Page 11 of Strictly Friends
‘I’ve told you a hundred times that I’m sorry about Shirlee coming over to yours,’ Griffin protested, his face the picture of injured innocence. ‘I even went round to apologise to Auntie Pearl.’
‘Did you? She didn’t mention it. What did she say?’
‘What doyouthink?’ Griffin pursed his lips into a rueful grimace. ‘After I’d said my piece, she gave me that disappointed look I swear she saves especially for me and then launched into “Now you know I’m not one to say I told you so, but...”’
Ruby snorted with laughter, and Griffin gave a reluctant chuckle. ‘Yeah, well, you can imagine the rest. Basically, she gave me a full-blown lecture on why I should be settling down and making babies instead of sowing my wild oats like there’s a famine on the way.’
‘That’s Auntie Pearl for you,’ Ruby giggled. ‘She’s got a point, though. We’re in our thirties now, and I’m sorry, but you’re still basically drifting through life.’ She ignored Griffin’s scowl. ‘You know what I mean – it’s not like you go into an office every day like the rest of us. Playing occasional gigs with a band and jetting off here and there at a moment’s notice doesn’t exactly scream “focused adult”.’ She crooked her fingers in the air to make her point. ‘Seriously, Griff, just because you don’t need the money shouldn’t stop you having a purpose in life.’
‘Maybe you and Jake are my purpose,’ he said lightly.
Ruby shook her head in exasperation and reached for a chip from his plate. ‘Don’t use us as an excuse. You need to find something that makes you feel good about yourself. You know your mum would—’
Griffin held up a hand to cut her off. ‘Yeah, okay, you don’t need to remind me that Mum would be pissed off at me. Trust me, I already feel like crap, knowing I don’t have a clue how to make good use of the money.’
‘Well, you love helping people and you’re really passionate about music, so maybe you could think of something worthwhile that brings it all together. You can’t coast along for ever jumping from one Shirley – sorry, Shirlee– to another.’ Ruby smiled to cushion the impact of her words. ‘Don’t you get tired of the drama?’
He grimaced. ‘Trust me, I don’t go looking for it. These women are allsosweet – until they turn on me! Youknowme, I’m always upfront about not looking to settle down, and I honestly don’t lead anyone on. But then after a few weeks, it’s like they forget the ground rules—’
‘Ground rules...Really?’ Ruby glared at him with exasperation. ‘These are people, Griffin, not a football game! I don’t know what you do to these poor women to turn their heads so badly, but whatever it is, it’s on you! So, in future, just leave me out of it.’
‘It wasn’t my fault Shirlee decided to come over to yours!’ he objected.
‘Fine. Then what about the time you begged me to come over and talk down that girl who was threatening to cut all the sleeves off your suit jackets because you cared more about your clothes than about her?’
When he struggled to produce a response, Ruby gave a satisfied ‘Ha!’ followed by, ‘You need to sort your life out, my friend. Jake looks up to you, and I don’t want him led astray by your dodgy lifestyle choices.’
‘Don’t stress, I’ll figure it out. Besides, what else would you do with your life if you didn’t have me to worry about?’ He leaned forward and cuffed her gently under the chin, his eyes alight with mischief.
‘Quite a lot, probably,’ said Ruby dryly.
‘Yeah, and maybe that’s what I’m afraid of,’ he laughed, gesturing to the waitress to bring their bill.
7
With the bar packed three people deep, it was hard to tell if Priya was any closer to placing their order. Although Ruby was tempted to help her assistant get in the next round of drinks, with so many after-hours City workers circling and ready to pounce on an empty chair, she didn’t dare leave her seat.
‘Relax, Rubes, she’ll be fine. If, as you say, Priya can handle our bolshie account managers, then she’s not going to be fazed by a few leery blokes at the bar.’
Ruby turned to argue with Fi and then thought better of it. Behaving like a protective mother hen wasn’t the best way to instil her boss with confidence in Priya’s people management skills.
‘You’re looking rather hot for a casual after-work drink,’ Ruby observed. ‘I don’t remember seeing you in that dress in the office.’
The low-cut, tight-fitting wrap dress emphasised Fi’s generous bust and tiny waist, and she patted the blonde curls piled high on to her head with a gratified smirk. ‘Why on earth would I waste this on my staff? I always have a couple of outfits in the office in case I don’t have time to go home and change before going out in the evening. Tut all you want, but it never hurts to look your best. Like I always say, if you’ve got it—’
‘Well, you’re definitely flaunting your puppies in that dress,’ Ruby said darkly. ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t land you in trouble.’ Shedrained the rest of her vodka and lemonade and turned to scour the bar area again. ‘I know it’s busy tonight, but how long does it take to get a few drinks?’
‘Go easy there, friend,’ Fi murmured, sipping delicately on the straw sticking out of her cocktail. ‘Just remember I’m not carrying you home tonight.’
‘You’re hardly big enough to carry a cat, let alone me,’ Ruby scoffed. ‘Oh, good, here she is!’
Clutching three brimming glasses, Priya nudged her chair out from under the table with her knee and carefully set the drinks down. Ruby removed the coats piled on to Priya’s chair and her assistant sank on to the seat and exhaled loudly. ‘I hope these last longer than the last round. It’s like a circus up there.’
‘You took long enough,’ Fi remarked. ‘We were beginning to wonder if you’d been kidnapped.’
Priya took a sip of her drink and shook her head, crinkling her nose in irritation. ‘Some posh-sounding idiot kept trying to push in front of me and I had to stick my elbow in his beer gut to get my order in first.’
Ruby shot Fi a knowing glance and turned back to Priya. ‘Okay, now you’re back, can you watch my chair while I dash to the loo, please? If anyone tries to nick it, do your elbow trick again – or get Fi to bite them on the ankles if you need back-up.’
