‘I’ve had a wonderful idea,’ Tobi said as she wiped down the coffee machine, her big brown eyes shining with excitement.
‘Oh? What’s that then?’ Rosie asked, trying to make sure she didn’t sound as miserable as she felt.
‘I will if you will,’ Tobi said significantly.
‘Will what?’ Rosie replied, nonplussed.
‘Apply to university!’ Tobi exclaimed, beaming.
‘What?’
‘It’s a great idea, right? We do it together,’ Tobi explained. ‘We can help each other with the forms, with the personal statements – through the whole process. It’s something we both want, and something we’ve both been scared of. Let’s not be scared anymore.’
‘I … I don’t know,’ Rosie mumbled. ‘I’m a bit all over the place right now. I’m not sure I can do it.’
‘You absolutely can,’ Rhianne announced from behind her. She’d emerged from the kitchen with a massive tray of freshly baked mince pies, which she now began to place inside the glass display cabinet on the counter. ‘In fact,’ she went on, ‘you can do whatever hours you need to here while you study. You can go part-time, you can do weekends only … And if you don’t at leastconsiderthis brilliant idea, I might actually have to fire you.’
‘What?!’ Rosie said again.
‘You heard.’ Rhianne pointed at her with a newly polished fingernail that Rosie now noticed had been painted to resemble a Christmas pudding.
She took a deep breath. ‘Does this count as workplace bullying?’
‘Definitely not,’ Rhianne said, tearing a mince pie into thirds and giving a chunk of it to Tobi. ‘This isencouragement. This is us saying we believe in you. Mince pie?’
‘Absolutely.’
She handed Rosie a lump of warm pastry, oozing fruity filling.
‘Oh mygod, that’s delicious. Why do we not eat these all year round again?’
‘Because then they wouldn’t be special,’ Rhianne said sagely.
Tobi dusted pastry crumbs from her fingers, then held her hand out to Rosie. ‘I will if you will,’ she said again.
Rosie hesitated. Wavered. Then shethought about what she’d told James at the hospital. She had said that she’d changed – that she wanted to move forward. She needed to honour that no matter how hard it might seem, and with or without a man in her life.
She put her hand in Tobi’s. Shook it. Tobi jumped for joy, pulling her into a hug that knocked the breath out of her and made her eyes shimmer with tears.
‘I will if you will,’ Rosie whispered, squeezing her back. ‘And we’re both going to be great.’
‘Marvellous,’ Rhianne said, bustling back towards the kitchen with her baking tray. ‘God bless us, everyone.’
Chapter 28
At the next possible opportunity, Rosie cornered Rhianne – determined, despite the inevitable awkwardness, to ask her what had happened to Aled.
Rhianne looked pained when Rosie finally caught up with her by the recycling bins. ‘I know what you’re going to say, Rosie,’ she groaned, ‘and I think Mouth Almighty here has already done enough damage to your budding romance. I can’t get involved – Al was very adamant about that. He says I’ll only make things worse, and for once I completely agree with him.’
‘That’s ridiculous,’ Rosie said. ‘I’m worried about him. He’s completely disappeared. He’s not answering my messages. At least tell me if he’s staying with you.’
‘He isn’t.’
‘Would you tell me if he was?’
‘Oh god, I don’t know,’ Rhianne said. ‘Probably? I’m not clear what the rules would have been on that, he wasn’t specific … Or maybe I’d just stopped paying attention by that point. In any case, he isn’t at my flat.’
‘Right. So whereishe?’