by Meg MacRose
She smiled to herself as she remembered the first few weeks they had worked together. His paperwork had been in a shambles, and there had been all kinds of bureaucratic and administrative stuff that needed completion.
“It worked out really well. As his business grew, we started to work from offices around the globe. A couple of months in Australia, a few weeks in New Zealand, we’ve been to various parts of the States, across Asia. It’s been great. Now the business has exploded, and we have an amazing modern building to work from that’s super central. I still get to go on some of the overseas jaunts, though he’s employed other executives now, so there is less need for me to go. I get paid well, and Alex encouraged me to buy one of the off the plan apartments from a development he was involved in. I love my little unit. It’s right in the heart of London. I’ve invited Mum and Aidan to come and stay, but neither of them is particularly fond of London.” Helen shrugged. “That’s all. Nothing secretive or anything. It’s been a fun journey.”
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Mitch enjoyed watching her talk about her work. Her face lit up and she was truly passionate about what she had achieved. It wasn’t quite as Aidan had described, a dreary job that she stuck at because she was in love with the boss. He must be quite a guy, Mitch decided, to have taken a gamble on a sixteen-year-old girl who’d just left home. She’d found her tribe working for Alex Hudson, much like he had when he went to university, and Aidan had in the army.
The last time they’d met, Mitch had berated Helen in a terrible way. She had been not yet sixteen, dressed in a hideous micro length skirt and even shorter top that showed off the fresh scabby tattoo on her abdomen. She had been hanging out on the estate, flirting with some of the boys from her class. He hated tattoos, in his opinion, they were nothing more than a tramp stamp. Especially on their council estate, only the girls who had no prospects ever got tattoos. And he had hated that Helen had one.
“Belle, you shouldn’t be out here. Go and cover yourself up, girl.”
She’d chewed loudly on a piece of gum and replied in a sultry voice, “Come now, Mitchy, we could have some real fun together, you know?”
He’d just received the results from the first university that he’d applied to, and been knocked back, so he was feeling annoyed. He’d been desperate to escape life in a poor London council estate. They all had been, he, Aidan and Helen.
He’d responded to Helen’s poor attempt at flirting by leaning his head closer towards her, so near that the smell of the unpleasant fruity gum on her breath hit his face. He rasped out at her, “Nothing in this world would get me to do anything with an underage girl who’s so desperate she can’t even dress properly.”
With that, he had turned and walked away. He had known if he hadn’t, he might have just marched her back to her house and dressed her himself. Or, worse yet, taken her up on her offer and shown what happened to idle, flirtatious threats. Her brittle laughter had rung in his ears as he had walked away. He had avoided her after that. It hadn’t been difficult; he’d just not gone around to their house anymore. Besides, not long after, he had been accepted into York University. And once that acceptance letter had arrived, he had left the estate with not much more than a backwards glance. It had helped that Aidan had been drafted into the Army.
Mitch cast a glance down at her. She certainly wasn’t anything like that girl. He wondered if she’d had that hideous tattoo removed. He didn’t dare ask her, as the wedding music started up for the bride’s processional. But he hoped so. He expected so. Helen had grown up, she was self-assured, living the urban dream with a good, secure job. Tattoos didn’t fit into that world. They belonged back on the estate they had both fled.
“Don’t you dare speak during the service.” Helen syrupy voice was low so no-one else could hear, and the strand of determination as she half threatened him was unmistakeable. Mitch grinned, earning a scowl in return.
“I promise I won’t utter a single sound if you can tell me who the best men and bridesmaids are. It would be helpful to at least know a few names.”
Helen grinned back at Mitch in surprise, and at her luminous smile, his mind turned to mush. There was a certain fun youthfulness about her. His heart lurched, and he wished that he could keep this going forever.
“The best men are Simon, Nick, Dan and Ivan. Simon works at Hudson and is Alex’s brother. Ivan works with Elly, the bride. Lovely bloke, quiet. His siblings are all here, too, somewhere. Nick and Dan are Alex’s best friends. Rich and well-to-do. Now for the bridesmaids, her sisters Amy and Lisa, and her business partner Nina. The matron of honour is Lacey, who is also Nick’s wife.”
Mitch hadn’t kept up with any of the names. He’d been too entranced, listening to her silky voice become animated as she described her people. When they had been kids, she had tagged along to everything that he and Aidan did. They had been her world. Her mum had always worked long hours at the factory, had almost never been home. But this was her world now, and he was intrigued to find out more.
The bride walked down an aisle scattered with fresh flowers. He heard Helen sigh, “oh, she looks just gorgeous.”
Mitch looked the other way at the groom-to-be, eyes glistened, focused on his bride. H was taken aback by the look of pure raw emotion passing across the man’s face, as if all was right in the world at that moment, he was the luckiest man in it. Mitch sucked in a sharp breath. One day, he wanted to be in that position. To marry the woman who he loved, to watch her walk down the aisle towards him, and to be certain that she loved him back. That kind of relationship had evaded him. The women he had been involved with were typically more interested in his bank account. Not at all what he’d just witnessed between Helen’s boss and his bride.
Mitch was surprised when Helen’s delicate fingers wove through his own as they sat back down. Mitch didn’t dare say or do anything to spoil the moment, so he sat there enjoying the warmth of her slender bare fingers against his. Along with the rest of the wedding party, they listened to the priest commence the vows. Helen leaned towards him and whispered in his ear, “The priest is from Elly’s home village.” Mitch nodded to show he’d heard, not that it meant anything to him. But he was envious of the happy couple. Everyone invited here had played a part in their lives, and they were all here to celebrate with them.
Chapter 3
“Why do you not visit your family on the estate much?” Mitch leaned casually against the wall as he sipped his cold beer. He watched her as she ignored his question, while she collected a cold glass of champagne from a tuxedo-clad waiter, before turning back to face him.
“Oh, please. Not more questions. What is your problem?”
“Aidan said that you think you’re too posh to be seen on the estate. Is that true? Now that you’re an assistant to some high-flying billionaire in London, are you too posh for the rest of us?”
“What? Of course not. I don’t go back as often as I should, probably for the same reason that you and Aidan don’t go back, either. I’m busy. I have a life. And apart from Mum, there’s not much else on offer there. Since she retired, Mum has found her own circle of friends and they’re busy, too. Why would I think myself too posh?”
She shook her head, and her eyes darkened as she returned his stare. “Do you think I come across as too posh? Please tell me that you’re not that small-minded.”
“I couldn’t say. Based on what I’ve seen, you’re definitely not that skanky girl in a micro skirt, chewing gum and hanging out on the streets. Are you posh? You wear classy clothes, speak with a non-distinctive accent, but I think Aidan and I are as guilty as you for that. So, no, I don’t think you try and act posh. Like us, you got out of the estate and made something of yourself. There’s no shame in that.”
The moment the work skanky had come out of his mouth, he’d regretted it. It wasn’t a fair comment. She’d been young, and she hadn’t had many positive role models on the estate. Her and Aidan’s mother had worked long hours at the nearby factory. Their father had bee
n absent for as long as he could remember. His own father had worked long hours as a mechanic and drank in his spare time. As kids, the three of them used to dream up ways to escape the poverty and dreariness of a London council estate. He couldn’t berate Helen for having done what he’d done himself: escaped and prospered.
“Whatever happened to your Mum’s new man, the one from the estate, who she hooked up with one just before Aidan went into the army?”
Helen looked down at her fancy shoes before she responded in a quiet voice. “He and his brood of screaming kids moved into our flat.” She could still hear the bawling and smell the cigarette smoke mixed with spilt lager. “They happened to move in literally days before Alex advertised. I must have looked a sight. My best clothes to wear to the interview were my jeans and a not quite clean t-shirt! But I was lucky, I got the job and found digs closer to work the following week. I think Mum was with him for a few years, then it was all over. Not sure what happened, really. Mum never wanted to talk about him again.”
“Did he hurt you?” Mitch picked up an underlying tone in her muted voice and noticed how her eyes wouldn’t meet his.
“No. He never touched me. But I’m fairly sure that he would have if I hadn’t left when I did. Aidan had left already. You’d gone. To be honest, he was pretty awful. Drunk all the time. The few days I stayed in the house while he was there, he screamed at me constantly. I’d only go home when I thought he was at work or at the pub. One time I mistimed it, and he sat there, a lager in one hand, while demanding my wages. I visited less after that.”
She’d done well, Helen had. He didn’t understand why Aidan had whinged about her life in London. She’d had to do it all on her own back. Mitch was pretty proud of his own achievements. He had the nice sports car, a few houses and a yacht. He’d gotten lucky with some of his designs being snatched up by multinationals with big pockets. But as he looked at Helen, he was even more impressed with the gutsy determination it must have taken for a sixteen-year-old to leave school and the only home she knew, to survive and flourish. He put his arm around her delicate shoulder and turned her ever so slightly so that she faced him.
“But look where you are now. You look beautiful, you sound confident and you live your own life.”
Helen looked up at her chaperone in surprise. As if she hadn’t expected his affirmation or support.
Mitch quite liked her in his arm. The scent of her floral perfume floated around him, like a magic spell.
“Okay. My next question for the girl who’s not too posh, looks great, has a fantastic job, knows the crème de la crème of society…so why does little Helen Jenkins not have a boyfriend?”
“That’s a very good question, one I’ve never dared ask. But I warn you, I’ll not be moving until I hear her answer.”
Mitch turned his head. A very handsome man stood with a smile on his face as he spoke. If he had not been the groom, clearly besotted with his new wife, who stood with him hand in hand, he’d have been troubled by the man’s familiarity.
“I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Alex and this is Elly.”
“No, we haven’t met. I’m Mitch. Congratulations, by the way.”
“So not the brother, then?” Alex teased Helen. Mitch watched their dynamic. Helen rolled her eyes back at him. If anything, they looked like siblings or best friends.
“No, definitely not my brother.” Helen appraised her date, looking him up and down before she continued to talk with her boss. “My brother wouldn’t dare show his face. He apparently gambled away his plus one invite in a round of poker with his best friend. Mitch was the fortunate or unfortunate loser. Whichever way you see it!”
Mitch’s cheeks reddened. He hadn’t expected Helen to tell her boss about the poker game. But it was the bride who chuckled with glee. “Well, that’s a bit different, to say the least. I told you we didn’t need to invite so many old business cronies!”
“Mitch and my brother have been best friends forever. We pretty much grew up in each other’s houses.”
“To be more honest, little Helen tagged along to everything we did.” Mitch drawled. Helen looked up and gave him a friendly swat.
“Well, Mitch, we’re happy to have you here. Any friend of Helen’s is definitely welcome,” Elly said as she turned to greet another guest who had tapped her on the shoulder.
Alex stepped forward to shake Mitch’s hand, and spoke to him quietly. “Helen’s like family to us. Hurt her, and you will regret it.”
Mitch met Alex’s eyes with a hard stare, their hands still connected. He gave a sharp nod to show he’d heard and understood.
Mitch responded in an equally low timbre. “I’m glad someone’s been looking out for her.”
Mitch hadn’t realised he’d been holding his breath until Alex nodded back, gave him a friendly slap on the back, and walked away to join his new wife.
“What was that about? I couldn’t hear Alex, but it was like you guys were having a silent feud.” Helen’s brow creased as she questioned him. He all but stopped himself from smoothing it out with his thumb and massaging her frown away.
“It was just guy stuff. Nothing to worry about. Now, tell me, you still haven’t answered the question. Why do you not have a boyfriend?”
“It looks like some of the guests are heading over to sit down at the tables.” Helen tried to evade his question.
“Well, then, lead on. You can explain as we walk over.” He wove his arm through hers and grinned down at her. “Which way?”
“Oh, you never give up, do you?” Helen pointed to the front table. She knew the seating arrangements had them up at the head table, the one directly in front of the bridal table.
“Come on, then. You can’t tell me you don’t have eligible men lined up, waiting to wine and dine you? Or is it ineligible men that you are after?”
Helen swiped him. “Oh, my goodness. You really don’t let up do you? I’ve had a few doozies over the past few years. After the last one, I decided I should enjoy my single state while I have it. I’ve made quite a few friends in London, and as much as I love my social life, I also quite like spending the weekend chilling out with a good book and a nice cuppa tea. Don’t get me wrong, the first few years with Alex I worked hard, clubbed even harder and have no idea how I managed to fit in sleep! But you can only do that for so long. The last few years, I’ve gotten a bit fussy. I have no time for idiots, regardless of how handsome or well-connected they may be.”
He understood what she was saying. He had never particularly liked big social occasions. At uni he’d avoided them at all costs. He much preferred quieter gatherings to hanging out in bars or clubs. These days he was usually pray to gold digging scheming floozies. Yet tonight, those inhibitions had fallen away. It was different being at this big wedding party with Helen at his side. She gave him the strength to feel confident and valued.
Mitch pulled her closer to his body as they walked towards their table. She fitted against his frame snugly. His fingers stroked her bare arm. That last day when he’d seen Helen on the estate before he’d left for uni, as she stood hanging out with those boys who were no better than juvenile delinquents, he’d realised that she appealed to him more than just as his best friend’s kid sister, but he hadn’t known what to do about it. She had been young and naïve. He had still been searching for his escape route, out of the dreariness of the estate. It took all his wits to look after himself, let alone someone else.
As she spoke, her soft voice washed over him. His attraction grew at every word. He didn’t know if it was the romance and the love that was all around them at her Alex and Elly’s wedding that had turned his head to mush, but there was not a single other place on earth he’d rather be than right here, at her side, at this wedding. It was a pity that she was sworn off relationships. Belle, his little Helen, who was no longer so little, had flourished. She had the kind of self-awareness and sense of honesty that he’d found lacking in so many of the women who he’d dated over the years. A
nd he had literally less than twenty-four hours to convince her that he was available, ready and willing to give it a go. The realisation that he wanted to have a relationship with her floored him. But he did. He wanted to get to know more about who she’d become.
“Helen. How secretive can you be? Tell me, who’s the hunk of gorgeousness on your arm?” A loud female voice stopped them in their tracks. The shrill came from a short, curvaceous woman dressed in bright red.
“Nina. Great to see you.” Helen stepped forward to give the woman a hug.
“Don’t hold back. Please tell me, you didn’t just pick this hunk up here, did you? I have been scouring the room all night for someone decent. Half your luck.”
Mitch bit back a smile. Her warmth was infectious. Besides, he noticed that Helen wasn’t in the least disturbed by the way that she talked, or her vociferousness. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“Nina, this is Mitchell. It’s a long story, but he is my reluctant plus one for today. Wasn’t the ceremony beautiful? Elly looked divine as she walked down the aisle. Great choice on the dress.”
“Oh, I know. That dress is stunning, isn’t it? What was it that Elly said she wanted? Elegance coupled with simplicity. Well, she certainly looked exquisite. They’re the perfect couple, aren’t they?” Nina rolled her eyes towards the happy newlyweds as she made her last statement in a wistful voice.
“This place is amazing. I didn’t get it when Elly first said she wanted to get married here. But the rooms are amazing, and the garden was spectacular for their vows. I’m so glad that the weather stayed perfect for them.”
Mitch looked around. He had been so focused on his partner for the night, that he hadn’t taken time to appreciate the old ballroom. It was as elegant and classy as the rest of the hotel. Doors opened out onto individual small balconies, showcasing a gorgeous view of the extensive gardens.