Page 32 of Just Like That

‘I’m fine.’ I aim for a sweet smile but it comes across as borderline acidic.

This doesn’t deter him.

‘You sure? You don’t seem yourself.’

‘Oh, and you would know?’

Nick seems taken aback by this unexpected attack and to be honest, I don’t blame him, but I’m also not in the mood to play nice.

‘Well, I don’t know you that well but—’

‘Correction,’ I cut him off. ‘You don’t know me at all. And you don’t seem to want to. That’s been pretty clear over the last few weeks. You tolerate me. You throw me the odd bone of companionable work chat, but I’m well aware from the rapidness with which you swing in the opposite direction that you’d rather I disappeared. So do me a favour and don’t suddenly pretend you care about what’s going in my life, yeah?’

Finishing my tirade, I stare accusingly at Nick, who I’m expecting to come back at me even harder. However, to my surprise, his expression turns almost regretful, then sympathetic.

‘Sure,’ he simply says, then he turns away and heads into the park, leaving me standing there, feeling ashamed and more confused than ever.

Chapter 15

Straight after my run-in with Nick, my head a jumble of negative emotions, I head to the park office meeting room, where I’m catching up with the events project leads. On entering the room, I can see that everyone is already there, so I make a beeline for the coffee trolly to allow myself a few extra moments to compose myself.

‘Morning, how are you?’ Lauren appears beside me, all bounce and high-energy, and picks up a mug. ‘You seem a bit—’

‘Please don’t say harassed.’ I stop her short.

‘That wouldn’t have been my choice of words. Is everything OK?’

I heave a sigh. ‘I’m fine. It’s just… Nick.’

‘Ah yes, Nick. Cold, unfeeling, mildly infuriating?’

I scoff. ‘All of the above?’

‘Full marks. It does have the effect of “I wanna rip that shirt right off you” though, doesn’t it?’

I give Lauren a side glance, thinking she’s lucky sheisthe HR department for this park, otherwise she’d get herself in trouble with those remarks. ‘Um… are you sure you don’t have a thing for him?’

‘Me? No.He’s far too old and grumpy. He’s a bit of eye candy to pass the time. A one-time lay at best. Anyway, I’m going to marry a guy from my uni course.’ She assumes a dreamy expression.

This statement is a double dose of surprises.

‘I didn’t know you’re at uni. And does this guy know this?’

‘I’m doing a Masters course part time while I work here. And he doesn’t know it, but he knows it… if you know what I mean.’ She gives me a sly wink.

‘I’m not sure I do.’ I steal a curious glance at her, while adding milk to my coffee. ‘But good luck with that.’

‘Thanks. So, back to Nick, what did he do?’

‘Nothing, honestly. I’ve had a bad morning and he was just there at the wrong time. Come on, let’s get started.’

We take a seat at the table and start the meeting. The first thing I ask the group to do is share their updates, and I’m pleased to note that things are moving along nicely. As much as I thought Nick was shirking his responsibilities, it’s actually easier to manage things without him and his undermining comments joining the party. Having taken the lead on the Christmas project, Serge shares that he’s already in advanced talks with some suppliers, who can provide an authentic European Christmas market experience. Monika, who’s leading on the retiree events, has canvased interest in the local villages and towns and has come up trumps. However, her research has signalled the need for the provision of transport, so we spend some time chewing over the figures from a selection of quotes she’s received. Lastly, I invite Lauren, who jumped at the lead role for the dating nights, to give her update.

‘I’ve got more than an update for you.’ She gets out of her seat and goes to the flipchart, turning the page to reveal a perfectly mapped out plan scrawled in blue marker pen. ‘I’ve got it all sorted.’

‘Great stuff.’ I clap my hands together with enthusiasm.

‘Myself and my team have come up with the ultimate dating experience. Our daters will – wait for it – be matched based on their animal personality types.’

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