Page 102 of Sit, Stay, Love
‘You do see it’s my number, right?’
‘Yes. And?’
‘Then why do you always…’ She filled her cheeks with breath, puffing them out like a chipmunk, then released it in loud exasperation, her lips vibrating. ‘Never mind. We’ve been ordered to dinner in Fairlight tonight. Mum says cheese on the balcony at six-thirty. Can you make it? You can say no.’
He took a beat. ‘I can make it. Unless you’d rather I didn’t?’
She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead, massaging the dull pounding between her eyes. ‘Herriot. If I have to go, you have to go. Besides, my mum wants to see you, not me. I’ll book an Uber and come and get you. Dad’s buying beers.’
‘Hangover, here I come.’
Sera gazed out at the harbour while her mother and father fussed over Toby.
He could not be in love with her. It seemed ridiculous. If he had romantic feelings towards her, she would have noticed. Sure, things had been a little different between them lately, but they were still just friends. Friends who cuddled and held hands, and snuggled on the couch, and sometimes spooned, and…
Oh my god.What if Linda was right? What if the only thing keeping them apart was the fear of losing what they had? Because they’d both doanything to protect their friendship. Which was probably why Toby was acting up – he was used to being the only person in her life and now she had someone else.
Ugh.It was so much easier when it was just the two of them spending their nights watching movies and…cuddling?She inwardly rolled her eyes.
But she did like Ethan, and it was exciting to have someone interested in her, especially someone so utterly gorgeous. She ran a hand down her throat and smiled. Toby would get used to it. They’d still be close – she’d make sure of that. She just wouldn’t be spending all her free time with him.
She felt a whack on her knee. ‘What?’ she asked, blinking and glancing around.
Everyone was staring at her.
‘Your mum was asking how the prep was going for James’s blockbuster celebrity fundraiser,’ Toby said.
She shot him a sharp look. ‘I don’t have to do anything, except tidy the place up a bit. Ethan’s publicist is handling it all. That’s not stopping me from panicking, though.’
‘Maybe if the movie star hadn’t forgotten to tell you the date you’d feel more prepared, but I guess it’s hard for him to think of other people.’
This time, she glowered at him. ‘He forgot for like, a day. And it was a big day. He had a lot going on.’
‘Obviously too much to think of you,’ Toby retorted under his breath.
‘Any famous people going to be there, other than your actor?’ Sera’s father asked brightly.
Her mother slapped her husband’s arm, and hissed, ‘John.’
‘Not that he’syouractor,’ he quickly added. ‘Just an actor. That you know.’
Sera groaned.
‘When’s James leaving, anyway?’ Toby asked.
‘A couple of weeks,’ Sera said.
Toby muttered, ‘Thank god.’
Anger flashed through her, starting at the soles of her feet and hitting her cheeks with the heat of a thousand suns. ‘Actually, he’s asked me to go with him,’ she spat in thinly veiled fury.
Deathly silence dropped over the small gathering.
Her stomach plummeted.Oh no.Why, why, why had she blurted that out?
‘This is an exciting turn of events!’ Sera’s mother said. ‘I didn’t realise you and Ethan had got that serious so quickly.’
‘When did this happen?’ Toby asked quietly.
