months, after Evelyn hosted a charity craft night at the Mill over Christmas. Apparently that just meant they could both gang up on her together now. Fantastic.
‘Mr Hughes very kindly offered to stop by and try and talk some sense into you.’ Evelyn stepped aside to let Max into the hallway. ‘Why don’t you two talk in the living room. I’ll bring you both some coffee.’
If Max planned to talk to her about her love life, Lily rather thought she’d need alcohol more than caffeine. But Max was looking uncomfortable, and Evelyn had already disappeared into the kitchen, so Lily did as she was told.
‘Are you really here to convince me to beg Edward to take me back?’ Lily asked, perching on the arm of the sofa.
Max settled against the cushions of the armchair. ‘God, no. But if your mother asks, I tried my best.’
‘Fair enough. So what are you doing here?’
Max glanced away. ‘Can’t a boss check up on his favourite employee when things are bad?’
‘I suppose.’ It was sweet, really. Max was rubbish at emotions usually. He’d made an exception for her. She should appreciate that.
Sliding down onto the sofa proper before her mum came back and yelled at her, Lily sighed. ‘To be honest, I’m not sure things are bad. I mean, yes, it’s sad and terrible and awkward. But I still think I did the right thing. I think I’ll be happier, once everything settles down.’
Max smiled at her. ‘So do I.’
It shouldn’t matter, Lily knew. She needed to make and own her decisions by herself. But knowing that Max and Alex both thought she was doing the right thing… It made the terrible swirling of fear in her stomach calm a little.
‘And apparently we’re not the only ones,’ Lily said. ‘So it can’t actually be the end of the world, whatever my mother thinks.’
Max raised his eyebrows. ‘Alex?’
‘He didn’t say anything until after I’d given the ring back,’ Lily said. ‘But yeah, apparently so.’
‘Hmm.’
Lily felt the swirling start up again. ‘Is that a good hmm or a bad hmm? You’re going to give him the studio, right?’
‘You know that’s not up to me, Lily. We have a committee for making that sort of decision.’
‘Yeah, but. They listen to you.’
‘Relax, Lily. As long as his portfolio’s decent, I’m pretty sure he’s in. Everyone I talked to liked the idea of having an accountant onsite, apart from anything else.’ He tilted his head to look at her. ‘This really matters to you?’
Lily shrugged. It did, not that she could fully explain why. But having grown accustomed to the idea of her new, single life featuring Alex Harper just across the way, she felt strangely reluctant to give it up. ‘He’s an old friend,’ she said, knowing it wasn’t much of an explanation. ‘It’s nice to have him home.’
‘Have who home?’ Evelyn asked, bustling in with a tray loaded with coffee cups and a cafetiere.
‘Young Mr Harper,’ Max said, and Lily shifted under his gaze. God only knew what Max thought was going on with her and Alex, but there was no way she could correct him with her mother in the room.
‘Cora’s cousin?’ Evelyn shook her head as she started to pour. ‘Why on earth are we talking about him?’
‘He’s taking a studio up at the Mill,’ Lily explained. ‘That’s all.’
‘We should be talking about how she’s going to apologise to Edward.’ Evelyn handed a coffee cup to Max, who raised a hand. ‘It’s decaf, for pity’s sake,’ she snapped.
Max took the cup.
‘I don’t want to apologise to Edward,’ Lily said. It felt good to say it, even if the statement elicited a death stare from her mother.
‘You have to. Tell her, Max.’
Max looked at the ceiling. ‘I’m not sure she should apologise either.’
‘Then what the hell are you doing here?’
Lily stared. Had she ever heard Evelyn say ‘hell’ before? If she had, she couldn’t remember it.
Shifting on the sofa to face Evelyn, Max sighed. ‘Look. If
‘Mr Hughes very kindly offered to stop by and try and talk some sense into you.’ Evelyn stepped aside to let Max into the hallway. ‘Why don’t you two talk in the living room. I’ll bring you both some coffee.’
If Max planned to talk to her about her love life, Lily rather thought she’d need alcohol more than caffeine. But Max was looking uncomfortable, and Evelyn had already disappeared into the kitchen, so Lily did as she was told.
‘Are you really here to convince me to beg Edward to take me back?’ Lily asked, perching on the arm of the sofa.
Max settled against the cushions of the armchair. ‘God, no. But if your mother asks, I tried my best.’
‘Fair enough. So what are you doing here?’
Max glanced away. ‘Can’t a boss check up on his favourite employee when things are bad?’
‘I suppose.’ It was sweet, really. Max was rubbish at emotions usually. He’d made an exception for her. She should appreciate that.
Sliding down onto the sofa proper before her mum came back and yelled at her, Lily sighed. ‘To be honest, I’m not sure things are bad. I mean, yes, it’s sad and terrible and awkward. But I still think I did the right thing. I think I’ll be happier, once everything settles down.’
Max smiled at her. ‘So do I.’
It shouldn’t matter, Lily knew. She needed to make and own her decisions by herself. But knowing that Max and Alex both thought she was doing the right thing… It made the terrible swirling of fear in her stomach calm a little.
‘And apparently we’re not the only ones,’ Lily said. ‘So it can’t actually be the end of the world, whatever my mother thinks.’
Max raised his eyebrows. ‘Alex?’
‘He didn’t say anything until after I’d given the ring back,’ Lily said. ‘But yeah, apparently so.’
‘Hmm.’
Lily felt the swirling start up again. ‘Is that a good hmm or a bad hmm? You’re going to give him the studio, right?’
‘You know that’s not up to me, Lily. We have a committee for making that sort of decision.’
‘Yeah, but. They listen to you.’
‘Relax, Lily. As long as his portfolio’s decent, I’m pretty sure he’s in. Everyone I talked to liked the idea of having an accountant onsite, apart from anything else.’ He tilted his head to look at her. ‘This really matters to you?’
Lily shrugged. It did, not that she could fully explain why. But having grown accustomed to the idea of her new, single life featuring Alex Harper just across the way, she felt strangely reluctant to give it up. ‘He’s an old friend,’ she said, knowing it wasn’t much of an explanation. ‘It’s nice to have him home.’
‘Have who home?’ Evelyn asked, bustling in with a tray loaded with coffee cups and a cafetiere.
‘Young Mr Harper,’ Max said, and Lily shifted under his gaze. God only knew what Max thought was going on with her and Alex, but there was no way she could correct him with her mother in the room.
‘Cora’s cousin?’ Evelyn shook her head as she started to pour. ‘Why on earth are we talking about him?’
‘He’s taking a studio up at the Mill,’ Lily explained. ‘That’s all.’
‘We should be talking about how she’s going to apologise to Edward.’ Evelyn handed a coffee cup to Max, who raised a hand. ‘It’s decaf, for pity’s sake,’ she snapped.
Max took the cup.
‘I don’t want to apologise to Edward,’ Lily said. It felt good to say it, even if the statement elicited a death stare from her mother.
‘You have to. Tell her, Max.’
Max looked at the ceiling. ‘I’m not sure she should apologise either.’
‘Then what the hell are you doing here?’
Lily stared. Had she ever heard Evelyn say ‘hell’ before? If she had, she couldn’t remember it.
Shifting on the sofa to face Evelyn, Max sighed. ‘Look. If
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