Chapter Text
This Is the Life
And you singing the song thinking this is the life, and you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size— This Is the Life, Amy Macdonald
As Jamie walked into the familiar coffee shop, the smell of their lemon drizzle cakes, mixed together with the distinct, rich smell of coffee filled her senses and instantaneously made her feel better, even if only marginally. She looked around the building, feeling thankful that there was hardly anyone else in there that early Sunday morning. She passed by some of the other regular customers, giving them the best smile she could muster, as she made her way to the front counter without having to worry about the ridiculously long waiting times, or the many pretentious people that would talk ridiculously loud, that always seemed to go hand in hand with the big chain coffee shops.
It seemed that every time she went into one of them, she learned someone’s life story, even if she wasn’t the one talking to them, it felt like an impossible task to not hear what other people had to say. Seriously, what happened to people having private conversations? Jamie mused.
She would never understand why people felt the need to bustle their way into the overly crowded Starbucks stores that littered every single street corner when there were countless smaller and cheaper coffee shops all around them. Jamie had always thought the food and coffee served at Better Latte Than Never was way better than whatever Starbucks served anyway, as was the customer service she always received here. That was why she would happily pass by the Starbucks (which was a two-minute walk away from her flat), every day so she could get her morning cup of tea from here instead.
Of course, it did help that Jamie was on very good terms with the owner of the small coffee shop, she had found Better Latte Than Never not long after she and her best friend, Viola Willoughby, had moved from Manchester to London after they had graduated from university. They had stumbled across it one morning after they’d done a heavy night of drinking to celebrate Viola starting her new teaching position at the local private primary school, Brown's Academy.
It had been three years since that first morning and she still couldn’t walk past the brightly coloured shop without calling in for something, she went in almost every day and was now on a first-name basis with the owner, Owen Sharma, a charming, man, with an affinity for cheesy puns and terrible jokes.
She hadn’t expected it when she’d first started going there, but Owen had soon become a good friend to Jamie, and now he would regularly give her and her other friends free things whenever they went in for a coffee or a tea, sometimes even if she just called in to say hello and have a quick chat, Owen would give her something. It didn’t matter how many times she tried to pay for the free items, and she did try every time he gave her something, she was always unsuccessful in their small battle. Though, the last few times she had been in there, she had noticed a small tip jar by the cash register and had started to put money in there for Owen.
She pulled herself up onto one of the high stools sitting in front of the main counter, which also served as one of the tables inside the building. She folded her arms on the cold surface and dropped her head onto her arms, using them as a pillow in her fragile state. She loved a night out with her friends as much as the next person, she just didn't like the state she always seemed to be in the morning after. She never learned from her mistakes.
“Good morning,” A friendly, familiar voice chimed, she could almost hear the smile that resided in it, and again, it helped to make her feel better, bringing a small smile of her own to her face as she slowly lifted her head off of her arms, the throbbing in her head intensifying slightly as she moved.
“Morning, Owen,” Jamie groaned, trying to sound as cheerful as she possibly could, but failing miserably; her voice was slightly raspier due to the heavy amount of drinking and singing she had done the night before. She flashed the older man a weak smile, “How are you feeling this fine Sunday morning?”
Owen smiled brightly, “I feel fine thank you, but I have to admit, I feel even better now you’ve made an appearance, I always get worried on a Sunday morning; I just never know what you’re gonna have gotten up to one of your big nights out with the girls,” He joked.
“Oi… I’m not that bad…” Jamie shook her head, narrowing her eyes playfully, “Not anymore at least,” She added as an afterthought, giving the older man a small shrug.
“Yeah, I know you’re not… I just like winding you all up over stuff,” He admitted, “How are you feeling this morning anyway?” He asked as he started to make Jamie’s drink, she never even had to place her order anymore, Owen knew exactly what she wanted, her order hadn’t changed once since the very first day she had gone in there.
A strong tea with one sugar and in a to-go cup. Always.
Jamie sighed, “Well, I won’t lie to you Owen, I have felt a hell of a lot better,” She admitted with a soft smile, that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I feel like death warmed up.”
Owen nodded his head and let out a light chuckle, “Yeah, you look like it too,” He joked.
Jamie smiled and shook her head slightly, “You are quite the charmer, do you know that?” She asked.
He nodded his head slowly, “Yes, you have told me that once or twice before,” He said as he handed Jamie a freshly made almond croissant, “That’s on the house by the way,” He explained pointing at the pastry.
“You are far too good to me sometimes,” Jamie smiled looking down at the croissant before looking back at Owen, “But I really don’t mind paying for it… like, I can afford to pay for a pastry… my business is really picking up y’know?” She asked with a slightly smug smile, she had been bragging about how well her small business was doing to absolutely anyone that would listen to her, after only opening it a year ago, she was feeling pretty proud of herself for how well she had done.
“Well, that’s all the more reason to give you that for free then,” He gave her a smile, “Besides, you and your friends are some of my best and most loyal customers so it only seems right to give something back…” He trailed off slightly, before clearing his throat, trying to keep his voice casual when he spoke again, “And uh, speaking of your friends… how are they?”
Jamie gave the older man a knowing smile, “If this is your thinly veiled attempt to ask me about Hannah, I can tell you that she is completely fine… she’s been busy with work lately, in fact, all of them have been… for the last week and a half they’ve been doing constant lesson planning and setting up displays for their classrooms for the new school year… me, Hannah, and Rebecca all had a good night last night though… even if we did all drink a bit too much…”
“There’s nothing wrong with letting your hair down every once in a while,” He smiled.
“Well, we had a reason to, Hannah and Rebecca want to let their hair down as much as they possibly before school starts up again... I've already told you the good news about how well my career is going... and also Rebecca just wanted a night out... Peter and Arthur are up in Edinburgh again for work and honestly, Rebecca loves her freedom whenever that man isn't around and I can't really blame her."
"So that's you, Hannah, and Rebecca covered, but what about Viola... she didn't have a good time?"
"She didn't go," Jamie informed him, "She said she had some stuff to sort out and turned us down... honestly, rejection hurts so much more when it comes from her," She joked turning her mouth down slightly and shaking her head as she picked at the croissant, "You should really come out with us next time," She said with a small teasing smile, "I know Hannah would really like that... I mean we all would but..."
"Jamie, I would be absolutely honoured to join all of you lovely ladies on your next girl's night," He replied with a small smile as he handed her a cup of tea, "I'm assuming you had a good night too? Y'know, even if your other half was missing," He joked.
She nodded her head and smiled, “Yeah, it was good thanks, well… from what I remember it was a good night… and there are very few things I remember from last night… like I don’t even remember getting home, all I know is I woke up in my bed this morning, but I don’t know how I got there…” She shrugged, “That’s always the indicator of a really good night out though, right?” She asked, “When you can’t remember any of it?”
Owen chuckled and shook his head, “I guess,” He replied, “But I haven’t had a night like that for a long time now, I can’t even remember the last time I went out… it’s been that long…"
"That's your fault, you are always invited out with us you just always reject us..." Jamie pointed out, "And it hurts when you do it too," She teased.
"I never go out with you because I'm scared I wouldn't be able to keep up... my idea of a night out is a couple of drinks in a quiet little pub and then home to bed... I don't have the same energy the four of you seem to be filled with."
Jamie gave him a soft smile before replying, “We have nights like that too,” She admitted, “I mean, we hang out at this little bar quite a lot… we just like to get really drunk sometimes too, and you can’t really judge us for that…”
Owen shook his head, “Jamie when have I ever judged you?” He asked with a smile, “I wouldn’t dream of doing any such thing… you’re all young and… mostly single,” He smiled, “Which brings me to my next question how are things going in your love life?” He asked, “Have you broken any more hearts recently?”
Jamie sighed; it was something that Owen regularly asked her; it wasn’t very often that she had actual relationships. In fact, she hadn’t been in a real relationship for a little over a year now, and she wanted to keep it that way. Jamie had always preferred casually dating people. It was easier that way, people were exhausting, and she was yet to find anyone who was worth the effort it took to maintain a healthy and happy relationship.
“No, I didn’t break any hearts last night,” She explained, “There was a group of creepy guys out last night though and they just wouldn’t leave us alone… like, they just wouldn’t fuck off… one tried his luck with me and failed miserably… seemed to think I was playing hard to get at first, tried dancing with me and grinding on me… only seemed to get the hint when I chucked my drink in his face and told him to get fucked.”
“You girls sure do have it rough when you go out don’t you?” He asked, “Whatever happened to people having a little bit of respect for each other?”
Jamie shrugged her shoulders, “I like to think some people have it… you wouldn’t ever do that to someone,” She pointed out, “I know for a fact if you hit on someone and they turned you down you’d take no for an answer.”
He nodded his head slowly, “That is a very good point, I would…” He sighed, “And I am sorry you had to deal with that and that you wasted a drink on him.”
Jamie shook her head slowly, “To see the look on his face and to hear all his mates telling him he deserved it was definitely not a waste… I’m proud of myself for a lot of things last night, that being one of them,” She admitted.
“Yeah? What else are you proud of?” He asked.
“The fact that I didn’t do anything stupid last night… I don’t remember much, but I do remember that” She replied with a bright smile, “And I think the fact that I didn’t do anything stupid is the very bright, silver lining, to the very dark, and heavy cloud that is currently hanging over my head and making me feel very sick…”
“Nothing stupid at all?” Owen asked, “Not even a drunken tattoo.”
Jamie shook her head, “Nope,” She smiled, “And I went home alone… or at least I woke up alone,” She joked.
“Well, Jamie, what can I say other than I am incredibly proud of you,” He said with a slightly joking tone to his voice, “I doth my metaphorical cap to you and your behaviour last night.”
“Thanks, I knew you would proud of me,” She smiled, “Seriously, Owen, I’ve gotta tell you this stuff because no one else is ever gonna say they’re proud of me.”
He rolled his eyes, “I don’t know about that, you've done a lot to be proud of in your life, and one day you’re gonna meet someone who tells you that constantly,” He assured her.
“Thank you…” She sighed before taking a sip of her tea, “So, tell me, what is happening in the life of one Mr. Owen Sharma? I feel like we’ve been talking about me for way too long.” Jamie said, changing the subject as quickly as she could. The weight of Owen’s words hanging on her more than they probably should, they had been a friendly comment, words of support from one person to another, he did it a lot, especially when Jamie started to make self-deprecating jokes.
Every time he did give her words of support, Jamie would catch herself feeling far too sentimental and would have to change the subject, if Owen ever noticed her behaviour pattern, he never commented on it, always taking her diversions in his stride.
He shrugged his shoulders, “Nothing to write home about,” He replied, “But then again, there never really is, is there?" He asked "At least not since Mum died,” He sighed, a slightly sad, wistful smile spreading across his face.
Jamie could still remember the day she heard the news about Owen’s mother passing away, and how she had felt a wave of sadness for her friend, accompanying him to the funeral for moral support, and trying to help him with his coffee shop while she tried her hardest to set up her own business. She had never known anyone to be as lost as Owen was the first few months after his mum’s death. For as long as Jamie had known him, his mother had been ill and Owen had lived for her, taking care of her every need, hating any time he had to be away from her and had to ask someone else for help.
Jamie had been so sure that after his mother died, Owen would take some time off work and travel, he always talked about doing that, in fact, whenever he spoke about his small neighbourhood, he always made it sound like he was only there for his mum. But now, he seemed stuck in a rut. His daily routine never seemed to change, and she figured it never would. She knew that she couldn't really say anything about anyone living their life to a set routine, after all, that's exactly what she liked to do; her life was nice, simple, and to some people, it might have looked boring, but to Jamie, life couldn't be any better than it currently was, she could honestly say that she had never, in her whole life been happier than she was right now.
"So, there's no new woman in your life then?" Jamie asked, already knowing the answer to that question, she watched as a slight blush seemed to creep into his cheeks as a coy smile spread across his face, she took another sip of tea as she watched the older man, waiting for his answer.
He shook his head slowly, “You know that I only have eyes for one woman.” He replied. Jamie nodded her head slowly, she knew he only had eyes for one woman, and she knew that woman was one of her best friends, Hannah Grose, every time she would go into the coffee shop with Jamie, she and Owen would flirt relentlessly but neither one of them had ever actually done anything about it.
“You could always talk to her about that then,” Jamie offered, “There’s only you standing in your own way… never gonna get what you want if you don’t go after it,” She shrugged.
He nodded his head slowly, contemplating what Jamie had said, “Very true,” He replied, “But, that is only like me telling you to get yourself out there and find Mrs. Right… you never know she could be just around the corner.”
She shook her head slowly, “I don’t know… I mean, I totally get it if people want to settle down and get married and have kids and all that stuff… but I don’t think relationships are really my thing,” She explained, “I mean let’s face it… all relationships have some sort of expiration date, right? I mean, you’re either gonna break up with the person… or you end up marrying them… which could still end in divorce... or you watch each other grow old and then you just... die… It’s sort of one extreme to the other, and that is kind of terrifying to me… it’s exhausting to think about… let alone do… so I am fine not doing the whole relationship thing thanks… I’m perfectly happy this way.”
Jamie was just being honest, relationships were messy, and she didn’t have many experiences of good relationships, her parent’s marriage had broken down when she was young, and even when they were together, they hadn’t been the glowing model of what a relationship should be, even as a child Jamie had known things weren’t right with her parents, they would fight with each more than they would have civil conversations.
Then there were her own relationships which seemed just as terrible; the last time she had been in a relationship, it had been a disaster, they had started out as friends, and feelings had developed, Jamie had fallen hard and fast and when it ended, she was the one who was left feeling hurt and broken. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to put herself back out there and ever risk feeling that way again. The way she lived now suited her fine, it kept her satisfied physically and kept her from being destroyed emotionally at the hands of someone she thought she could trust.
Owen shook his head slowly, letting out a light chuckle, “Don’t you think that all adds to the excitement of it?” He asked, “Taking those risks are part of the ride, Jamie,” He smiled, “Growing old with someone is the preferred outcome… I know what you went through with Zoey wasn’t ideal and I know it left you hurt… but not everyone is going to do what she did… you can’t think all relationships are going to be like that one.”
Jamie rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, “I don’t know, I guess, there just aren’t many people out there who are worth taking a risk for,” She shrugged, “So, my steady string of one-night stands suits me just fine…"
“You’ll find someone worth the risk one day,” Owen replied confidently, “I know you will, I can’t say when, or how… or where… but she’ll come for you when she’s ready… you can’t rush these things, Jamie… but I do believe there is someone out there for you and she is getting to you as fast as she can.”
“You think?” Jamie asked, her heart fluttering slightly, at the thought of there being someone who might be worth the risk, at the thought of there being someone who might be worth the effort and who might feel the same way about her.
He shook his head and gave her a tight-lipped smile, "I know so."
“Well, when I find her, I’ll let you know,” Jamie said, “And while we’re on the topic of this, the next time Hannah is in here, you're going to do something about it. You’re talking about people who are worth a risk and that woman is,” She pointed at him before she pushed herself up from her seat.
He sighed and nodded his head, “I think you might be right, and I suppose I really should practice what I preach shouldn’t I?”
Jamie nodded her head, “Yeah you should… if I find out she’s been in here and you haven’t done anything about it…” She shook her head, “There’s really not much I can do, but I won’t be happy with you.”
“I promise, I will put myself out there,” Owen replied as he made himself busy wiping down the front counter, “Are you going now?” He asked.
“Yeah… I’ve got some stuff to do, I might not look like a busy person, but I assure you that I am,” She lied, well, it was partly a lie, she had a lot to do so she could prep for work tomorrow; she’d been given a large order that needed completing by 6 pm the following day and she still had over half the centerpieces left to do, she needed to finish the bride’s bouquet and she still had two of the bridesmaid’s bouquets to finish.
She’d already decided she was going to keep the shop closed tomorrow so she could complete the orders, and she knew, she to really get ahead of herself she should probably get started today. However, she also knew, that with the way she was feeling, half of the things she needed to do that day would be left undone. She felt sick to the pit of her stomach, her head felt twice the size it usually did, and she just didn’t have the energy.
“Thank you for everything today… the tea… the food… the amazing company and that very nice pep talk,” She smiled at him before paying for her tea and leaving him a large tip, “You might not let me pay for the food, but you can’t stop me from leaving you a tip,” She said, knowing her ‘tip’ covered the cost of the pastry, and then some, she placed the money in the tip jar by the cash register and watched as Owen shook his head slowly.
“You really don’t need to do that, but I appreciate it all the same,” He replied.
“I know I don’t need to, but I want to… I’ll probably call in later today… and if not, today then I’ll definitely call in tomorrow; I’ve got a really busy day,” She grumbled, “I am definitely gonna need a proper brew or a strong coffee to get me through it, and you make the best tea and coffee in the whole of London."
Owen laughed lightly and shook his head, "That might be a huge exaggeration, but I'll take the compliment all the same," He grinned, "Thank you for calling in and brightening up my morning, it was as always, a pleasure..." He smiled, "I'll tea you later."
Jamie groaned through a quiet chuckle and shook her head slowly, waving goodbye to the older man as she headed back out into the rain, she pulled her hood up and walked back to her flat as quick as she could; luckily, she didn’t live that far away from Better Latte Than Never, and she had to admit; the crisp, morning air washing over her, and the rain hitting her face did help to clear her head a little, she had never loved the rain, but it definitely felt refreshing in her hungover state of being.
As soon as she got back to her flat, she kicked her shoes off, and shrugged out of her jacket, and headed over to her couch, dropping down onto it gracelessly, being as careful as she could be to not spill any of her tea. She took a sip before placing it on the coffee table and grabbing her laptop, opening up her online banking account and doing her monthly budgets, paying her bills, and seeing just how much she’d have left for herself, before accessing her business accounts, and checking all of her ingoings and outgoings to make sure she was on track for her quarterly projections.
Jamie had never been a huge fan of maths until she had needed to be when opening up her own business, The Leafling, a small florist situated on a quiet street in Camden, while she loved owning her own business and working for herself, dealing with the accounts was definitely her least favourite thing about it, and there were still some days when she would call Viola for help to double-check her books and accounts for her to make sure she hadn't made any mistakes. Viola had always had better maths skills than Jamie had. Her phone buzzing in her pocket pulled her attention away from her laptop screen, she pulled the phone from her pocket and frowned when she saw Viola’s name, it was unusual for Viola to call her at all, usually, they kept most of their conversations for in person or through texts.
She answered the call with furrowed eyebrows, “Hello?”
“Finally, I've been trying to get through to you for ages... I didn't wake you did I?" Viola asked, her words coming out in a slight rush and her tone excitable
"Uh, no you didn't wake me... I didn't realise you'd tried calling me though, I was talking to Owen, must have been too occupied to know my phone was ringing... why what's up?"
“Oh, okay, great, that means you’re dressed… is there any chance you could come over, I have some news… and I want to tell all of you in person.”
“Yeah, sure, just let me get my shoes and coat and I’ll be there ASAP,” She sighed, “Everything’s alright isn’t it?” She asked, as she closed down her laptop, “I mean, it’s very rare you call a group meeting just to give us news… you all good, yeah?”
“Yes,” Viola replied, “I’ll tell you more when you get here… I’ll see you soon,” And with that the line went dead, leaving Jamie holding the phone against her ear with confusion coursing through her body.
She let out a heavy sigh before placing her laptop back on the table, and rushing to pull on her shoes and jacket, slipping her phone back in her pocket as she left her flat, all but running down the three flights of stairs and out onto the rainy street once more. She walked the short distance from her block of flats to Viola’s her mind reeling with all the possible outcomes of why she had called her to go over, and why whatever news she had couldn’t wait until later.
Jamie pushed the heavy door to the slightly more luxurious building, open and took the stairs two at a time, when she reached the top of the fifth floor, she could feel her lungs burning slightly, and made a mental note to spend a little more time at the gym and a little less time smoking. She used her spare key to Viola’s flat to let herself in, furrowing her eyebrows slightly at the sight of Rebecca and Hannah already sat on the couch nursing cups of tea, “How the fuck did you two get here before me?” She asked, her breathing ragged, “You called these two first?” She turned her attention to Viola, giving her an incredulous look.
The dark-haired woman shook her head slowly, "Noo, I told you on the phone I'd tried calling you but got no answer, I tried three times and had no luck... so I called Rebecca and then I called Hannah, they actually answered... after I'd invited them around I left it a little while and called you again," She explained, "Honestly I just assumed you were trying to sneak your way out of some girl's flat..." She shrugged.
"I think you will find that I went home alone last night actually," Jamie replied giving her a slightly smug smile, "If you had joined us, you might have known that."
"You went home alone?" Viola asked, disbelievingly.
"Yeah, I did."
"Well, they do say there's a first time for everything,” Hannah muttered, letting out a breathy laugh as she shook her head slowly, Jamie gave her an unamused look before shrugging out of her coat and hanging it on the coat rack by the door.
“So, what’s all this about then?” Jamie sighed as she dropped down onto the couch next to Viola, I mean, you ring us early on a Sunday telling us you’ve got some exciting news, it better actually be something good now I've just sprinted up those stairs.”
“It is good, or at least, I think so,” Viola shrugged her shoulders.
“Oh my god, are you pregnant?” Rebecca asked, a beaming smile spreading across her face.
Viola shook her head quickly, “No I'm not, Arthur and I have only been together a year, we're fine with just living together for now," She smiled, "This is...different... so you know how I didn’t go out last night and how I’ve pretty much been absent for a lot of things over the last few weeks?” She asked, Rebecca, Hannah, and Jamie all nodded their heads, “The reason, I’ve been missing is because I’ve been getting stuff set up for the new year five teacher that’s starting after summer break… a teacher that happens to be a relative of mine…”
"So... you haven't been able to hang out with us... all because you were trying to help someone get a job?" Jamie asked, her tone turning slightly scathing, "And why exactly do they need your help? Are they not capable of getting a job themselves?"
“It’s not like that at all, she’s my cousin,” She explained, “And she’s recently moved to England, apparently after she graduated, she worked in an elementary school in Iowa for a bit… but she just sort of upped and left near the end of the year… and she moved here a couple of months ago, and I guess I pulled some strings and helped her get a job, it took us both a lot of convincing Henry to hire her and sponsor her for a visa... I might have thrown my weight as the deputy headteacher around a little... but he eventually agreed and she’s moving here in the middle of next week.”
“Your cousin from the states?” Jamie asked, “As in your really fit cousin?”
“I have to be honest I don’t look at my cousins that way,” Viola replied shaking her head slowly.
Jamie rolled her eyes, “Fine… are you talking about your blonde cousin, the one that’s on the pictures with you on your Facebook?” Viola nodded her head slowly, a wide smile spread across Jamie’s face, she’d admit, she was a lot more interested in this conversation now than she had been before, she opened her mouth to say something before Viola held up a hand to cut her off.
“Yeah, that cousin, and I really don’t wanna hear anything you have to say about her,” She said, her voice taking on a warning tone, while they had been separated by an ocean, and rarely saw each other, Jamie knew how close Viola and her cousin were.
They spoke multiple times a week on the phone, and there had been the odd time that Viola had flown out to see her during breaks from school, or her cousin had flown to England to visit her. None of them had ever met Viola’s cousin, they had only heard stories about the other woman, it had felt like Viola was doing all she could to prevent them from meeting her, but now, it seemed she couldn’t keep them from meeting her for much longer.
“Whoa, calm down, all I was gonna do was ask why she’s moved to England?” Jamie asked, “Like of all the places she could have gone she’s picked a pretty shitty one don’t you think?”
Viola shrugged, “This is what I said to her too… but she just told me she couldn’t stay in Iowa any longer, that she needed to get out of that town, and that she thought about coming here first because she has family here… which makes me worry a little bit, I won’t lie… I just feel like something must have happened… like something has pushed her out… y’know? She’s not a quitter, so the fact she’s just left makes no sense…”
“You think something has pushed her out of the states?” Hannah asked, “Like what?”
Viola shrugged, “I don’t know, but I guess I’ll find out,” She replied, “She’s actually gonna be living here, I've been sorting out the spare room for her, I started working on it when she told me she was just planning on staying in a hostel until she could find a place to live... after hearing that I all but begged her to move in here until she found her feet and got a place of her own... there was no way I wanted her to stay in any of the places around here... she didn't seem too happy about staying here at first but she reluctantly agreed."
"Why wasn't she happy about living here?" Hannah asked, "This building is gorgeous."
"She just said that she didn't want to be in anyone's way... which I told her was completely ridiculous and that I wouldn't have offered her the spare room had I not wanted her to stay here... but she said that she didn't want to disturb Arthur and I and that she understands a couple needs their own space."
“Well, I mean, if she doesn’t want to be a nuisance to you two, I am more than happy to—”
“Jamie, can you just shut up about my cousin for like, five minutes, please?” Viola cut her off, shaking her head slowly, “There is no issue with her living here, I mean, Arthur works away more often than not anyway, which means it’s usually just me here… it might be nice to have someone else around even if she’d only here for a few months.”
“But Arthur and Peter are back here next week, for like, the whole week.” Rebecca reminded her, “Surely that’s going to be a little awkward you’ve not seen him for a while, and now your cousin is going to be in the next room…”
“It’s not an issue…" Viola shook her head slowly "Besides… Arthur is really looking forward to meeting her and she’s looking forward to meeting him, every time I’ve been to America I’ve just gone with Perdita.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out,” Jamie replied, “My question is when do we get to meet her?” She asked with a small smirk.
Viola shook her head slowly, “I don’t think I ever want you to meet her.”
"Then you shouldn't have used nepotism to get your fit cousin a job with the three of you and offered her a place to stay," Jamie pointed out, "We're all here a lot Viola... I don't think you can really do anything about it... I'm gonna meet her at some point... you might as well just let it happen," Jamie chuckled and gave a small shrug.
“Maybe we should find out her name, I mean, it’s that or she’ll just be known as Viola’s-Fit-Cousin until we actually meet her,” Rebecca smiled.
“Yeah, I really don’t want that,” Viola sighed, “I also don’t want Jamie to know her name and try and track her down on social media.”
“I’ve already done that a few times, love,” Jamie admitted, “Every time you post anything, and she comments on it I’m clicking straight on her profile,” She shrugged, “I already know Danielle’s name.”
Viola’s jaw seemed to tense at Jamie’s words, “You Facebook stalked my cousin?” She asked.
“Facebook, Instagram… if I could find her, I looked at her profile,” She admitted, “And I really have no regrets in doing so… she posts some great stuff,” Jamie smirked, “I’m actually quite looking forward to meeting her an—”
“No,” Viola snapped, “Not happening, don’t even think about it,” She shook her head, “If I ever ask you to do anything in life it’s to stay away from her... okay?" She asked.
“That only makes me want her more,” Jamie joked.
Viola glared at her, and opened her mouth to say something before Rebecca cut her off, “Well, I for one can't wait to meet her and work with her," She smiled, "And I promise you my intentions are a lot more innocent than Jamie's are," She added with a small laugh.
"I think you'll all like her," Viola replied nodding her head slowly, "I think the world of her, I didn't see her much growing up, but she's still one of my best friends," She admitted, launching into a conversation about her cousin, regaling countless stories from the visits she’d had to the states or the odd time her cousin had been in England, telling each one of their stories with the brightest smile Jamie had ever seen her wear. In all the time she had known Viola, she had never known the other woman to be so excited about something. She had also never heard so many ridiculous stories in her life and had never expected Viola to have done half of the things she and her cousin apparently had. It appeared that the stories Viola had told them all in the past had been the tamer stories they shared.
Her head might have been pounding, and her stomach reeling, but she was getting to spend her Sunday morning, laughing and talking with her three best friends and Jamie supposed that as far as hangovers go, hers could have always been worse.