Chapter 32
32
‘Hey, what’s going on? Why are you ringing me? Is everything okay?’ Holly carried on walking as she spoke.
‘Wow, that’s a lot of panic. Most people just answer the phone with “hello”.’
Holly gritted her teeth. Of course, Giles wasn’t going to respond sensibly.
‘Hello. Now, why are you ringing me? Is everything okay?’
‘Everything is great on this end; I just wanted to check on you guys. Have you got there yet? Sienna was so excited about the place.’
‘Well, it’s certainly unique.’
A pause followed. Normally, she could read Giles’s pauses down the telephone line just as well as she could read them on his face, but she was having difficulty. Probably because she didn’t know why he’d rung her.
‘I still don’t know why you’re ringing?’ she said. ‘I thought Sienna was keeping you updated on our progress? You know, with the selfies and stuff.’ Thinking of the photo Sienna took on the train jolted Holly’s memory of the ring. She wanted to talk to Giles about it, at some point, but it didn’t feel like the right time. Particularly as he was struggling to make any sense.
‘She is…’ he says. ‘No, it’s fine, I just?—’
‘You just what?’ Holly said. ‘Spit it out, will you?’
‘Okay, I just wanted to ask you to be nice.’
‘What? Are you kidding? Be nice? What’s that supposed to mean? I am nice!’
‘I know you’re nice; you are a lovely, wonderful person. I just need you to be nice to Sienna because?—’
‘Because she’s the type of person who would make you trade the perfectly beautiful and thoughtful engagement ring you had bought her for something bigger and more expensive because she needed it to make a statement?’
So much for not saying anything.
‘Ahh, yeah, so she told you about that.’
‘No, she didn’t. I spotted it wasn’t the same and asked her about it.’
‘It’s her prerogative, you know. It is her ring. The last thing I’d want is for her to be unhappy. And by the way, this is why I was ringing to ask you to be nice. Because I knew you’d judge her for that.’
‘Who says I’m judging her?’
‘You’re judging, Holly. I can tell you are.’
She bit on the inside of her cheek. Now that the ring had been mentioned, she could probably bring up the children issue too, but that felt like something that needed to be done in person.
‘Have you told Faye this as well?’ she said instead as she continued her stroll. There didn’t seem any harm in having a little exploration while they were talking. ‘Have you rung her, or are you going to ring her? Does she need telling to be nice?’
‘No, don’t be daft, because Faye’s… she’s my sister; she doesn’t have a choice in this. It matters, okay? This weekend, it matters a lot to Sienna, and therefore, it matters to me, and if it matters to me, I know it will also matter to you.’
‘Is that right?’
‘I’m serious, Hol. I need you and her to get on well. I’m not sure what I’d do if you didn’t.’
‘Well, you’d have to find a new friendship group,’ Holly said jokingly, only for a loud sigh to reverberate down the line. One that she reciprocated almost immediately. ‘Giles, I know. I was just being silly. I’ll be nice.’
‘Promise?’
‘Promise.’
‘Great, that’s all I rang for. I shall let you get to your relaxing.’
‘Thank you.’
She was about to end the call when she remembered something. ‘By the way, did you know – did you know this place is a?—?’
But it was already too late; he’d hung up on her.