Page 56 of Going Overboard

‘It’s not so much a routine, it’s more like being on that treadmill,’ I say.

‘Would you know what that was even like?’ he jokes.

‘Har-har,’ I reply. ‘I guess I get up, get ready, rush off to various appointments, different houses, different clients. Sometimes I’mshopping for furniture or smelling 500 candles until I find the exact right one for a particular en suite. I’ve started dressing holiday rentals, and I’m about to do some stuff with a boutique hotel. They want their guests to have the best time and you would be amazed how the right colours, the right pillows, the right accessories can make a difference.’

‘Sounds more exhausting than my job,’ he replies.

That almost sounds like a compliment.

‘I’m not sure about that,’ I say with a laugh. ‘I love it though. I love that no two days are the same. It keeps things interesting. And it’s not always plain sailing, sometimes people need convincing that they need to take down all of their family photos.’

‘Why do you do that?’ he asks curiously. ‘Surely it’s nice, to see it as a family home?’

‘Well, that’s the thing, not everyone wants to see it as a family home,’ I reply. ‘If people think it’s a family home, not a swanky bachelor pad, it can put them off. Even the people who do want a family home, they want to imagine their own family in it, not someone else’s. You want people feeling like it’s their house from the second they walk through the door.’

‘Okay, I’ll admit it, I thought your job sounded kind of silly the first time you told me about it but, now that you’ve explained it, I get it, it makes sense,’ he says. ‘So, what about after work? How do you relax?’

How do I relax? Do I even relax?

‘It’s interesting, since Todd…’ My voice trails off.

‘You don’t have to talk about it,’ Brody insists.

‘No, it’s okay,’ I reply. ‘Since we split, the days kind of… drop off after work. We used to go out with our friends together sometimes, but most nights we would just hang out together. Watch Netflix, get a takeaway, cuddle on the sofa. So I don’t do that any more, obviously, I do a version of it on my own, I guess. I’m hoping that once wedding season calms down, I’ll get my friends back, figure out a new version of normal. One that doesn’t include him.’

Brody watches me quietly for a second, not teasing me or laughing at me.

‘Were you really happy with Todd?’ he asks curiously. ‘And, again, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.’

‘No, I’m happy to talk about it,’ I tell him. ‘And, yeah, I was happy. Really happy.’

‘You just… talk about your life like it was a bit… boring with him?’

I pick at the empty wrapper in my hand.

‘Do I?’ I reply. ‘No. It wasn’t boring… I don’t think. It was… comfortable. The kind of love where you’re best friends first, you know? That’s what makes it last. Friendship. That’s the foundation of a long-lasting relationship. Would you say you and Nikki were friends?’

‘No, no way,’ Brody replies. ‘She was my girlfriend. My friends were my friends.’

And that’s exactly why I could never entertain anything happening between me and Brody – not that he’s entertaining it either. Because there’s no world in which he and I would ever be friends. I’m attracted to him physically, sure, I think anyone who is attracted to men would be. And his charm, when it’s not pointed at me like a loaded gun full of jokes and sarcasm. But his personality? No, thanks. He drives me absolutely mad. Constantly. Consistently. Unrelentingly.

‘Maybe that’s one of those things lads and lasses see differently,’ he replies, ‘or maybe I just don’t know Todd that well but… he seems boring. It’s hard to imagine him being anyone’s type.’

It sounds to me like Brody can’t quite get his head aroundwhy on earth Nikki would leave someone like him for someone like Todd.

I hate to say it, but I’ve asked myself the same question.

‘Unlike Nikki, who’s everyone’s type?’ I reply.

Brody laughs again.

‘She was all right at first,’ he replies. ‘Beautiful, sharp, intense in a kind of exciting way. But then she started pushing me about work, trying to get me to do things I didn’t want to do. She wanted to turn me into an influencer, have brand deals. She even talked about me going onCelebrity Welcome to Singledomonce. I told her that even if I did fancy a TV dating show – which I don’t – I’m hardly a celebrity. She said I needed a brand, something to fall back on when I retire. I know, it’s closer than I think, but that’s not what I want to do. I want to step out of the light, not have it shining on me even brighter. I just wanted to play the sport, not have theDaily Scoopprint my face on beer mats and send them to almost every pub in the country the week before the Ashes.’

Okay, that does sound awful. I don’t suppose, when he was a kid growing up, starting to get excited about sport, that he thought about getting papped when he grew up.

‘So what do you want to do?’ I ask, genuinely curious.

‘Coaching, maybe,’ he replies. ‘Not pros though. I think I’d rather work with kids. Help them fall in love with the game, the way I did.’

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