Page 35 of Behind Frenemy Lines

Though it had stung a little, hearing some of the things he’d said. I hadn’t followed all of it, but what I’d picked up of his account of recent events hadn’t cast me in the most flattering light. I sounded utterly spineless. The obedient little dogsbody, keeping her head down and hoping the unpleasantness would blow over.

Charles hadn’t mentioned that Arthur had apologised for his behaviour—though, OK, he’d tried to kick me out of my office right after. But I could believe he’d genuinely thought that was for the best, for all concerned.

Arthur had done a lot for me, over the years. Charles wasn’t to know that.

It wasn’t a topic I felt like delving into. I said, “Whose wedding is this?”

Charles passed a hand over his face. “My cousin.”

His tone was so tragic I laughed. “I thought it must be somebody you’re related to, from the way you were bickering with them.”

“I wasn’t bickering,” said Charles, with dignity. “Loretta doesn’t know where to stop. Her mum can be very difficult, to be fair,” he added.

“Why does she want you to bring me to her wedding? Did I get that right?”

Charles hesitated. “This will sound completely mad.”

“Well, you’vegotto tell me now.”

He told me.

“Wow,” I said.

“Yeah.”

“You know, it sounds like Loretta’s mum may be looking for problems,” I said. “Like, if it wasn’t this, there’d be some other reason she can’t come to the wedding.”

“It’s an excuse,” Charles agreed. “It’s not pure invention, though. That’s the challenge, what she says always has some basis in the truth. My mum does worry about me. Though she’d be fine if I brought a boyfriend to the wedding, probably. That’s the irony, my mum’s more relaxed about all of that. She’s only not coming because she doesn’t want to embarrass my aunt.”

I shook my head. “Asian family dynamics. My relatives would be just as bad. Poor Loretta.”

“She hasn’t had an easy time of it,” said Charles. “I’m sorry I told her about, you know, what’s going on. She wasn’t letting it go.”

I shrugged. “Family’s complicated, I get it. When’s the wedding?”

“Saturday.”

“In London?” When Charles nodded, I said, “Why don’t I come with you?”

His head swivelled on his neck like an owl’s. “What?”

“I haven’t got anything on that day,” I said. “And we are supposedly dating.” I grinned.

Charles blushed.

Was I flirting with Kawan Baik? I shouldn’t flirt with Kawan Baik. Goodness knew there was enough going on at work as it was, without me making it weird with my office roommate and long-time work nemesis.

Well, making it weirder.It was already pretty weird, what with the fact Charles was the only other person who knew about Arthur hitting on me, and the fact Arthur believed he was my boyfriend.

A thought struck me. “Wait, does Loretta think we’re together? Is that why she wants you to bring me as your date?”

Charles went from pink to brick red. “No! No. She just—er—I told her I wouldn’t be able to find a date at such short notice. She knows I’m sharing an office with you—that is, with a female lawyer. So she suggested I ask you, as—as a friend.”

He stumbled a little over the word “friend.”

It wasn’t a word I would’ve thought to use of Charles before, despite the nickname. And yet it wasn’t wrong. We weren’t work nemeses anymore, but he was something more than a mere colleague. “Friend” didn’t feel that far off.

“That makes sense,” I said. “How about it? Shall I come?”

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