Chapter Twenty-Nine
‘He has really nice legs.’ Thea’s face is rapt as she looks across the football pitch, her eyes wide and her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
‘Which one?’ My chin lifts as I scan the pitch for the really nice legs.
Thea points across the pitch. ‘The one who just passed to Rhys.’
I am interested in the really nice legs, but Rhys is dribbling the ball towards the goal and my eyes track him instead. Rhys is taking part in a charity five-a-side football tournament with some of his mates from uni and Jonah, Thea and I have joined the crowd to support him.
‘Do you think he’s single?’
I drag my eyes away from the pitch as Rhys passes the ball to his teammate to avoid a tackle. ‘Are you ready for a new relationship already?’
Thea snorts. ‘Relationship? No way. But a half-time snog with him?’ She nods towards the pitch, practically salivating. ‘I wouldn’t say no.’
‘Where’s Jonah with those ice creams?’ I reach up on tiptoe and try to look through the crowd.
‘I think you need cooling down.’ The sun is still shining but the intensity has died down, making it much more comfortable.
Still, ice creams are a must, and Jonah has nipped off to grab some from the van parked nearby.
‘It isn’t cooling down I need. It’s… Oh!
Look! He has the ball.’ Thea jerks up on her toes and flaps her hand at the pitch, where the object of her affection is powering towards the goal.
The opposition homes in and he taps the ball towards Rhys, who takes the opportunity to hoof it at the goal.
The goalie leaps, his fingertips making contact, but the ball sinks into the corner of the net.
‘Yes!’ I leap up into the air, fists raised. ‘Go on, Rhys!’ Thea clutches my shoulder and pulls me in close, and we jump up and down together. Really Nice Legs is forgotten for a moment as we celebrate our friend’s victory.
‘Rhys is going to be majorly miffed that Jonah missed his goal.’ I stop springing up and down and look back towards the ice cream van, spotting Jonah squeezing his way through the spectators with our treats.
He hands them out: a Solero for Thea, a sherbet-dipped cone for me, and a Biscoff crumb cone for himself.
‘And…’ He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and drags out a shiny purple bag.
‘Look what else they had.’ He jiggles a bag of Monster Munch at me before dropping them into my eager hand.
‘Thought these might cheer you up a bit.’ Jonah is very, very right.
I pop them into my bag, to be scoffed later, after my ice cream.
‘Did someone score?’ He nods at the pitch and licks the flick of biscuit-crumb-covered ice cream from the top of his cone.
‘Rhys did.’ I feel a swell of pride in my chest as I pass on the news. ‘And Thea also wants to score with him.’ I point out Really Nice Legs as he stretches out his hamstrings.
Jonah grimaces, but then nods, conceding the point. ‘He does have nice legs.’
‘Eww.’ I screw up my face. ‘You and your sister have the same taste in men.’
‘It could be worse.’ Jonah nudges me with his arm. ‘We could be lusting after Rhys.’
I’m making puking noises as the whistle blows, signalling the end of the match. Rhys scans the sideline, spots us and jogs over to join us.
‘Did you see it?’ He throws his arms wide, almost thumping a woman on the boob, but even that only momentarily wipes the grin from his face as he apologises profusely.
‘We saw it.’ Thea tugs Rhys away from the woman as he continues to jabber regret and repentance at her.
‘We all saw it.’ I sneak a look at Jonah, my quirked eyebrow telling him to go along with my teeny white lie. ‘It was amazing, mate.’
Thea nods, her eyebrows pulled down in earnestness. ‘There was no way the goalie could have stopped it.’
‘I know, right?’ Rhys’s chest is puffed up with pride at the praise. ‘Anyway, I’ve got to go. We’re through to the next round. Just wanted to check in.’
Thea holds two thumbs up at him as he backs away. ‘Good luck.’
Rhys tilts his head at Thea’s well-wishing, and he spreads his arms out again, more cautiously this time. ‘You don’t need luck when you have these skills.’
I roll my eyes. Typical Rhys. ‘How does the weight of that big head of yours not slow you down?’
He shrugs as he continues to back away from us. ‘Skills, mate. There’s no stopping me.’ He turns and joins his teammates again on the pitch as they pass a ball around to warm up for the next round.
My ice cream is delicious, the sherbet fizzing on my tongue, and I’m about to take a second bite when I’m knocked sideways, my cheek smarting from the impact of taking a football to the face. I stumble into Jonah’s chest, thankfully both remaining on my feet and keeping hold of my ice cream.
‘I am so sorry.’ One of the guys on the pitch, presumably the one who hoofed the ball in my direction, is jogging towards us. ‘Are you okay?’
I nod. I think I’m okay. A bit dazed, and my cheek is stinging like a bitch, but I’ll survive.
‘Are you sure?’ The footballer has come to a stop in front of me, and he reaches out to place a hand on my arm. He winces when he focuses on my cheek. ‘It’s left a mark.’
‘It’s fine.’ I want to touch the mark, to see how bad the damage is, but I resist and smile bravely. ‘Honestly. You get back to your game.’
He glances back at his teammates and opponents, torn over whether to rejoin the match or stay on the sidelines. ‘You need some ice for that.’ He nods at my cheek, but he’s thankfully backing away. He reverses a couple more steps and then he turns and the match starts.
‘How is it?’ Jonah rests a hand on my shoulder, stooping to peer at my cheek. I reach up then, letting my fingers press on my cheek with the gentlest of touches. It smarts but not overly so.
‘Not too bad.’
He nods, but his brow is furrowed.
‘What?’ My mind goes into overdrive, imagining the horror that he’s seeing. Is it bruising? Am I going to be disfigured for life?
‘The meet-cutes are still happening then?’
I roll my eyes, because I’ve almost been knocked over twice in the jostling crowd this afternoon – and heroically saved from stumbling to the ground – and I point-blank refused to carry any more food orders at work yesterday after I ended up wearing a bowl of pasta.
I may have quit the wish, but the wish refuses to be rescinded and the meet-cutes continue against my will.
But that doesn’t mean I have to play along.
When I couldn’t quite reach the good coffee on the high shelf at the supermarket and a cute, floppy-haired (and super-tall) guy grabbed it for me, I simply thanked him and made a dash for it, even though he was clearly about to strike up a conversation.
When a very charming man attempted to chat to me in the queue at the bank as I waited to deposit the takings from Rollerz, I turned my back on him because I have no interest in flirty banter.
And when my car broke down on the way back to Rollerz, I almost abandoned the car and walked instead of calling a nearby garage.
But it’s a bit of a trek and it was still stifling hot, so I did call the garage, but when the mechanic flirted outrageously, I did not reciprocate.
I’ve even stopped using the lift at the flat and trudge up the stairs instead (seven flights!) just in case I get trapped inside with another potential suitor.
‘They’re relentless.’ I take a bite of my ice cream. It makes me feel better, but only a little bit.
Rhys’s team is knocked out of the next round, but they’re in good spirits as they join us at Rollerz for the BBQ & Beer Night Sally has organised to make the most of the warm weather.
As well as the outdoor grill and the array of craft beers on offer, there’s a quiz, which will be followed by a singing duo.
I’m not working tonight, so I team up with Jonah and two of Rhys’s uni mates for the quiz, with Thea, Rhys and the two remaining uni mates (including Really Nice Legs) forming another team.
Umar and Malachi are super-competitive, and I feel like we have a pretty strong squad, especially when we ace the first few questions, which cover sport, Eighties pop music (thank you, Rollerz ancient jukebox) and film and TV.
The next question, however, is trickier and divides the group.
‘Koala?’ Umar leans so far forward, his chin is practically on the table as he whispers his suggestion, but Malachi shakes his head.
‘Nah, it’s the kangaroo.’
I frown as I lean forward to join the huddle in the middle of the table. ‘I thought it was the kiwi?’
Malachi shakes his head again. ‘That’s New Zealand.’
Umar sits up a little straighter, his face bright and eager. ‘So it is the koala then?’
‘No.’ Malachi sighs. ‘It’s the kangaroo. Red kangaroo, to be more specific.’
‘How do you know that?’ Umar’s eyes are narrowed, not convinced by his friend’s answer.
‘Because I spent three months in Australia during my gap year, and the red kangaroo is definitely their national animal.’
Umar’s eyes narrow further before he shrugs and sits back in his seat. ‘All right, all right, write it down.’
Malachi is scribbling down the answer when Sally approaches our table, her face pinched.
She jerks her head at me, indicating that I should follow her as she starts to back away.
Something is up. She turns and heads for the office, her shoes clip-clopping on the floor, and I scuttle after her, shooting Rhys a questioning look as I pass his table.
But he shrugs, his face saying he’s as in the dark as I am about what’s going on.
Sally waits by the door to the office, pushing it shut behind me and folding her arms across her chest as I fidget with my fingers by the desk.
‘I had a phone call earlier.’ She sucks a deep breath in through flared nostrils. ‘From Charlene Kearsley.’
I frown. Charlene Kearsley? As in Charlie Kearsley, Kit’s wife?
‘She was livid.’ Sally’s eyes bulge as she spits out the word ‘livid’.
I’m not surprised. I’m livid. Though of course it will be far worse for her. She’s married to the scumbag. They took vows. Promised to love one another – and only one another – for eternity.
‘She told you about me and Kit?’
Sally closes her eyes and nods. ‘She told me about you and Kit.’
‘I swear I didn’t know he was married.’ I hold my hands up, my eyes locking onto Sally’s when they snap open, to show how sincere I’m being. Because it’s one thing being hoodwinked into an affair with a married man, it’s quite another to be a willing participant.
‘But didn’t you think you should warn me about it?’
My declaration of innocence doesn’t seem to have softened Sally. She’s still majorly pissed off, and I’m confused as to why her fury is aimed at me. Why she cares at all.
‘I didn’t think Charlie would tell you.’ My voice is small as I pick at my nails and avoid eye contact with my boss.
‘You thought she’d just let it go?’ Sally snorts. ‘That they’d continue to play along nicely together, here of all places?’
I open my mouth. I close it again. If I was confused before, I’m completely lost now. Why would they show up at Rollerz? They don’t even live in the area, and I’m pretty sure Charlie never wants to set eyes on me again.
‘They’ve cancelled, Christina.’
Sally eyes me, her face like thunder, and I feel like I should know what she’s talking about, but I have no idea.
‘They’ve cancelled what?’
Sally continues to eye me, but the thunderous look starts to mellow, morphing into uncertainty.
‘You do know who Charlene and Kit Kearsley are, don’t you?
’ She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone, tapping on the screen a few times before she hands it to me.
There’s a website loaded and my stomach is in knots as I read it.
‘Oh my goat.’ I look up at Sally, my eyebrows pulled down low and my lips pressed into the thinnest line. ‘What are we going to do?’