Page 46 of Is She Really Going Out with Him?
“Whatever,” she says, and my heart sinks as I see the drawbridge being raised. I decide not to push it, and by the time we sit down to eat a broccoli-and-pasta bake, her mood has thawed.
“Sylvie said she is going to invite you for dinner. You won’t believe Dad’s place, she’s totally redecorated,” Jess tells me.
“We can’t put our stuff anywhere,” Ethan adds with a sigh.
“It’s minimalist. I like it, it smells nice, like a White Company store,” Jess says.
“I don’t,” says Ethan. I look around at our kitchen, crammed full of schoolbooks, the children’s artwork, and half-finished crafts. The vibe is anything but minimalist.
“Well, everyone is different, the world would be a boring place if we weren’t.”
“I think you’ll like her, Mum,” says Jess.I will not like her. I already know from her Instagram page that I will not like her.“Oh, and I’ve thought of who your next date should be.”
“I already chose one,” Ethan says. “Ryan Stirling.”
“Ryan Stirling is a long shot, honey,” I say, patting him on the shoulder, then turning to Jess. “Who were you thinking of?”
“Michael,” Jess says, her face settling into a satisfied smile as though I’m going to think this is genius. Ethan and I exchange a look. Neither of us know who Michael is. “Michael!” she repeats. “Our parcel delivery guy.”
“Oh,” I say, handing Jess a plate of pasta bake.
“And I can’t believe you don’t know Michael. I talk to himallthe time.”
If it’s the man I’m thinking of, then Michael is a slightly rotund man in his thirties. He does always give me a cheery hello whenever he’s dropping off parcels, but I’m surprised to hear Jess is on first-name terms with the man.
“Brown hair, tight trousers?” I ask Jess.
“Yes,” she says, staring at me unblinkingly, waiting to see what my objections might be.
“Well, he’s a little, um…”
“What?” She raises one eyebrow at me. “You’re above dating a delivery driver?”
“No, not at all,” I say, affronted. “I’d just assumed he was, um, well, that he might prefer men.”
Jess opens her mouth wide in cartoon shock. “How would you know that? You don’t even know his name! Just because he sings songs from musical theater doesn’t mean he’s gay.” She’s right, and now I feel guilty for making assumptions. “Last week, he told me he’d broken up with his partner, Gail,” Jess says.
“First of all, since when have you been having heart-to-heartswith the postman about his love life? And secondly, Gale could be a man’s name.”
“There’s a Gail in my class, she picks her nose the whole time,” says Ethan. “Her desk is covered in boogers.”
“He said ‘she,’ is that enough evidence for you, Detective Mum?” Jess says, taking a bite of pasta. “You need someone to write about. Why not him?”
“Why not indeed. Fine, I will ask him.”
Since my sexy texting with Will has turned into perfunctory “car picking up” admin, no doubt because he’s off having fun with the tall blonde, there’s all the more reason to keep myself busy. Secretly I have more faith in my celebrity crush Ryan Stirling agreeing to go out with me than Michael the singing postman, but as my new mantra goes—what have I got to lose?
Google searches:
Ryan Stirling, wife?
Ryan Stirling fan fiction
Ryan Stirling naked
How to erase your search history
Chapter 14
