18. You’ll do
You’ll do
Mike
Bloody hell. That was not what I’d had in mind when I decided to surprise Vicky at work.
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought the whole thing through, but then, thinking clearly when it came to Vicky didn’t seem to be my strong suit.
So when I completed my delivery early, I’d decided not to wait until later when we said I’d pick her up from her place.
No, like the normal bulldozer I was, I decided to go to her office. I’d been there often enough.
Felix was one of my best friends, and my sister’s boyfriend. And I was tired of us keeping things on the down low whilst all the drama with Ollie and Lottie played out.
It was time for everyone to know that Vicky was mine.
I had not anticipated that Vicky would stand up in the middle of the meeting she was in, leave all those suits who had been hanging off her every word for dust, and run out of there, straight into my arms.
I mean, who could have predicted that?
But I should have remembered how very literal she was. If I’d told her I wanted to be greeted with a kiss when I saw her, then that’s what she was going to do, appropriate circumstances or not.
And there was no way I was pushing her away.
Those suits could suck it up, and that included Felix.
B-but why do you care?
I tamped down the surge of anger as I remembered her small voice and the genuine confusion in it.
What the fuck was going on with these people? Why did Vicky think they wouldn’t give a shit about her?
Now that their meeting was finished, I’d been told, in no uncertain terms, that the quiet meal for two I’d planned for Vicky and me had been hijacked.
Minutes later, Ollie strode into the office like he owned the place.
To be fair to the bloke, he did actually own a large percentage of London, and some of his swagger was just innate aristocratic arrogance.
His family had been bossing around a fair amount of the UK for over five hundred years after all.
Well now his aristocratic, Lord of the manor gaze was fixed on me, and the man wasn’t best pleased.
“Hi, Ollie,” Vicky said, completely oblivious to the tension in the air.
When I put my arm around her and tucked her into my side, Ollie’s eyes flared with surprise.
“Felix rang me,” he said, looking between us and taking Lottie’s hand automatically when she came up to his side. “Mike, this is a bit of a turnaround, don’t you think?”
Bloody hell. I really wished I’d been a bit less of a prick about Vicky in the past. It was coming back to bite me in the arse now in a big way.
Why had I thought it was a good idea to ignore a beautiful woman with an obvious crush on me, and tell my friends how annoying I found her? What was wrong with me?
I could have been with Vicky for months at this stage if I hadn’t been such a blind idiot.
“Ollie,” Vicky put in. “Don’t be mean to Mike. I like him, and he doesn’t think I’m empty inside or devoid of personality anymore.”
Ollie’s eyes flashed. “Wait a minute. How do you know he thought that in the first place?”
“He told me,” Vicky said with a shrug. “He thought I was trying to–”
“Vics, why don’t you go and have a chat with the girls a minute?” I said quickly, cutting her off before she could get me in any more trouble with her brother. “I’ll sort things with Ollie, okay?”
“Come on, Vics,” Lottie said, pulling Vicky away towards Tabitha and Lucy. “You’ve got some explaining to do, you little minx.”
“What the fuck?” Ollie said once the girls were out of earshot in Felix’s office. “I thought you couldn’t stand my sister? What’s changed?”
“I was wrong, okay?” I said for what felt like the hundredth time.
“I’m a dickhead, and I was wrong.” I shifted on my feet before clearing my throat.
Talking about feelings with my mates was not something I relished.
“I really like her, Ols,” I told him in a quiet, sincere voice.
“I wouldn’t have started something with her if I didn’t. ”
Ollie swiped a hand down his face, glancing over to where Vicky was being interrogated in Felix’s office, then back at me.
“Vics has had a rough go of things. I worry about her, and I know I’ve taken my eye off the ball recently.
” He sighed. “Look, I know you saw her meltdown at the gala, but that’s only really scratching the surface.
A couple of weeks before that she…” he trailed off, and I felt a shiver of unease down my spine.
A couple of weeks before the gala was when I’d ripped into her at her house when I thought she was propositioning me.
Ollie shook his head as if to clear it. “Listen, I love you as a friend, and I trust you, but you’ve got to know what you’re dealing with. Don’t hurt her, okay? She’s vulnerable, Mike.”
“I’m not going to hurt her, Ollie,” I told him, my voice firm. Clearly, I’d hurt her enough already. I needed to find out what happened after I stupidly gutted her at her house.
She must have had some sort of meltdown again. But I didn’t want to push Ollie on it too much there and then, plus, the girls were now heading our way.
Half an hour later, Vicky, Felix, Lucy, Ollie and I were standing outside a Michelin-starred poncy nightmare, which I knew had precisely bugger all on the menu that Vicky could eat. Lottie had gone to collect Hayley from school so wasn’t there to advocate for Vicky as she normally would.
“We’re not going there,” I said, gently pulling Vicky into my side, ignoring Ollie’s death stare.
“It’s okay, dickhead,” Felix said. “They won’t take away your working-class-salt-of-the-earth card just because you ate somewhere with a Michelin star, you know.”
I glared at the inconsiderate bastard. “Choose somewhere else,” I said through gritted teeth.
Holding Vicky against me just strengthened my resolve. There was literally nothing of her; I could feel her ribs, for God’s sake.
“Mike,” Felix snapped. “Stop being an awkward bastard and?—”
“Mike’s right,” Ollie put in.
When I looked over at him, he was watching me and his sister with something close to approval in his expression.
“We’re not eating here.”
“How about that place we found the other day, Vics?” Lucy said in a gentle voice. “The Italian place. Remember?”
“The one that made me the sauce with no onion in it?” Vicky asked.
Lucy smiled. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
Vicky shook her head. “We should make a majority decision. That’s the most logical way.”
“Okay, well, I want the lobster, so let’s go with the original one, that’s—ow!” Felix glared at Ollie, who’d just kicked him in the shin. “Fucking hell, Bucks.”
“We’ll eat at the Italian place.”
We made our way to the restaurant in uncomfortable silence. I refused to let Vicky go, despite the tense atmosphere.
“Right,” Ollie said from across the table after we’d finally sat down. “Maybe now, we can sort this out.”
“There’s nothing to sort out. I’m seeing your sister,” I told him, something that was completely obvious, seeing as I hadn’t let her leave my side once, and I had my arm slung over the back of her chair now.
“Half-sister,” Vicky added.
I gritted my teeth to stop myself saying anything.
“I want to know when all this started,” Ollie snapped. “You’ve been ignoring her for months.”
“I think you’re forgetting the gala when you dropped the ball, and I saved the day. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“I let you take Vicky home from the gala,” Ollie said through gritted teeth. “That does not mean I gave you permission to do whatever you liked with her. In fact, I specifically remember telling you to keep your bloody hands off her.”
“Language, Ollie,” Lottie snapped as she approached our table with Hayley in tow.
“Hey, stowaway,” Ollie’s voice was immediately softer, as was his way with this little girl.
Lottie’s sister was just that cute.
Hayley smiled at him and gave him a hug, then a low wave to the rest of the table. She was a shy little thing. Up until recently, I’d never actually heard her speak.
Hayley had selective mutism triggered by trauma. Her mum had been an alcoholic and had neglected Hayley before Lottie took custody of her. For the longest time Hayley only spoke to Lottie, but now we were hearing her quiet voice more and more.
I frowned. Childhood trauma. Is that why Vicky didn’t speak when she was little? What exactly was the trauma?
My chest felt tight at the thought, and I pulled Vicky’s chair even closer to mine.
To my surprise, after hugging Ollie, Hayley went directly to Vicky.
They looked at each other for a moment, then even more surprisingly, Hayley spoke.
“Mikey has his arm around you,” Hayley said.
“He tends to do that,” Vicky replied, as Hayley pulled a chair over so she could sit next to Vicky.
“Good,” Hayley said in a quiet voice, glancing around as she realised everyone was watching her.
Vicky shrugged. “ I think it’s good. He has very nice arms.”
Lucy snorted so hard with a suppressed laugh that the little shit almost spat out her drink.
Then Hayley smiled at Vicky before peeking around her and smiling at me.
It was the first outright smile I’d ever got off the kid, and it was because I made her friend happy.
Hayley pressed her hand to her own chest before she pressed it to Vicky’s.
Vicky repeated the move, and when I glanced at Lottie, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. When her gaze met mine, she gave me a watery smile.
Vicky’s layers just got deeper and deeper.
Ollie had been watching this exchange and saw Hayley bestowing her approval.
His jaw tightened for a moment, and I thought he was still going to go off, but instead, he looked at the ceiling for a moment before his eyes came to mine.
“Don’t fuck this up, Mayweather,” he growled.
“Ollie, you don’t have to worry about when Mike decides he’s had enough of me,” Vicky said.
Everyone’s shocked gazes flew to her.
“I promise, I’m anticipating that, and I will endeavour not to be an emotional burden to you, Lottie, or Margot when that happens.”
“What do you—?” I began in disbelief, but Ollie interrupted.
“A burden?” Ollie was frowning at Vicky. “Vics, when have I ever told you you’re a burden?”
“Isn’t that why you’re concerned about my relationship with Mike?
I do understand that you are a very busy man.
I wouldn’t impose my distress on you.” She turned to Felix.
“And my work performance won’t be affected.
Actually, when I’m unhappy, I tend to be more productive.
So you don’t need to threaten Mike either. ”
“Vicky,” Ollie said in a low, warning tone. “Are you telling us that you believe I only care how Mike treats you because I’m worried you might become a burden?”
“And that I only care in case your bloody productivity goes down?” Felix put in.
Vicky frowned then turned to Lottie. “I’m sorry, is this one of the times I shouldn’t tell the truth?”
“No, honey,” Lottie said softly. “If it’s your truth, then I think we need to hear it.”
“You’re my sister,” Ollie said, slamming his hand down on the table in frustration, causing Vicky to jump in her seat.
“Calm it down, Harding,” I snarled as I felt Vicky tremble.
“Half-sister,” she whispered.
“And stop with all this half-sister, half-brother bullshit. What difference does it make?” Ollie said in frustration.
“Hold on,” Lottie said. “Vics, are we friends? You and me?”
“Is this one of the times when I?—?”
“No, I want to hear what you think. It’s not a time for a lie.”
“Then, no. We’re not friends, in the traditional sense of the word. I like you very much, and you are very kind to me. Very kind. I appreciate that. But you work for me, and you’re my half-brother’s girlfriend.” She shrugged. “You don’t really have a choice.”
Lottie’s face was turning red as she scowled at Vicky.
Ollie, clearly sensing she was about to blow, put his hand on her arm, but he was too late. Lottie shot out of her chair.
“You…” She pointed to Vicky. “Are one of the best friends I’ve ever had.
I love you, you ridiculous woman. I love the way you make me laugh every day.
I love the way your beautiful, complicated mind works, I love how generous you are, how kind, how much you care about people, even when they can’t or won’t try to understand you.
So don’t you dare tell me we’re not friends!
” Lottie was shouting by the end of her rant, and then she collapsed back into her chair.
Hayley signed something at her, and she snapped, “No, I will not calm down. It’s okay for you. Vicky believes that you’re her friend.”
“And please stop with the half-brother stuff,” Ollie said stiffly. “We love you. This big idiot is going to treat you well, or we’ll break his fucking legs, and that’s that.”
Vicky was tense in my arms now, and I didn’t like it. “Right, enough with all the shouting and carrying on, you lot,” I warned. “Let Vicky eat her food, for God’s sake.”
“I love you too,” Vicky whispered to Lottie, her voice a little shaky.
“I know you do, hun,” Lottie said softly. “No more of this burden stuff, okay?”
Vicky looked down at the table but nodded in a short movement.
The rest of the evening was surprisingly drama-free.
Felix and Lottie recounted the complete evisceration Vicky delivered to an unsuspecting group of lawyers representing a big fish investor earlier in the day.
They started the meeting totally underestimating her and having no idea she’d done a deep dive into their financials for the last decade.
“It was beautiful,” Lottie said. “I love it when I can just let you run. Honestly, those bastards deserved it.”
Lottie could tell when people were lying; as a team, Lottie and Vicky rarely made a wrong move.
“I didn’t want to eviscerate them,” Vicky said through a frown. “You should have squeezed my wrist.”
“What does the wrist squeeze do?” I asked. “I’ve seen you do that to Vicky before when…” I trailed off as I realised what I was saying.
“When I was hyperfocused on you,” Vicky supplied.
Ollie choked on his wine.
“It means stop . Either stop what I’m doing, stop talking, or stop focusing on something I… shouldn’t be.”
“Stop talking?” I said in surprise. “Why would anyone want you to stop talking?”
Vicky turned to me. “Mike, you must have noticed. When I get going on a subject, I can be… intense. Remember how long I talked about the danger the UK’s hedgerows are under the other night?”
“So what?” I said with a frown. “You always say interesting stuff. I don’t think anyone should be cutting you off.”
I caught Lottie’s eye across the table. She was beaming at me.
“You’ll do,” she said decisively.