The news was taken well by the rest of the office, and a man was promptly sent out with a bucket of paint to widen the managers’ parking space. One of them stayed empty most of the time because Eden and Natalie were always at each other’s places and drove in together most days. Still, the extra space was symbolic, and no one took it.
As the two managers entered the building and got into the lift together, Eden kept reading. ‘Oh, and this bit about us finding love because Maggie intentionally left us together on the island? What utter bollocks.’
Natalie tutted. ‘She’s probably just trying to impress Rebonka.’
‘It really shouldn’t take much to impress a twenty-three-year-old part-time Reiki healer, so I don’t accept that excuse. This article is a pack of lies from start to finish,’ Eden trailed off, her gaze reaching a particularly eye-popping piece of information. ‘Holy cow!’
‘What is it now?’ Natalie asked. ‘Is Angelique claiming we had a threesome with her?’
Eden looked up at Natalie and shook her head. ‘Way better. This is good. Oh, this is just too good. I’ll read it to you. ‘The party girls of the group were Caz and Saz, there for the socialising more than love. The mother-daughter pair-’
Natalie clapped a hand to her forehead. ‘No! Mum and daughter!’
Eden gave a bewildered shrug. ‘Apparently?’
‘Which one’s the mum?!’ Natalie asked, baffled.
‘Doesn’t say,’ Eden said, scrolling on. ‘Maybe Caz? No, Saz. No, definitely Caz. You know what, I’m stumped.’
‘Sweet Jesus,’ Natalie muttered as the lift doors pinged open. ‘Mother and daughter.’
They walked into the main office and past the desks of various employees, swapping greetings on their way to the break room, where Eden poured two coffees. ‘Oh god, did someone bring in croissants?’ Eden asked, grabbing a pastry and biting off a chunk. She was freer with the carbs these days. Natalie had assured her that she didn’t look anything like a pig as a result, and Eden found herself believing it. ‘Oh, I forgot, that double date with Angelique is off. She texted last night.’
‘Don’t tell me, she broke up with what’s-her-name.’
‘Yep. But guess what she said? She said she’s going to try being single for a while. She’s starting to think she might have a love addiction.’
‘No shit,’ Natalie said. ‘I’m just glad she figured it out.’
‘Don’t I know it,’ Natalie agreed. ‘It’s a shame for her, though, she only likes the beginning. That’s not even the good part.’
‘No?’ Eden asked through the pastry. ‘What’s the good part?’
‘I think it’s when you let someone get really close. When they know all of you. All the good, all the bad. And they don’t flinch. When someone really sees you, and it’s OK,’ Natalie said with a small smile.
Eden swallowed her pastry. ‘Like when I got that stomach flu and threw up in your kitchen, and you cleaned it up with a smile.’
‘Or like when I started that argument about Fellini and got way too emotional.’
Eden smiled forgivingly. ‘You weren’t that bad.’
‘Your vomit wasn’t that bad.’
‘It smelled like death,’ Eden reminded her.
Natalie laughed and then checked her watch. ‘Right. Better get to the grindstone.’
They took their coffees and walked to their offices, standing at their respective doors. ‘Movie night tonight?’ Natalie asked.
‘You know it,’ Eden said with enthusiasm.
They walked into their offices. Eden sat down at her desk. She could hear Natalie next door pottering about. The noise was comforting. Eden sat down at her desk and wondered what kind of movie they should watch tonight. They could watch some serious black and white flick or something modern and silly, but it didn’t really matter if it was a good movie or a bad one. Whatever it was, Eden and Natalie would enjoy the ride.
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In the meantime, feel free to enjoy these other books by Natasha West
Hawke’s Prey
Hawke’s Game
Hawke’s Flight
The Plus One
Plus Two
Something for the Weekend
A Marriage of Connivance
Joined at the Hip
A Mistletoe Moment
Real Love
Waiting for the Punchline
Chase Me
Close-Ups and Mess Ups
By Any Other Name
Never the Bride
The Dropout
Only Ever You
The A to Z of Girlfriends
Just Married?
The Matchmaker
200 Hours
Sweetest Thing
Lost and Found