As if in answer, a tortoiseshell cat comes padding down the hall, a small bell tinkling at its neck. It winds around my ankles with a miaow.
Oh, I’m a cat lady. That’s OK. I like cats, and this one is cute. I pick it up, and it snuggles against me, purring. The name on its collar says ‘Tinkerbell’. Sounds like a name I’d give a cat.
I follow Tinkerbell as she runs to the kitchen. Guessing she wants food, I find some fishy pouches in a pantry and tear one open and plonk the contents in her bowl. There’s a well-stocked fridge with lots of fresh veg, and there’s a fruit bowl with rosy apples on the counter. A recipe book peppered with Post-it bookmarks sits beside it. Wow, I must be into home cooking now. No Deliveroo for Jade Delaney.
Leaving Tinkerbell to her meal, I walk out into the hallway and look up the stairs. They lead to the bedrooms, I guess.
The first door I go into when I reach the landing is a small bathroom, and I can’t resist having a proper gander at myself because it’s so fucking weird to look like me, but an improved version.
My face is heart-shaped rather than round. I have long shiny chestnut hair and Ash’s ski-jump nose. I push at it. Wiggle it. Use it to sniff. Yep, it’s mine. My eyelashes are long and dark. My body is still quite curvy, like Mum’s. But I’ve gained around five inches in height, thanks to tall, dark, and handsome Ash. He was gorgeous in the 1980s, so I’m not surprised I look so good.Rach must’ve fallen hard for him.
Anyway, there’s only so much time you can spend looking at yourself before you get bored. I’m still me inside after all.
I check out a hall closet next and get a bit of shock. Along with a couple of well-cut feminine coats, there’s a man’s overcoat. My heart thumps as I finger the woollen material. Jade Delaney, you saucy minx. Are you living with someone? Are you ... married?
Oh god, this is going to be fucking awkward if I’m married to someone I’ve never met. I cross my fingers.Please please let him be cute and intelligent and not a loser like the other Jade would’ve chosen.
The door of the bedroom is closed, and I have a strong feeling that he’s in there. My boyfriend. Possibly my husband. I lean against the wall, having heart palpitations.
Now or never.
I force myself to open the bedroom door. The room itself is lovely: a king-sized bed with plump white pillows and a pale-green duvet, delicate gold patterned wallpaper, an oak dresser. But the room is empty.
Water is running in the en-suite, and steam curls from underneath the door. Whoever’s in there likes scalding hot showers. Then it shuts off abruptly, and my nerves jangle.
‘Honey, I’m home!’ I call out tentatively. There’s no reply from the en-suite. But a tap turns on, then off, making me jump. I don’t know what to do. Should I sit on the bed? Hang out over by the window? He obviously knows me, so I need to act normal. The door handle of the en-suite starts turning.
Fuck.
I whip around, take off my suit jacket and fumble in the wardrobe for a hanger. Warm steam from the en-suite billows into the room, heating the air like a sauna.
‘Sure you had it hot enough? You’re making me sweat out here, babe,’ I joke, hoping this guy has a sense of humour. If he doesn’t, I’m doomed.
‘That was the goal,’ drawls a familiar voice. ‘The fewer clothes you’re wearing, the better.’
Slowly, I turn to see Sebastian standing there shirtless, a white towel around his waist, and his caramel-highlighted hair slicked back. He grins at me, and my knees buckle. ‘Wha...?’
‘Surprise,’ he says. ‘How do you like your new life?’
‘I have a cat named Tinkerbell,’ I say faintly.
He chuckles, and I collect myself.
‘What the fuck is going on, Sebastian? Do you live here?’ I take a step towards him. ‘Are we ... are we together?’
I take another step, feasting my eyes on his toned body. This is exactly the kind of man Jade Delaney wants to be with. The man she loves.
But Sebastian holds up a hand. ‘Not quite.’
I halt where I am.
‘This is your new life, Jade. You’re successful. You have a well-paid job in the media, a great relationship with your family. But I’m not in it.’
I shake my head rapidly, not wanting to hear that.No no no! I need you. I love you!
‘Or...’
I sigh in relief. This is Sebastian. Of course there’s a loophole. ‘Thank God. Just tell me what it is. I’ll do it.’