Ash waited her out, holding her close.
Sophie still shook but not as badly as before. “I…I think…” She wiped at her eyes. “No, I know it. I…I like…girls.” She whispered the last word, but Ash heard it loud and clear.
Oh. My. God. was her first thought. Her second was: Shit, Courtney’s gonna go mental . “You do?”
“Yeah.” Sophie finally looked up at her. She was biting her bottom lip, her eyes wide, as if somehow expecting Ash to have a negative reaction to her announcement.
“Well, thank you for trusting me with that.”
Sophie’s smile was wobbly, but her eyes said it all; relief shone through them. “I-I’ve known for a while. I just, you know, wasn’t sure.”
“But now you are?”
“Yeah. Pretty much. I mean, there are some boys I still like. They’re cute, I suppose. But it’s… Girls are just different, you know? They…make me feel different.”
“Well, you know I understand that.”
Sophie spat out a laugh. “Yeah, well, that’s why I’m telling you and not Mum.”
Ash couldn’t say a lot to that. “What about Trina, does she know?”
“No! Nobody else. Not yet.” Sophie looked as if she’d rather jump into an ant nest than tell her best friend about her sexuality.
Trina definitely had her head screwed on right, and Ash wished Sophie would trust her. But maybe one day soon she would.
“Okay, fair enough.”
Sophie hugged her closer. “Thanks. I knew you’d be okay with it.”
“Of course.”
And I am. But what the hell is going to happen when her mother finds out I knew long before she did?
Chapter 3
Sorry, something’s come up. Friday instead? Dinner at Georgio’s, 8pm? x
Gerald’s last-minute cancellation would have annoyed Carmen if she was any kind of “normal” girlfriend. But their relationship had never been conventional, so it didn’t surprise her when her main reaction was one of relief. Her day had been long—in fact, she was still at her desk, and it was past seven in the evening. Realising that she now didn’t have to retouch her make-up, change her blouse, and slip into her going-out heels made her ridiculously happy. Pyjamas and a glass of wine, here I come . She fired off a quick text in return.
Fine by me. See you then x
Forty minutes later, she was home, a bottle of wine open, her business suit exchanged for soft yoga pants and a T-shirt.
She sank into the sofa and put her feet up on the coffee table. Oh yes, that’s better . Her first sip of wine made her moan, the second elicited a sigh. Much better .
Her phone rang, and she groaned. God, no, I’m done for the day! She glanced at the caller display anyway, unable to break the ingrained habit despite her exhaustion. When she saw the name Tamsyn Harris, her mood lifted, and she quickly answered. “Hi, Tam!”
“Hello! Have I caught you at a bad time?”
“No, not at all. Just got home. I have my feet up and a glass of wine in my hand.”
Tamsyn chuckled. “Sounds perfect.” She cleared her throat. “So, um, Maggie and I were wondering if you were free to visit us tomorrow evening at any time.”
Why did her star client, the winner of multiple acting awards and one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, sound nervous? “You okay? You don’t sound yourself.”
“I’m fine. More than fine.” She paused. “So, are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Free tomorrow evening.”
“Oh! Sorry. Hang on, let me check.” Carmen tapped into the calendar app on her phone. “Okay, my last meeting finishes at seven thirty. I’m bound to have a few more bits to do after that, so I could be at yours perhaps eight thirty.”
“That’s absolutely fine.”
“Do I need to bring anything? Is this a work meeting?”
“No. God, no. We just… Well, there’s something we need to tell you.”
“Is everything really okay, Tamsyn? You’re acting very odd.”
Tamsyn laughed. “God, sorry. Yes, everything is fine. We’ll explain when we see you, but honestly, it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Well, okay, then.” Carmen was mystified, but she’d known Tamsyn long enough to trust her when she said everything was fine. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Carmen said as Tamsyn opened the door. “I don’t know where the time went.”
“Come on in.” Tamsyn stepped aside to allow Carmen to enter the house. “And you’re not that late. Don’t worry.” She led her through to the living room and motioned her into a seat on the sofa.
Carmen gratefully relaxed into it, and every muscle in her body sighed with relief. Another thirteen-hour day with no breaks. Had she eaten at all during the day? Probably. She wasn’t hungry now, so that meant she must have found time for something.
“Maggie’s out walking Gizmo before bedtime. She’ll be back soon.” Tamsyn moved to the centre of the room. “Sorry, when you were a little late, we couldn’t wait as the poor little bugger would be holding on too long.”
Carmen chuckled. “Look at you, Tamsyn Harris, all domestic and everything.”
Tamsyn blushed to her roots. “Shut up.”
“I’m only teasing. I think it’s wonderful.”
The sound of the front door opening reached Carmen’s ears, and seconds later, Gizmo trotted into the room. He rushed straight up to her and leaned in for an ear rub.
“Well, hello there, young man. How were the streets tonight? Did you make sure we’re all safe?” Carmen lavished some serious attention on the gorgeous little dog, and he lapped it up.
“He did,” Maggie said as she entered the room.
Carmen extricated herself from Gizmo’s attention and stood to give her a hug. “Hi.”
“Hello, you. Long time, no see.”
Carmen pulled back from the embrace. “I know, I’m sorry.”
Maggie smiled, then turned to Tamsyn and gave her a lingering kiss.
After pulling back from their embrace, Tamsyn walked over to a small table on which stood a bottle of champagne in a cooler and three glasses. Carmen hadn’t even noticed that so far. Wow, my brain must be really fried to miss champagne right in front of me .
“Are we celebrating something?” she asked. “Or is this
