Chapter 4
I was aware I needed Eliza for the next few months.
She’d trained at the hand of her dad. She knew this world.
But that was it. Then we could both go back to our lives that had survived just fine without each other in them for the past decade and a half.
Fourteen-year-old me would never have guessed I’d lose Eliza for half a lifetime.
My eyes swept the room, but it didn’t take long to spot Eliza.
Like the rest of the room, I was drawn to her like a magnet, because Eliza was still that girl.
You know the one. The type that made heads turn in a room.
The one you couldn’t go into a queer bar with because every woman wanted to talk to her. Even the ones in relationships.
Shoulder-length blonde hair that was always salon-perfect, crystal blue eyes, and a confident strut and posture that put Margot to the test. She’d obviously had the same idea about timing, because she was only just sliding onto a bar stool that overlooked the glittering city through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Apparently, my heart had not progressed past adolescence because it chose this exact moment to perform some sort of gymnastics routine in my chest.
Even though Eliza was gorgeous, it had never been like that with us.
To me, she was the girl I looked up to. The one I built forts with, laughed with, talked about girls with.
When we were kids, we’d decided Barbie didn’t need Ken, and that both of our dolls could live together.
Eliza was my queer role model when there weren’t many others around.
Had I ever thought about kissing her? Of course. She was stunning, and I had been a teenager just realising who I was and who I liked. But I never really considered Eliza like that because she was a full-grown woman and I was not. She was out of my league.
Plus, I hadn’t wanted to fuck up our friendship. Which just went to show what 14-year-old me knew. As soon as Eliza scored her first serious girlfriend and went to university, she’d barely acknowledged my existence. It still hurt.
Her eyes swept the room and landed on me.
She gave me a cool once over, but her face didn’t move.
No smile, no wave. Normal Eliza. I’d no idea what happened to the girl I grew up with.
She couldn’t be like this with everyone.
I’d seen her laugh in other people’s company.
Just never in mine. For me, she reserved scowls, sneers, eye rolls, so I gave them right back.
It had gone on too long to question now. But maybe one of us needed to.
I walked over and pulled out the stool beside her. My bum hadn’t even hit the tan leather before she spoke.
“I want you to know, this was not my idea. I’m as enthused about this arrangement as I think you are.”
It was such a ludicrous first statement, I almost laughed. “Good evening to you, too.” I looked her in the eye. “Great to see you again. How have you been?”
Contrition flickered behind her sapphire-blue eyes, but she didn’t respond.
“And no, I’m not exactly pumped about it, but we’re here. And if I want to save Voss, I have to make it work. If you could save the attitude for another day, I’d appreciate it.”
Something passed across Eliza’s face: surprise, maybe even approval. She’d expected the old Poppy, the one who would have shrunk back. This version was unexpected.
“Who rattled your cage?”
She was used to being top dog and getting what she wanted. The only hiccup in her life was her parents splitting up, but at least they were both still in her life. Both alive. A divorce was not a death.
“You,” I replied.
The server appeared with two cocktail menus, and I buried my head in it, happy for the distraction. I wasn’t sure where my initial bravado had come from, but it was fading fast. My heart-rate, which had kicked up at the first confrontation, had settled.
What cocktail was best for when you felt open, vulnerable?
I scanned the list. My go-to was usually gin-based. All the cocktails had ingredients I hadn’t heard of. I settled on something called a Pink Paradox. It described my drink, but also my current situation. Eliza ordered a gin and tonic. Maybe we had more in common as adults than I imagined.
“I was trying to work out, on the way over, when was the last time we saw each other.” She paused. “I mean, IRL. Not on socials. That doesn’t count.”
“You don’t post much.”
She shrugged. “I don’t have much to say.” She extended a graceful finger. “Whereas you, for a while, were almost an influencer the amount you posted.” She glanced up. “Lately, you’ve gone quieter.”
“Less drunk.”
Our drinks arrived. Mine was bright pink with a slice of grapefruit on the side. I sipped. At least it didn’t taste pink.
“Tell me, then,” I continued. “If you really didn’t want to do this, why did you agree?”
“You’re a smart woman. I’m sure you can work that one out.”
“Something to do with your dad?”
“Bingo,” she said. “My latest project has just gone through, and I happened to be there when Margot got off the phone with you and told him. He jumped to this decision before I’d even blinked. Plus, he’s sleeping with your aunt, so he wants to do right by her.
“Also, I need to toe the line, because he’s making noises about retiring in the next couple of years.
He knows I can take over, but I need to show willing to do whatever he wants.
” She sighed. “Even though I’m not sure I want to take over, but that’s a tale for another day.
” She gazed off into the distance before her eyes settled back on me.
She didn’t want the big job? I’d always pegged Eliza as someone who wanted success at all costs. She had a ruthless streak, and didn’t stop until she got what she wanted — in work and in love.
However, staring at her sad face, perhaps that wasn’t as true as everyone thought.
Or maybe she was already worming her way under my skin.
I had to toughen up. I wasn’t going to surrender to Eliza’s charms the moment she offered them.
I was older now. Wiser. I no longer needed Eliza’s acceptance and validation.
“But you didn’t answer my original question. When was the last time we saw each other?”
“Skiing. You snogged Sophie, who I’d been chatting up all weekend.”
She held up a hand. “Sophie?” She shook her head. “You dodged a bullet there. You should be thanking me. She was batshit crazy.”
I widened my eyes. Eliza really was a gigantic arse. “If I hadn’t already cancelled you, that comment would be grounds for it. I’d laid the groundwork all weekend for her.”
“Perhaps your game needs work, as I didn’t know that. But like I said, she turned into a bit of a stalker. Thank me later.” She smiled then, the first genuine one since we met.
It threw me off guard. Eliza’s smile was still like the sun. Warm, dazzling, and even though I knew I should look away, I couldn’t stop staring. Even after all these years, she still had this effect on me. But I was going to keep it under control.
“And the same weekend you pranged my car. As if I didn’t have enough to deal with.”
When I stacked up all the cards against her, even I had to admit it was quite the pile.
Eliza sighed. “That was my fault, and I did apologise. My divorce had just been finalised, and my head was all over the place. But I hope my insurance covered it.” She snagged my gaze. “I’m sorry again, Pops.”
The nickname hit me like a physical blow. Nobody called me Pops outside my family. Nobody apart from Eliza, back then. I could almost see us at 12 and 16, lying on her bedroom floor, planning our futures. Back when she was the most important person in my world.
“It’s Poppy.”
Eliza’s jaw tensed almost imperceptibly. She’d lost the right to intimacy, and we both knew it.
“Of course it is. All grown up.” She gave me a measured look. “But like you said, neither of us are jazzed about this. But we’re going to get through it, and who knows, there might even be moments when we don’t hate each other.”
I sipped my drink. I really hoped that was true, because I couldn’t put up with months of pure hell.
“This is just a business arrangement with an end date. A transaction that could benefit us both. I get to put Voss on my CV, and you get to prove to your family that you can actually do this. Three months of full-time me, then after that, we can assess what you need.”
It sounded simple when she put it like that.
“Or you recommend that I can’t do the job, and the company gets sold out from under me.”
“Despite what you think, I’m not your enemy.”
I really wanted to believe her.
“I want you to succeed in whatever you do. You’ve had a rough few years and you deserve a win. If you want to take over Voss, I can help. However, I also think selling is a good call.”
She stared at me so hard, I squirmed in my seat. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she could see through me.
Maybe once.
Not anymore.
“When I was told you wanted to take over, I was surprised. When you were a kid, you always said you could think of nothing worse than running Voss Watches. That you never wanted to end up like your mum. I remember being up in Scotland one summer, your mum working all the hours, and you swore to me then you would never turn into her.”
Her words winded me. Eighteen months on, I thought I’d dealt with my mum’s death. But sometimes, when someone from the past who truly knew her spoke about her, it made me realise how much I missed her. That I’d never see her again.
“I stand by 10-year-old me,” I told her, my voice steady. “I don’t want to run this business like my mum. But I do want to run it. There’s a difference.”
She looked like she wanted to reach across the table, the way she would have years ago. Instead, her fingers tightened around her gin and tonic.
“If that’s what you want, then let me help you. Even though we’re not close anymore, I still know what makes you tick.”
“You know nothing about my life.”
But no matter how much I’d changed over the years, I was still that scared 14-year-old Eliza knew well. Did people change that much from their younger selves? The older I got, the more I thought the answer was no.
Eliza’s gaze softened. “I know enough.”