Page 69 of Just Like That

‘I’m impressed, Jess. When you and Gwen proposed this event, I genuinely didn’t think you could pull it off in the time that you had available. But you did it, so you must get kudos for that. It’s fantastic, and I’m looking forward to hearing the final tally with the fundraising. I know Tonya will be thrilled if the park is saved. She’s very fond of Gwen – as am I.’

I don’t know Craig’s wife well enough to judge if this statement is sincere, but I can’t help thinking the last part of it is not. Surely if Craig were that fond of Gwen, he would have done more than give her a measly discount on his services; this is a man who has some of the biggest contacts in his little black book.

‘Let’s keep everything crossed then, eh?’ I say. ‘Are you sticking around for a bit?’

‘No, unfortunately. We’re out with some friends tonight, so we’ll need to get the house in order before the babysitter arrives.’

‘Of course. Have a lovely evening then. I’ll see you on Tuesday.’

See you for a conversation about getting one or two of my high-profile projects back, I think to myself.

Craig heads off to gather up his wife and kids, and as I watch him go, I feel a spark of excitement in my gut. With the help of the amazing team here at the park, I’ve pulled off one hell of an event, over and above the work I was sent here to do. I’ve also shown how I can be flexible and put in extra hours where they’re needed. Provided the numbers go the way I’m hoping they will, there’s no way he can fob me off with his previous excuses.

I wander across the busy outdoor space looking for Nick to tell him the good news, but I can’t see him anywhere. Wondering if he’s gone to Rana’s enclosure because it’s become a meeting point of sorts for us, I turn back on myself and head in that direction. Just as I’m passing the same place where Gwen busted Nick and I having a snog three weeks before, an arm reaches out and grabs me, pulling me round the side of the building. Giving a startled yelp, I see it’s Nick, who’s obviously been waiting for me to pass.

‘How did it go?’ He seems tortured by the wait. ‘Are you OK? Did he give you shit? Please don’t tell me tonight is cancelled, because I’ve been able to think of nothing else all day.’

For a split second, I consider playing a prank on him, but when I look into his eyes, which are brimming with equal measures of concern and hope, I just can’t do that to him.

‘We’re fine.’ I spread my arms in a gesture of complete bafflement. ‘He was fine. I can barely believe it.’

‘Sort of fine or completely fine?’

‘More or less completely fine. It’s so weird. Everything about who Craig is at work told me he wouldn’t be all right with this, but he is – though I suspect it’s grudgingly. I can’t quite get my head around it.’

‘This is great news.’ Nick grins and draws me in close, planting an affectionate kiss on my nose. ‘We can be a proper couple now.’

‘Exactly that.’ I beam back at him, while wondering how the hell I’m going to make that work, when tomorrow I’m returning home to Seth, and he’s the top priority in my life.

A few minutes later – following some delectable tongue action – Nick and I emerge from behind the wall, timed thirty seconds apart so as not to attract any unwanted attention or send the park grapevine into overdrive. He goes first, striding back in the direction of the main festivities, then I follow suit, noting that the band now have half the place up dancing. Nodding at Serge and his team members as I pass the food stands, I then swing by the animal sponsorship stall, where I’m pleased to find the monthly pledges are stacking up nicely. Rana, of course, has the highest number of people sponsoring her, followed closely by the giraffes and the elephants. Putting the clipboard back on the table and thanking the park team member who’s currently manning the stall, I’m about to go and check in with the bar to make sure they’re still well enough stocked, when I spot yet more familiar faces in the crowd – this time it’s my brother and Jackson.

‘Oh, bloody hell.’ I mutter to myself, feeling a renewed sense of rising panic. ‘Everyone really has turned out today.’

Chapter 32

I stand stock still, caught in the horrible dilemma of whether to walk in the opposite direction and plead ignorance later, or whether to approach them and risk the possible fallout if Nick spots us. Deliberating this for a moment too long, the decision is then taken out of my hands.

‘Jess. Hey, Jess. There she is.’ Jackson strides towards me, grinning from ear to ear.

‘Oh, hi.’ I plaster on a reaction of surprise. ‘What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming today.’

My eyes roam past him to Seth, whose wheelchair is being pushed by a smiling woman I’ve never seen before. She’s very attractive, with the most incredible mane of wavy raven-coloured hair, and her makeup looks like a professional applied it.

‘We didn’t plan to,’ says Jackson. ‘Seth suggested it. Said he would often come to the events you organised before, so it felt like a natural step forward in his recovery to have him start doing that again.’

‘Right, great.’ I look around nervously, my radar trying to pinpoint Nick’s position, but I can’t see him, which means he could appear out of nowhere at any time.

‘Who’s this then? A friend of yours, Jackson?’ I gesture towards the woman, while mouthing ‘hi’ to Seth.

‘No, this is Alison.’ He emphasises the name and for a moment I’m blank, before it clicks.

‘Ah, Alison. I see.’

Before I have the opportunity to say, do or think anything further, Alison parks Seth’s wheelchair, then bounds across to me like a playful pug. She grabs my hand and sort of holds and shakes it at the same time.

‘Jess, it’s so lovely to finally meet you,’ she gushes in an Irish accent, her huge emerald green eyes fixed on mine.

I can see the attraction from Seth’s perspective straight away. She’s quite stunning, and that accent is definitely a winner. But there’s something about this whole Seth having a girlfriend thing that puts me on edge.

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