was being brilliant company. He just didnât appreciate me.â
âMaybe he was working nights?â
âThat would have been an excellent excuse, wouldnât it? Except he wasnât. He just said sorry, he didnât know why he was so tired, so I said jokingly it was probably because I was so boring.â
âAndâ¦?â
âAnd he just shrugged and yawned. Like a complete arse. Seriously, such a letdown.â Tula exhaled in frustration. âIf anyone was boring, it was him.â
âWhat a pain. Oh well, his loss. How about Danny from work?â
âDannyâs great. I love him. We went for a curry the other night.â
âYou did? Well, thatâs good.â Sophie nodded encouragingly.
âGood in one way, not so much in the other,â said Tula. âHe told me he was gay.â
âOh.â
âAfter I tried to kiss him.â
âWhoops.â
âSo then I had to pretend Iâd known all along and it had only been a jokey kiss. And he pretended to go along with it, but really we both knew it hadnât been a jokey one. So yet again I ended up making a massive prat of myself.â Tula heaved a dramatic sigh. âBut honestly, how are you supposed to tell? There should be a way. He doesnât act camp or sound camp; there are no clues⦠Heâs just lovely-looking, always so cheerful and friendly, and really easy company; you can chat to him about anything⦠Oh damnâ¦â Her voice trailed off as the words sank in. âListen to me, how could I have been so stupid? Of course heâs gay.â
âSo heâs a good friend.â Sophieâs tone was consoling. âThatâs not so bad, is it? Those last longer than boyfriends anyway.â
âCertainly longer than my boyfriends.â Tula knew she was her own worst enemy, but she couldnât help herself; when she found someone she liked, she just got overenthusiastic, like a toddler being offered the latest must-have toy. And it inevitably scared off the man in question. Aloud she said, âHow about you? Anyone interesting?â
âNo.â Sophie shook her head, as Tula had known she would.
âAre you going to be like this forever?â
âWho knows?â
âDonât you get lonely?â
âNo, I really donât.â
And the thing was, she knew Sophie genuinely meant it. Sheâd simply banished the idea of boyfriends from her life and didnât appear to miss them at all.
Tula envied her that abilityâthough not, obviously, the reason behind it.
It had to be good, though, to be so unneedy. If only she could be a fraction as determined and focused on her own career. Not that you could call her job a career.
Still, it might only be bar work, but it paid the bills. Speaking of whichâ¦
âReady for an ice cream?â Scrambling upright, Tula dusted sand from her legs and pulled her shorts and T-shirt on over her bikini.
âYou donât have to get dressed,â said Sophie. âThey sell them over at the beach café.â
âI know, but I love that shop we went to last year, the one up on the esplanade. Remember the blackberry ice cream?â
Sophie nodded. âYouâre right. Theyâre the best. Iâll have one of those too. Better get tubs rather than cones, or theyâll be melted by the time you get back.â
God, there were a lot of steps. Tula finally reached the top and paused for breath; this was her punishment for telling a lie. But Sophie would be shocked and disappointed if she knew about the sickieâshe had such a work ethic, it would never occur to her to play hooky.
Plus, Tula knew if she tried to call her boss from the beach, there was the chance of him overhearing seasidey vacation-type background noises and waves crashing on the sand.
To the left was the beginning of the esplanade, crowded with people. To the right was a narrow path leading up