Page 16 of Elevate With Me

“I do not!!”

She did not agree with my answer. Well, so be it. I nudged past her into the bathroom. If she wasn’t going to use it, I would. We could discuss Mr Umbrella after I felt like a person again. Or not discuss him. I think I’d much prefer the second option. Thank you very much.

Good reasons

AFTER WE WERE BOTH?clean and all but forgotten about the rest of the furniture, Glen reminded me why I was getting fat. I was done rummaging through boxes for a clean comfortable pair of jeans and a baggy T-shirt, and Glen had finished blow drying her hair when we rendezvoused in the living room.

“We deserve a treat,” she said convincingly. “Let’s go grab some cake from the cafe across the street.”

I wrinkled my nose, even as my mouth began to water. “I shouldn’t...”

“Oh, come on, why not? Is it because of that mathematician guy? The Mr Umbrella.”

I scoffed. “Of course not.”

“It is, isn’t it!” Glenn squealed. “Haylee’s got a crush. Haylee’s got a crush!”

“Oh, come on, I do not have a crush!”

My cheeks were blazing just at the thought of him. The embarrassment! Would it ever let me breathe freely again?

Naturally, Glen did not take my word for it. “Yes you do. It’s written all over your face. When were you going to tell me about him?”

I groaned. “I was hoping to forget about him, actually.”

“Well, forget about him with a piece of cake and a coffee, while you tell me all about the way you two met.”

I dropped my head back, staring at the ceiling panels. I knew she wouldn’t let it go so I sighed and agreed. “Today you win. But only today.”

Glen laughed and pulled me out of the door. “We shall see, Red Cheeks. We shall see.”

Oh, hell no! She would not take over that horrible nickname. I wou

ld not let her.

The coffee shop was?literally across the street from Glen’s—our—mansion block if you exited from the street side of the building and not to the car park behind it, where my van waited impatiently to be relieved of its burden; plenty of time for that later.