Long Time No Sea, page 27
‘Shut up,’ I tell him with a laugh, reaching over to squeeze his thigh for a second. ‘You know I love you, Ted.’
‘And you know you don’t need that job from those hacks,’ he reassures me with a smile. ‘You know you don’t need to work at all.’
I just smile back. It’s nice that Teddy wants to take care of me, but I couldn’t live like that. I need to have a job, I need to work. It’s not that I don’t think I could find things to do with my day, because of course I could. I never really understand it when people say if they were rich they would still have to go to their job every day or they would go crazy – I could think of a ton of things to do like travelling, charity work, enjoying more lazy days, spending more time with my family – it’s not that I desperately crave paid labour, it’s just that I can’t stand the idea of not contributing financially.
I know that people live in all kinds of situations, with different partners being the one who makes the money, while the other person doesn’t have a job for perfectly valid reasons. What anyone wants or needs to do is their own business, I just know that, for me, if I were to give up working to live off Teddy’s money, just because my chosen career was proving difficult to make a success of, I would not only feel like I was giving up on my dreams, but I’d be giving up some kind of control. And we’ve only been together nine months, with Teddy working long hours – we don’t even live together, although I suppose this would involve moving in with him, but I haven’t exactly had an official invitation, it’s almost as though he’s expecting me to, one day, just stop going to my own home occasionally, like I do now, and wind up living with him that way.
‘Thanks for picking me up,’ I say, to change the subject.
Usually, even if we’re going to the same event, Teddy has to meet me there – and that’s when he can make it at all. He’s always so busy, but family events always go much better when you have someone there by your side, don’t they?
‘Well, I didn’t want to risk you being late today, not when we have a party to make.’
I smile. I’m so lucky to have him.
Being single again, even if it was only for a matter of minutes, even just for the sake of trying to land a job, has reminded me just how lucky I am.
‘We’re actually going to be early,’ I point out, almost excitedly, because I am never ever early.
‘Actually, I need to talk to you, before we arrive at the party,’ Teddy replies, his face giving nothing away. ‘But let’s wait until we stop, I need to focus on getting through the traffic first. You know what it’s like getting to Oxford in rush hour.’
‘Oh, okay,’ I reply, not really knowing what else to say.
That can’t be good. ‘I need to talk to you’ is basically a ‘We need to talk’ and no one ever followed that statement with good news, did they? Everyone knows it means bad news. I remember, when I was a kid, my mum would have all these phrases that she used – she had something for pretty much every event and occurrence, making everything a teachable moment. All of these little phrases have stuck with me and right now, in light of everything that has happened today, there is one phrase in particular I can’t get out of my head: a lie told often becomes the truth. I’ve just – essentially – proudly (and unsuccessfully) renounced Teddy, just to try to get a job. Be careful what you wish for, right?
Teddy fusses with the controls on his steering wheel until music plays. He already has my parents’ Oxford address keyed into his in-car satnav. It’s currently estimating two hours, although that is subject to change on a Friday afternoon/evening.
I’ll just have to wait and see what he says, and try not to panic in the meantime. But I’ve already lost the job I was up for today. Please don’t let me lose my boyfriend too.
We hope you enjoyed this exclusive extract. Better Off Wed is available to buy now by clicking on the image below:
ALSO BY PORTIA MACINTOSH
One Way or Another
If We Ever Meet Again
Bad Bridesmaid
Drive Me Crazy
Truth or Date
It's Not You, It's Them
The Accidental Honeymoon
You Can't Hurry Love
Summer Secrets at the Apple Blossom Deli
Love & Lies at the Village Christmas Shop
The Time of Our Lives
Honeymoon For One
My Great Ex-Scape
Make or Break at the Lighthouse B&B
The Plus One Pact
Stuck On You
Faking It
Life's a Beach
Will They, Won't They?
No Ex Before Marriage
The Meet Cute Method
Single All the Way
Just Date and See
Your Place or Mine?
Better Off Wed
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Portia MacIntosh is a bestselling romantic comedy author of over 15 novels, including My Great Ex-Scape and Honeymoon For One. Previously a music journalist, Portia writes hilarious stories, drawing on her real life experiences.
Visit Portia’s website: https://portiamacintosh.com/
Follow Portia MacIntosh on social media here:
First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Portia MacIntosh, 2023
Cover Design by Leah Jacobs-Gordon
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-80426-670-0
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Portia MacIntosh, Long Time No Sea
