Page 42 of Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
“You’re going to think it’s stupid.”
“Not if it’s bothering you.”
Emily sighed. “Dermot is treating me like a kid sister and I really like him, Jess. Like, I know I have a shit record with men but I’ve a really good feeling about him and he’s not taking the hint.”
“It could mean he’s already in a relationship,” Jess said gently. “Why don’t you just get to know him a bit better and then you can bring it up naturally?”
“Not sure it’ll make any difference.” Emily looked uncomfortable. “Especially if he thinks I’m a tease.”
Jess’s coffee went down the wrong way. “Why would he think that?” she managed, when she finally stopped coughing.
“Because …” Emily hesitated. “A couple of weeks after I first moved here, I started hearing rumours that I was a tease. Like, they made no sense. But then they stopped, so I kind of forgot about them.” She chewed on her lip. “The other day I heard some of the staff talking. They didn’t know I could hear them.”
“And you’ve no idea who might have started the rumours?”
Emily shook her head. “Like, it’s not as if I’ve been hooking up with every guy in the village. I’ve barely even dated anyone since I arrived – except for that blind date with Susie.”
“So most people will know it’s bullshit, Emily. Ignore it.”
“Yeah, but maybe this party is a bad idea, Jess.” Emily’s voice faltered.
“It’s a great idea, Em.” Jess thought fast. “Everyone I’ve told about it is really excited.” Not exactly the truth. A complete lie, in fact. But it was going to be a total success, so it didn’t matter.
“That’s great.” Emily gave a small smile.
“And stop worrying about Dermot,” Jess added. “If he believes those rumours, he’s not that smart.”
“Sometimes I don’t thinkI’mthat smart, Jess.”
“Hey!” Jess shook her head and then looked straight into Emily’s face. “You work for the Charleston Group, remember?” When Emily still didn’t look convinced, she added, “You gave me the heads-up about that weird video Chelsea posted the morning of her wedding. Your instincts were bang on!”
“I suppose.” Emily brightened a bit. “Hey, how’s it going with you and Robert?”
Jess shrugged. “Good. Maybe we’ll stay in touch when I go back to Dublin.”
“Oh my God, I’m so happy for you!”
Jess laughed. “It’s nothing serious, Em! He’s nice, that’s all.” Hewasnice, she thought. What was happening between them felt unhurried. After they’d shared a taxi home the previous night, Jess had briefly considered asking him in, before she realised that it’d be for the wrong reason. Part of her wanted to prove that she’d moved on, and it wasn’t fair to use Robert like that.
The real win, she’d realised, as they’d stood wrapped in each other’s arms outside Ivy Cottage, was that for several longminutes – while Robert had let her know exactly how attracted he was to her – she hadn’t thought about Adam.
Not until she’d let herself into the Cottage, closed the door behind her and experienced a brief moment of panic when shehadcompared him with Adam, and had wondered if she was always going to compare every man with Adam.
“Andthat’senough about me,” she said firmly. “You free to hang out some time this week?”
“Totally.” Emily opened the door. “And I’m making my acting debut! Maybe I can dazzle Dermot with my acting skills.” She gave a little wave and left.
Jess sat down at her desk. She was pretty sure that if Emily had settled in better since her move, she’d be able to ignore stupid rumours about herself. She just wished her confidence wasn’t taking such a battering.
Her mobile rang and she swiped a finger quickly across the screen. “Mam? How are things?”
“Good, now,” Carmel said. “Hang on, I’ll just turn down the music. I’m heading out shortly to take your nana shopping, and I thought I’d give you a quick call.”
“Right.” Jess tried to think if her mother had ever taken her nana shopping before. She didn’t think so. Moira was very independent and she liked the daily routine of getting out to the shops. “Is Nana okay, Mam?”
“She’s in great form,” Carmel said. “I’m taking her to buy some new clothes, that’s all. Which is why I’m phoning. She’s decided to have her birthday party this weekend. You’ll be able to get home for it, won’t you?”
“Uh, sure.” Jess tried to remember if Moira had mentioned anything when she’d called her after she’d got out of hospital. “Why is she having it so early, Mam? Her birthday’s not until August.”
