Page 70 of Just Like That

‘It’s good to meet you too,’ is all I can manage, while I battle an overwhelming rush of feelings I can’t catch or even begin to make sense of.

An awkward silence follows, and we stand there smiling at each other mutely, while I continue surreptitiously scanning the vicinity.

‘Alison was excited… to see the park,’ says Seth.

‘Yes, that’s right.’ Alison jumps in as if this was a pre-rehearsed cue. ‘Seth told me about Rana the sun bear cub. She sounds so cute.’

‘Yeah, she’s pretty special.’ I try and fail to maintain eye contact with Alison, while keeping a lookout for Nick. ‘I think the sessions with her are finished for the day though.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame. They sounded like great fun.’

‘Who fancies… an ice cream?’ Seth suddenly announces. ‘Jackson, let’s go… get some.’

‘Eh, sure.’ Jackson glances at me uncertainly, reading my less than positive reaction to Seth’s unsubtle attempt to get Alison and I chatting.

‘None for me, thanks,’ I reply. ‘I’m on the clock.’

As Jackson wheels Seth towards the ice cream stall, I give Alison a tight smile, unsure what to say to her.

‘You’ve done a great job here today, Jess.’ She takes the lead on attempting to break the awkwardness between us. ‘I hope you reach your fundraising target.’

‘Thanks, so do I.’ I continue to look around me uncomfortably.

There’s another silence, which Alison fills for a second time.

‘Seth’s doing really well. I’m so impressed by his positivity and determination. Not sure I’d be able to do the same in his situation.’

I’m not sure why, but I bristle at this comment. Perhaps because I feel it not to be Alison’s place to be making those observations.

‘He’s certainly done well so far, but it’s a long-term battle, so he needs to stay focused and not allow himself to become distracted. I wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of his recovery.’ This time I look her square in the face, making it clear that if she’s in any way going to mess my brother around, she’ll have me to deal with.

‘Of course.’ She looks mildly terrified, and I feel satisfied that I’ve got my message across.

‘Here we are.’ Jackson and Seth return with three ice creams, handing one to Alison, who plasters a happy smile back on her face.

‘I hope you two… are getting along.’ Seth grins at us. ‘We can still… go and see Rana… can’t we, Jess? Even though the… sessions are finished.’

‘Yes, of course.’ I brighten at the idea of them moving on. ‘I’d come with you but I have to stay and oversee things here. If you take that path over there past the restaurant, then take a left when it forks, you’ll find her enclosure a minute or so further along.’

‘Great. Will your… boyfriend be there? I’d like to… meet him.’

‘Who, Nick?’ I look at Seth in alarm. ‘Would we say he’s my boyfriend? I’m not sure. We’ve not been together long and I don’t know him that well. Might be a bit soon to introduce you. Anyway, I’m sure he’s run off his feet.’

‘OK.’ Seth shrugs, looking a bit disappointed. ‘Maybe another… time then.’

‘Yes, absolutely. If and when things do reach that stage between us.’

‘Well, you’ve obviously got a lot going on.’ Jackson clasps his hands together. ‘So we’ll get out of your way and let you get back to managing things here.’

A wave of relief washes over me, followed swiftly by an unpleasant soaking of guilt as I watch them set off in the direction of Rana’s enclosure.

‘Who was that?’ Nick appears suddenly behind me, causing me to jump with fright.

‘Gosh, you’re like a stealth missile,’ I tut at him, partly in a bid to distract him. ‘Think I just lost a few minutes of my life.’

‘Sorry.’ He gives me an apologetic-slash-mischievous look. ‘Are they friends of yours?’

‘Um… they were keen to see Rana, so I gave them directions.’ I opt for saying as little as possible to avoid having to lie.

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