Can we talk? Please?
She scowled at it for a moment. He was probably trying to figure out if she’d already replaced him with Max, after yesterday’s encounter. Well, too bad. She was tempted to reply with a simple No, but figured that she should just ignore it for now. No doubt she’d have to talk to him at some point, and maybe it would be better to get it over with so he’d stop asking, but for now, she was enjoying the fact that she didn’t have to sit around thinking of him—she was entitled to distract herself, wasn’t she? And Max was proving to be the perfect distraction.
Having spent the morning telling Max she’d never buy anything from Fortnum’s, Josie ended up buying a little tea set for Memo—white with a turquoise-and-gold border. It was a little out of her budget, but her grandmother deserved something special, and whether it was because of Max talking about his sister or the memory of her grandmother’s baking, she was feeling particularly nostalgic. She had a moment of doubt when she wondered whether it would go in their kitchen, given she hadn’t been to their house for years, but it was understated and she was pretty sure it would go with anything.
“Yes,” Josie said decisively after she’d paid. “I think she’ll like it.” She took the bag the shop assistant handed her. “Though I’ll be able to tell either way—she’s got a terrible poker face.”
Max laughed. “Are you spending Christmas with her then?”
“No,” Josie admitted after a beat, “but we open our presents from each other over FaceTime every Christmas Eve. It’s like a ritual.” One that Memo had started when Josie had stopped coming home for Christmas, so that they still had some “family time.”
“A very modern-day ritual,” Max commented, and Josie grinned.
“Quite.”
They passed the jewelry section on the way out and, even though it was such a girly cliché, Josie couldn’t help being drawn over to have a look. She noticed a pair of big star earrings, dangly ones that sparkled in the Christmas lights around the casing, and laughed a little.
“Yeah, I’ve always found jewelry quite funny,” Max said, deadpan.
She pointed the earrings out. “These are exactly like a pair I got given for Christmas when I was nine.” The last Christmas she’d shared with her parents, she thought before she could stop herself. “They were in my stocking,” she explained, smiling at the memory. “Clip-on, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“And plastic.”
Max raised his eyebrows. “But apart from that, they were exactly the same? I’m not sure you should let Fortnum’s hear you say that.” He glanced up to the nearest shop assistant and flashed her a grin, which made her beam and go a little pink. Clearly, he’d learned how to use his looks over the years.
Josie rolled her eyes at him as they walked away from the jewelry. “Well, they were gold and stars and dangly. And they were my favorite thing for a while.” She remembered how she’d asked her mum to put her hair in a bun every time she’d worn them, so that they were even more obvious.
“Do you still have them?”
“No. I lost them a few months later.”
“Shame. I’m sure you’d look great with plastic golden stars in your ears.” He glanced at her earlobes and she touched one absentmindedly.
“Not really my style anymore.” She was wearing studs, as usual, little daisies. She couldn’t imagine wearing something so bright and out there now, even if it was just a pair of earrings.
They made their way back outside, and the cold wind actually felt like relief as it brushed the back of her neck, after the toasty warmth of inside. She grimaced at the sound of her phone vibrating. Surely Oliver wasn’t ringing her now too? But it wasn’t Oliver.
She bit her lip and glanced at Max, who gestured for her to answer. She turned away a little bit, trying to keep her voice down. “Aunty Helen?”
“Josie!” Her aunt’s husky voice boomed down the line. “Darling! How are you?”
“I’m—”
“Now, look,” Helen continued, talking over Josie. “I know we said tomorrow for supper, but I got my dates mixed up and I’m actually here in London today. I don’t suppose you can meet me today instead, could you, darling?”
Josie looked over at Max, who was politely studying the street, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Well, I’m—”
“I know it’d be an inconvenience, darling, but I’ve double-booked myself tomorrow and I’d hate to miss our annual supper, I’ve been dying to hear all about your year.”