Always(Time for Love Book 4)(23)

“You won’t believe this,” Gemma said, leaning forward on the table. “But some woman in her fifties stopped me on the street yesterday after I finished giving piano lessons to one of my students. She had this intense look on her face and point blank asked me if I was Greg Carmichael’s girlfriend. I said no, and then she said that was good, because her daughter was Greg’s true love and that I shouldn’t stand in their way.”

“Wow. That’s kinda stalkerish,” Amanda said.

“I know. She did spook me a bit, so I walked away as fast as I could. Fortunately, she didn’t follow me.”

“Have you told anyone else about this?” Sarah asked, frowning.

“No. I’m not quite sure if I should make a big deal out of it.”

“It might not be anything to worry about, but Jeff always tells me it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Sarah answered. “They’ve had weird people hound them in the past. If it’s concerning enough, they’d get their security or the police to deal with it.”

“Okay, I might tell Greg,” Gemma said. “Anyway, sorry to derail the conversation. Let’s get back to you and Ash, Bren. Are you guys officially together?”

“I guess you could say that. We haven’t really discussed telling other people yet. But of course, you guys are not other people, so I’m telling you.”

“Well, at least you’ve told us,” Amanda said. “My own brother’s staying mum about it.”

“Are you going to tell him I’ve told you?” Brenna asked.

“Are you going to tell him you’ve told us?” Amanda returned.

“Yeah. I can’t see why not.”

“Good. ‘Cause I can’t wait to tease him about it.”

“So...” Sarah said. “Has anyone said the L word yet?”

Brenna chuckled. “Goodness, no. Isn’t it too early for that? We’ve only been going out for a week.”

“And they’ve only just kissed,” Amanda quipped. “Give them time, Sarah.”

Brenna couldn’t help the redness that spread to her face and neck. She fiddled with her serviette to hide her reaction. Unfortunately, it only served to draw her best friends’ attention back to her.

“Oh. My. God,” Amanda whispered. “You’ve already slept with Ash.”

Brenna smiled her confirmation.

Amanda placed a hand over her mouth, looking at her with round eyes. “My best friend and my brother are sleeping together.”

“What? You think it’s too soon? You don’t approve?” she asked worriedly.

“Oh, honey. Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I approve,” Amanda said, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Something hit me then. And suddenly I can’t wait until the two of you get to the permanent commitment stage.”

She laughed. “Patience, Amanda. This is still all too new.”

“I know,” Amanda said quietly. “It’s just that if you guys ever break up, I don’t think I can bear it. If one of you gets hurt because of the other, it would be so hard to watch. I’d want to protect you both, and I might not be able to.”

“Hey, why are you thinking like that, Amanda?” Gemma said in a censuring tone. “You should look forward to the development of their relationship rather than worrying about them breaking up.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Amanda said with the sigh. “I can’t help it. I’ve watched Ash suffer in silence in the past. But there’s something different about the pain of pining for someone who doesn’t feel the same, compared to the pain of finally having that person, then losing her. That would be a killer. I never want it to happen.”

“Oh, Amanda,” Brenna said, squeezing her friend’s hand. “I understand what you’re saying. I don’t know what the future holds, but if it were up to me, Ash and I would have a happily-ever-after.”

Amanda grinned. “Phew. That makes me feel so much better. It wasn’t that long ago when you didn’t even notice that Ash has feelings for you, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I think I shocked him when he learnt I’m into him now, too. But please don’t tell him about the happily-ever-after bit,” Brenna warned. “Regardless of our feelings for each other, I still think it’s too early to be talking about that.” It took her around seven months of dating before she’d said I love you to Darren. And she’d never said it to Lance.

“No, I won’t tell him that bit. Although you guys can take a leaf out of Sarah and Jeff’s book. Talk about fast!”

Sarah chuckled. “As my future grandmother-in-law would say, when it comes to love, time is not a factor.”

Brenna inhaled deeply, her heart dancing with joyful anticipation. After her blissful week with Ash, she couldn’t see anything going wrong.

She felt her phone vibrate in her handbag, which was sitting on the floor against her leg. She pulled it out to check it, thinking it might be Rebecca asking for her update. She frowned as she read the message. It was from Darren.

Hi. I was wondering if we could meet? It’s important. Please.

She replaced the phone in her bag, choosing to ignore the message for now.

One thing for sure, Ash wouldn't be happy if she met up with Darren. The two never did get along. Ash, especially, had always been at pains to avoid Darren. And now she knew why.