Date with Destiny

Chapter Forty-Four

‘OK, OK, hear me out.’ I put up both hands in a surrender position. ‘What if we put the ring…’ I take the most dramatic pause of my life before the reveal ‘…inside an LOL Surprise!?’

He sits up straight, eyes wide. ‘Oh my god, yes. I could get four normal LOLs for the girls, and one special one for Cynthia. They all open them together and bam, I’m down on one knee!’

‘Yes!’ I squeal. ‘It’s easy enough to get hold of an empty LOL Surprise! plastic egg, and I have a handy guy who can rewrap it in plastic, so it looks unopened and brand new.’

I have a lot of handy guys now. Helium balloon specialists who can spell out all kinds of sweet messages, a fairy lights hire company that can completely dress a garden gazebo in under ten minutes, tent hire people who do everything from teepees to multi-room marquees, calligraphers who will deliver me a gorgeous, hand-painted Marry Me sign to hang around any number of dog necks – I have them all on my speed dial these days.

That is, if speed dial were still a thing.

I make some quick notes about our next steps as across the desk from me, my client goes quiet. Glancing up, I realize he is close to tears. Nigel here has been with his lovely partner, Cynthia, for nine years. They have four daughters, all close in age and all obsessed with dolls. He said right from the beginning of the meeting that he wanted them there, with him and Cynthia for the proposal, and after much discussion and brainstorming, we’ve landed on Nigel proposing via their favourite toy: LOL Surprise!

They’re basically a kind of doll, each individually wrapped up in a plastic egg that is perfect for hiding a simple solitaire engagement ring.

‘She’s going to love it,’ I tell him softly and he looks up at me gratefully.

‘I know she will,’ he replies, eyes shining.

It’s been a few weeks since we launched the engagement concierge service and there’s really no point trying to deny it – it’s been an absolute hit. I am so booked up with appointments, it’s a little overwhelming. Not to mention all the interview requests and magazine features we’ve appeared in. The public and media have even, thankfully, completely forgotten about Celeste’s Stones’ brief foray into those terrible accessories.

After Nigel and I finish up, I have two more appointments today. One is with a woman who’s planning a proposal in a cave because she and her partner met spelunking five years ago. After that, I have a man who wants to do ‘something around Game of Thrones’ and would like to chat through some ideas. I hope he doesn’t want me to sort something out with a dragon – I don’t have a handy guy for that.

I promise to get chasing on the LOL Surprise! plan and Nigel makes a follow-up appointment for next week. We say our goodbyes and I feel a thrill of excitement race through me as I glance at my packed diary. This job is better than I ever could’ve anticipated. I love helping people like Nigel so much! I even love helping steer those men – because it is, sadly, always men – who want to do something terrible and attention-seeking. In just a short few weeks, I’ve already tactfully moved one guy away from proposing in the middle of his sister’s wedding and another who wanted to do it during his girlfriend’s university graduation ceremony.

Last week I managed to talk down a guy whose girlfriend is an actress, about to star in her first-ever play. He wanted to interrupt her first night of performing the show, climb up on stage and pop the question there and then, if you can imagine.

And then there are those with just plain bad ideas. I got an email the other day from a bloke who wanted to know what I thought about him pretending to dump his girlfriend and then doing the whole ‘Hey, JK!’ thing, before getting down on one knee. Someone else asked me if he should hide the ring in his own dirty underwear, so his girlfriend would find it when she did his washing.

Shudder.

But even those chats are entertaining and I am bouncing into work every day, full of excitement.

It’s also been the perfect antidote to working with my family. I have my own separate office that no one bothers me in. It means I can go see the rest of them in the main store if I choose to, but I also have a private space where I can work uninterrupted. No more micro-managing from Celeste.

To be fair to my mother, she’s been a lot better in the last few weeks, since our big talk. She occasionally slips up and demands to know what I’m doing and where I’m going, but then you can see her pulling herself up – self-correcting. She’s working on it, and I have more sympathy for her, knowing the context.

And it’s definitely been easier since last weekend, when Toni and I moved out. We love our new flat. Really, really. It’s been so lovely having someone to chat to in the evenings, but we both also totally get it when one of us wants to just head into our own bedroom for alone time.

Toni’s been doing a bit of dating, but she’s also taking some time to explore her asexuality. She’s met some amazing people through a support group and though she says she’s not ready to identify as Ace yet, she seems happy being on her path and taking her time figuring it all out. No more Shawns have passed through and I think she’s more than happy to stay single indefinitely.

So am I, actually. I’ve lived through ten whole months of having my destiny written for me. Everything was preordained and decided half a lifetime ago. So much of this period has made me feel like I didn’t have any agency or choices of my own. I’m finally feeling like I have control back over my life now. And it feels good. It’s only two months left until my thirty-third birthday and OK, I didn’t meet my soulmate after all, but, without wanting to sound cheesy, I think I kinda did find my soulmate in myself.

And that is not a masturbation reference, whatever Myfanwy says.

I check my phone; I have half an hour until my cave diver arrives so I head into the main store to say hi to Toni. She’s busy with a customer, who has his back to me, so I dawdle by the vintage range.

Because it’s like ghostly Aunt Diane said, a soulmate doesn’t have to be a partner, does it? I have multiple soulmates in my friends, Sonali and Myfanwy, and in my sister Toni. They are all jigsaw pieces that help form the whole picture of me.

‘Oh, there she is!’ Toni says from across the room, noticing me at last. ‘Sorry Ginny, I thought you were still with a client. There’s someone here to see you.’

I notice too late the twinkle in her eye, as in slow motion he turns to face me, all gorgeously tousled hair and tattoos.

Zach.

‘Ginny,’ he says in his familiar voice, adding simply, ‘It’s you.’

I swallow hard.

Despite everything, I haven’t stopped thinking about him. I haven’t stopped hoping I might hear from him. I haven’t stopped dreaming about him.

‘Are you…’ I swallow. ‘Has Celeste asked you to come back? Are you going to be back in the store?’

He nods slowly, as he crosses the room towards me. I watch him, my heart beating faster and faster. He’s so handsome – but more than that, he is a good person. Fun and kind and sweet. And I am my best version of me around him.

After what feels like an eternity, he stands in front of me, and I can see now that he’s breathing hard. We stand there, looking at one another for a full minute, his eyes searching mine.

‘Ginny,’ he says again and with that one word, his pupils dilate to black. He grins and clears his throat. ‘So…’ He raises his eyebrows and I put up a hand to stop him.

‘Wait,’ I say and his face drops with consternation. I know what he’s going to say, and I want to do it. I want to be the brave one. I want to be the one being open and honest and real about my emotions. After all, I’ve only come on to this man three times – it’s high time I tried again, right?

‘Zach,’ I begin seriously and he looks suddenly afraid. ‘Even though you’re not a TV star and you’re definitely not Steve Buscemi, I do think you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, and I’d like to take you on a date.’

His gorgeous face breaks out into a huge, dazzling grin as I echo his note back to him. ‘You stole my line!’ he accuses, throwing back his head in a bear laugh.

‘I know,’ I say proudly, standing tall. ‘But I also really mean it. I like you a lot, Zach. And I know it’s been complicated and weird and stupid, but it’s also been amazing, hasn’t it?’

He steps closer, holding his breath. I’m holding my breath, too.

‘It’s been fucking amazing,’ he says in a whisper. ‘You’re fucking amazing and this could be fucking amazing.’ He moves a tiny step closer, reaching a hand to my face and leaning in to kiss me. And he’s right, it is fucking amazing.

When he finally pulls away, both of us now breathless, I take him in properly. ‘Your hands are cold.’

He laughs. ‘Sorry.’ He smiles that devastating smile. ‘I ran out of the house without my coat.’

I feel like my feet are no longer touching the floor as I ask in a faraway voice, ‘What took you so long?’

He shakes his head. ‘Flo.’ He rolls his eyes. ‘She only just told me you weren’t dating anyone. I saw her for lunch today. We’ve both been working like fiends, and then—’

‘Why did you think I was dating someone?’ I ask, shaking my head in puzzlement.

‘Well, I wasn’t sure,’ he admits, cocking his head. ‘But I saw you hugging your ex, Daniel, at the funeral. Then you were wearing a wedding ring and someone told me you went on your honeymoon?!’ Then it seemed like you were dating that guy Mikey, but Daniel was also still around?’ He pauses. ‘Basically, you had a guy with you pretty much every time I saw you! Honestly, I thought you had a situation going on like your Aunt Diane.’

I burst out laughing at this. Then look down at my hands, covered in a variety of rings. ‘I work in a jewellery store, Zach!’ I laugh. ‘And OK, technically I went on my honeymoon, but with Myfanwy and Toni, not Daniel.’ I nod. ‘Mikey was just some idiot distraction, and Daniel and I had some unresolved stuff to sort out.’

Zach studies my face. ‘Is it resolved now?’

I smile. ‘Big time.’

He smiles back, ‘OK, good, because—’ This time I can’t stop myself and I cut him off with another kiss. He tastes so good and somehow exactly like I thought he would. When we come up for air, he smiles again, dopily. ‘God, I’ve thought about doing that for ages.’ He pauses, looking sad. ‘When Flo told me you were single, she mentioned it so casually. Like I wouldn’t even care.’ He hesitates again. ‘But I really do care, Ginny.’ He swallows hard, tracing a cold finger along my jawline as he studies my face. ‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.’

‘Same,’ I admit, my skin tingling where he’s touched it. ‘But I’m not saying you’re my soulmate,’ I add with importance. ‘I have a soulmate, and it’s me, OK?’

He raises an eyebrow. ‘Er, good?’ He bites his lip. ‘Can I kiss your soulmate?’

‘Yes,’ I tell him and he pulls me close again.

And it’s the most amazing thing.