Page 11 of The Layover
Just as I’m about to join the back of the humungous – genuinely,humungous– queue, I hear a familiar voice up ahead, and my heart leaps. I know that head of scruffy curls! I know that stocky build!
Leon is at the counter arguing with a flight rep, and there’s a petite brunette next to him, the patient and friendly smile on her face just a bit too strained to be believable.
I breeze past the entire queue towards them, wheelie case rattling lightly behind me.
‘Leon, hon! Fancy seeing you here!Bonjour, bonjour!’ I call over, interrupting the conversation. I throw an arm around him in a quick hug he doesn’t return, and when I pull away he’s still blinking, startled to see me.
‘Gemma. You’re here.’
‘Of course I’m here, silly! Looks like we were on the same flight.’
‘I thought you would’ve already been out there. Making the most of the place.’
Yes, well, if it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to get a room for a night, and if I hadn’t been screwed over getting time off work …
‘Oh, you know how it is! I thought you were going out this morning with your parents?’
‘Flight was fully booked.’ He shakes his head, trying to clear it. Poor guy can’t handle stressat all. ‘This, uh …’
He makes some vague, half-hearted gesture to the brunette, who meets me with a ready smile, this one equally frayed around the edges as the one she was using with the staff.
‘I’m Francesca,’ she says, ‘Marcus’s—’
‘Oh, you’re Marcus’s friend! The work wife! Darling,lovelyto meet you!’ I give her a hug, too, if only to hide the wide-eyed shock that steals over my face in that moment.
The fuckingwork wife.
I swear to God. I can’t. I can’t deal.
But I’m not about to lay into her here in the middle of the departures hall, not when we’ll have to see each other and play nice at the wedding all day tomorrow, too. I may be a bit of a bitch sometimes, but I’m not a monster.
I still can’t believe Marcus invited her. I can’t believe Kayleighlet him. I can’t believe she actuallycame.This girl throws herself at him at any opportunity, has this pathetic crush on him, makes all these sad excuses to spend time with him …
I bet they’ve fucked.
Although, actually, this doe-eyed girl doesnotseem like Marcus’s type at all. But still. Everything I’ve heard about her from Marcus and Kayleigh … I bet she has slept with him. I mean, hello, did somebody say ‘office siren’? And in that ugly man’s jacket, she’s giving real Manic Pixie Dream Girl vibes.
Leon makes a disgruntled noise that sounds like an actualgrunt, and we both glance over. His jaw is clenched, and he looks about as thrilled by the term ‘work wife’ as Kayleigh is. Francesca, for her part, has a faint blush on her cheeks.She’s annoyingly good-looking.Adorable, all big eyes and pouty mouth, and I bet she doesn’t even have fillers to achieve that look.
Anyway. Bigger fish to fry, and all that.
I turn to the man at the counter, resting my elbow on it and giving him a smile, too. Bright and dazzling and ruthless.
‘Bonjour, monsieur. Nous sommes—’
‘I speak English, madam,’ he informs me with a Brummie accent.
‘Right. Well, hi,’ I say. ‘I’m with them. We’re all trying to get to the same wedding. What’s the update? Have we got a new flight yet? We reallydoneed to be there tonight, you see. Terribly important. Lots to do! I’m the maid of honour,’ I add, really laying the self-importance on thick.
He looks exhausted already, poor fella, and gives me a terse look.
‘As I was just explaining to your friends’ – evenhesays it like he knows we’re hardly more than peripheral acquaintances – ‘most flights are currently grounded due to the storm. It’s expected to clear up in a couple of hours, but—’
‘So put us on a flight in a couple of hours.’
I swear, I literally see him questioning all his life choices and losing the will to live. He manages to turn his eye-roll into a series of blinks.
‘We’re very busy. You understand it’s the bank holiday weekend. Most flights are already fully booked. With the delays—’
