Page 43

“Well, this sounds like juicy gossip,” Eunice said, the old woman’s eyes glinting.

“No. It’s not,” Gemma said, only to correct herself. “Okay, maybe it is. I need advice. That’s why I asked you all here. I need to know what to do. I kissed Kent.”

She wasn’t sure what response she expected the group to have. Shock probably. Yes, she expected them to be shocked by this announcement, but instead, Marie held her hand palm upwards towards Nina and Fleur.

“I told you that was what it was. Come on, pay up,” she said.

Gemma watched in disbelief as her friends reached into their wallets. Each of them pulled out a five-pound note, which they placed grudgingly in Marie’s hands.

“Sorry, did you take bets that this was why I’d called a meeting?” Gemma said, not sure if she should be furious or impressed at her friends’ astuteness.

“Of course we did,” Marie said. “The only time anyone ever calls an emergency meeting is when it’s something to do with a man.”

“That’s not technically true,” Eunice cut in. “There wasthat bitin One Day. We had to call an emergency meeting after we read that.”

“That’s true,” Nina said, “but if we exclude the incident where David Nicholls shattered our hearts, every other emergency book club has been to do with a guy.”

“Hence, I decided to place a bet,” Marie said, a grin spreading across her face. “So, I take it the business dinner went well?”

Gemma let out a long sigh. She had planned on keeping the details to herself. Mention the one kiss and leave it at that. But now she was there, and it seemed silly not to put some context to the situation.

“The dinner was amazing. And just so you know, we didn’t kiss all evening. It was only because we had to share a bed.”

“You had to share a bed?”

“What the hell?”

This time, they looked shocked.

“So, are we talking about more than a kiss here?” Flick asked.

“No, we’re not,” Gemma said sternly. “It was one kiss, and then I rolled over and went to sleep.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Eunice muttered. “I like a bit of gossip.”

With a loud groan, Gemma dropped her head into her hands before lifting it up again and looking at them.

“I assume you were both completely complicit in this kiss?” Fleur said.

“Of course. Tipsy but completely complicit.”

“And today, how was that?” Jules asked. “Were things awkward between the pair of you?”

“Well, I left before he woke up, but we’ve texted already, and it’s been sweet, fun.”

“So, what’s the problem? You like him. He clearly likes you too?—”

“But what if he changes his mind?” Gemma cut in. “What if it was just the drink? What if he doesn’t like me, and I’ve fallen for a guy who’s technically my boss? Then I’m going to get my heart broken and screw up my job all at once. So it’s better I just leave things, right? That’s the sensible thing to do in this situation.”

She looked around at her friends, one by one, meeting their gazes, wanting them to tell her she was right, she should put that one kiss down to drunken foolishness, act like the night had never happened, and go back to her normal life. That was what she wanted them to say, but as she sat there, several smiles broke out amongst the group.

“Oh, honey,” Eunice said, finally breaking the silence. “You’re already in way too deep for that.”

Gemma was staring at her drink, wondering what the hell she was meant to do and whether asking the book club girls had been any use at all, when her phone buzzed in front of her.

Her body tensed as she saw who it was from.

“It’s him, right?” Jules said, with a carefree excitement she rarely showed amongst the group. “What is it? What does it say?”