her down properly and talk her through my plan, Iknowshe’d be excited. Christmas is coming up in a couple of months, which means an influx of clients looking for rings. If we can implement the service soon, it could be a huge boon for the business.

Zach’s waiting in front of the store when we get there, pacing up and down a little impatiently. I feel myself turning red as we approach, thinking of the last time we saw each other at the wake. I’ve avoided him the last couple of times he’s been due in the shop, rearranging my shifts so Toni could liaise with him instead. Then, of course, I was away on the trip with Myfe and Toni. All of it means, I realize now, that it’s been a month since I’ve seen him. I also realize in a rush that the time apart has only increased my embarrassment.

‘Hiya!’ I call awkwardly and he turns, that actor smile spreading across his face. He opens his mouth to reply, then spots Toni and Celeste right behind me.

‘Oh!’ he says, his face falling. ‘Hi, everyone.’ He falters, gesturing behind him at the store. ‘Sorry to be so early. I was going to get everyone a coffee and then forgot and ended up… here…’ he finishes lamely and I breathe out. At least he seems as nervous and humiliated as me.

‘We’ll have to get you your own key!’ Toni trills happily, completely oblivious, as she passes by, opening the front door and gesturing at him to head in.

Inside, he points towards the office and I nod, ‘I’ll be right behind you, one sec!’

My heart is pounding as I make us coffee. I know how he likes it now: black with two sugars. Just like a goodmatewould know. Heading in with the cups, I immediately understand coffee was a mistake; my hands are shaking but he pretends not to notice.

‘Thanks!’ he says faux-brightly.

‘No problem!’ I match his tone, dying inside. ‘So, coming in this morning is lovely Joey Addiman.’ Zach nods enthusiastically, picking up the bag at his feet.

‘I’ve got the ring here. I hope he likes it.’

‘I hope Hannah likes it!’ I add, half laughing.

Joey met with us a couple of months ago, bringing in his great, great grandmother’s engagement ring that he wanted reworked and personalized for his partner, Hannah. He didn’t know exactly the look he wanted, so Zach and I talked him through options. Zach suggested adding some new feature stones to the design, and we discussed what would suit her personally, as well as her lifestyle. She works with her hands, as a private chef, which means some of the softer stones, like opals and turquoise, can get scratched or broken more easily than others. On the hardness scale, diamonds are the hardest material on earth, which is why they’re so perfect for an engagement ring you wear every day.

Plus, they’re so purty.

So he chose diamonds, but then we had to go through everything like cut, colour, clarity, and carat, plus the sizeof the band, with Zach working on mock-ups. Now the finished design is finally ready for collection.

Zach looks nervous so I reassure him. ‘I’m sure they’ll both love it. The designs you did were so beautiful.’

‘It’s a lot of pressure, especially when you’re essentially melting down a family heirloom!’ His voice jangles and he tries to laugh, but sighs instead. He looks up, staring at me with a serious expression on his face. ‘Ginny, look, I really need—’

‘Morning!’ Joey greets us excitedly at the door.

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