Rachel gives me a sad smile and a nod, but I wink back at her. This may well be the first time I’ve thought about Nate in a happier time. In this moment I feel lighter. I’m moving forward, and not just physically, but emotionally too. I don’t ever want to forget this.
Once we’ve all made our choices from the food court, we settle in for good food and good conversation—or dodgy takeout and awkward conversation. In the midst of the silence, Will hasn’t taken his eyes off Rachel and has a goofy grin on his face as she looks anywhere but at him.
“So, Will,” I start. “What exactly do you do at Potger & Co?”
Will looks over to me, dazed, and takes a second to compose himself before realising I even asked him a question. He is just too cute, and very much smitten with my best friend.
“Sorry, what?” he asks, confused.
I giggle at him. “I asked what you do exactly at Potger & Co?”
“Right. At the moment I mostly deal with high-profile divorce and separation cases. It’s not my normal area of expertise, but it was an opportunity to get my foot into the company door.”
“Oh right. What do you normally do?” I ask, interested.
“Corporate law.”
“Quite a change from divorce and separation cases.”
“It is.”
“You must see some interesting cases,” I say in a sarcastic tone.
Will chuckles. “To say the least.”
“So, do you have personal experience in this area? Divorce, I mean?” I ask, with no care for social etiquette at all. What do I care? I’m not trying to date him.
Rachel’s wide eyes turn towards me, even though I see her slightly lean in towards the table, waiting on Will’s response.
He has another satisfied smile on his face as he looks towards Rachel. Damn lawyers, no one can get anything by them. He knows exactly what I’m doing. “No, actually, I’ve only had one serious relationship, and it never even got close to marriage.”
I see a frown cross Rachel’s face.
“So you’re a bit of a player? Like to get around? Scared of commitment?” I ask with no tact at all. Rachel gives an inconspicuous nod, which tells me I asked the right question.
Will cracks up laughing at my no-holds-barred interrogation, I guess he’s used to being the one asking the questions. “No. I’ve just been busy with studying and working for the past ten years to have much time for dating. I seem to have an abundance of time now that I’m settled in my career, but finding a date is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Will offers as he looks back over towards Rachel.
She rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you could get any girl you wanted to go on a date with you, and probably more,” she says snidely as she takes a sip of her soda.
Will’s eyes shoot up and meet Rachel’s dead-on. “Maybe? Except the only girl I want refuses to go out with me… on a date and more.”
Rachel spits out her soda, locking her glare on Will’s amused smile, and I can’t do anything except keep my eyes on both of them. The tension between them is insurmountable. Holy hell, I think my panties are on fire. These two are going to be explosive. And I know they’re going to eventually explode.
Will I ever have that experience again? It seems so long ago, I don’t remember exactly how it felt. Butterflies in the stomach, sweaty hands, stuttering… after being with Nate for ten years all I feel when I think of him is the comfortable, the stable and the constant. Sitting here with Rachel and Will makes my heart ache for him. What I wouldn’t give to have him back, just for a moment…
All of a sudden Rachel stands, scraping her chair along the floor. I look up to her as she grabs all our shopping bags. “Well, it’s been great. We have to get going, movie date and all. See you at work on Monday,” she rambles.
Before I can even stand, she has stormed off and out of the food court, while Will watches her with an amused smile. He turns to me with an even wider grin.
“Well, I guess we are going,” I say as I stand, grabbing my purse and Rachel’s.
Will smiles warmly at me. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Brooke. I hope we get to see each other again soon.”
“I’m sure we will.” I smile back. “I’ll work on it,” I wink.
Will’s smile turns mischievous. “It’s appreciated. I don’t think I can crack her on perseverance alone.”
I giggle as I pat his shoulder on my way out to go in search of Rach and start my matchmaking plan. Mum, Dad, and Rachel were right; I do need stuff to keep me busy, and sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong in Rachel’s love life is exactly the kind of job I need.