Page 23 of A Smart Girl's Guide to Second Chances
Before I could reply, Matt returned to the table, holding a plate filled with what looked like one of every pastry they sold.
‘In case your run didn’t knock the hangover on the head,’ Matt explained. ‘We had Rebecca’s mum’s birthday dinner last night.’
‘Ahh – no wonder you drank,’ Alex said.
‘Thanks, Matt – these looks delicious,’ I said, ignoring Alex.
I reached forwards and grabbed a croissant and began to tear it into chunks.
‘Alex is the client on my new project. ATG bought his research, and they’ve hired us to work out the best way to sell it,’I said in one big gush of words. I stuffed a piece of flaky pastry into my mouth. It should’ve tasted like a buttery cloud, but felt like chewing cardboard.
‘Congratulations, mate,’ Matt said to Alex. Where were all these ‘mate’s coming from? I could see the recognition on Matt’s face as he realised that this wasn’t the first time I’d run into Alex. He gave me a sideways look. I could see him replay the previous night in his mind, with the overlay of this new information.
I picked up another piece of croissant.
‘If you’re new to town, we’ll have to show you around. Do you know anyone here?’ Matt asked. I scanned his voice for any traces of wariness or annoyance. But no, he sounded like his usual friendly, upbeat self.
‘Not really,’ he said. ‘I grew up in Adelaide, so I know a few friends of friends who have moved here. But no one close.’
‘I’m in Sydney for work a lot – I know what it’s like to be at a loose end in a city,’ Matt said with a warm smile. ‘I’m going to the tennis with a few mates this afternoon if you want to come along?’
‘If you’re sure, that’d be great,’ Alex replied without hesitation.
My stomach dropped. It didn’t surprise me that Matt had made the offer – he was the guy who was chair of our street’s Christmas party and led his company’s social committee. But I hadn’t expected Alex to accept the invitation.
‘You want to watch sport?’ I asked incredulously. Unlike Matt, who’d yet to find a sport he wasn’t happy to tune in to, Alex thought that exercise was for doing and couldn’t understand why anyone would want to sit still and watch other people doing it.
‘Yeah, I do,’ he said. ‘Thanks, Matt.’
Matt offered him the plate of pastries and Alex selected a cinnamon swirl with a smile.
What was happening? I’d thought introducing Alex to Matt was the right thing to do. If I was going to be spending time with my ex-boyfriend, it made sense that my fiancé had the full picture. But the purpose of the exercise was to reassure Matt that there were clear boundaries in place. This breakfast was meant to restore my temporarily displaced sanity and contain Alex – notYou, Me and Dupreehim.
Chapter 11
‘Any of these the one?’ Lily asked. I stared at Evie’s pudgy fingers, which were each decorated with a different gold or silver ring. I hadn’t meant for our Saturday afternoon catch-up at Stella’s house to beallabout the wedding. But Lily was making our wedding bands, and between work and Arlo’s nap schedule we’d struggled to find time to meet in person to make a final decision.
‘Umm...’ My eyes flicked from one band of metal to another.
‘I cried when Nick showed me the ring he’d picked,’ Stella said as she burped Alice.
‘Of course you did,’ Lily replied as I laughed. Nick could have given her the ring from a can of Diet Coke, and she would have been in floods.
‘If there’s something you’ve seen that you like, I can make a version of it,’ Lily prompted.
Matt had asked for a simple gold band, and I’d assumed that I’d want the same. I looked at the array of rings in front of me. I was going to wear this ring for the rest of my life. Did I want gold or platinum? Thin or thick? Encrusted with diamonds, or some kind of symbolic stone, or plain? Normally I knew exactly what I wanted, but I was confused. I felt like I was trying to get somewhere without Google Maps.
‘This is the one I made with you in mind.’ Lily pointed at a thin band, which Evie was trying to shove on her doll’s wrist. ‘It looks like it’s one solid band but it’s actually three thin pieces of metal, each a different type of gold, woven around each other.’
Her tone was nonchalant, but I knew how much skill, how much work, how many stolen hours had gone into making that ring. Lily’s custom pieces, particularly ones like this, weren’t just jewellery – they were art.
‘It’s called a trinity ring,’ Lily said. ‘The three pieces of metal represent the past, present and future.’
I felt my throat tighten. The notion of the past and present intertwining felt too real this afternoon.
‘Do you like it?’ Lily asked.
‘I do!’ I said, and swallowed. ‘You’re an absolute genius, Lil.’
