by Sofia Grey
Kate inclined toward me, I leaned forward, and we brushed our lips together. It was a brief, searing reminder of why I’d come here today.
A noise outside the door made her pull back, her breathing uneven, and she was instantly on her guard. “This isn’t the place,” she murmured. I had to agree. She turned to look out of the window at the business park beyond, and I figured she was composing herself. When she looked back at me, her eyes sparkled and her smile was playful. “When do you need to get back to London? And didn’t you have some calls you wanted to make?”
“The others will be heading to the airport in a couple hours, to catch the shuttle back. I drove here, so I’m a free agent.” Confident now, I leaned against the door and stuck my hands in my pockets. “I can stay the weekend, but I need to sort out a hotel.” After the tension leading up to this meeting, I felt absurdly happy. “We’re going to be here most of the day. How about we go for a drink after you finish and take it from there?”
A beaming smile lit up her face. “Yes. Let’s do that.”
The afternoon agenda was busy, and I watched Kate interact with my people. She was confident and businesslike, as she guided us around their distribution center, fired off statistics about its capacity, and spoke with pride about their state-of-the-art warehouse-management system.
I had to be impressed with her self-control, but I was impatient to get to the end of the visit. The weekend lay ahead, full of untold possibilities, and I couldn’t wait.
7.2 Jenny
The door was closed, our calendars showed a meeting, and nobody should look for us for at least an hour. We had takeaway coffees and banana muffins, to help the discussion, but I was still paralyzed with emotion. Guilt. Fear. Shame. Overwhelming sadness. I couldn’t pick the one that ranked highest.
I crumbled a piece of the muffin in my fingers. Cade also remembered my favorite flavor.
He sat across the table from me, not crowding me. Our tablets and stack of printouts made it look as though we were hard at work, and yes, I was stalling.
“I don’t know where to start,” I said.
“At the beginning.”
We were good friends, before I met Rob. Three years of getting to know him, inside work and out. I hung out with him and his girlfriend, and sometimes I dragged along whoever I was seeing, to make a foursome.
He was a nice guy. He didn’t deserve what had happened.
“You were there, the night I met Rob,” I said. “He spilled his drink on me in the pub, and I was going to go home, but he let me borrow a clean T-shirt he had in his gym bag. I said it reminded me of that scene in Notting Hill, where Hugh Grant spilled juice over Julia Roberts, and Rob laughed. He said he didn’t have a house in London, or a bookshop, but he had a cramped flat in Denton, and he’d gladly take me back there.” I smiled at the memory. “I’d broken up with Larry and was feeling a bit low, and Rob made everything better. You know? All fluffy kittens and rainbows and unicorns.”
I glanced at Cade. “Have you ever felt that way about someone? Like they are the reason for your every breath?”
He gave a tiny nod, and I continued. “I went home with him, and we sat up all night, talking. It was… amazing. He really got me. I remember coming into work the next day and telling you I’d found my—”
“Soulmate. Yeah, I remember.”
“Rob told me from the start that he had issues. His ex cheated on him. His friends betrayed him. He found it hard to trust and warned me that he’d keep me on a tight leash, and I was fine with that. I was thrilled he trusted me enough to be that open with me, so I told him everything. You know—all the ugly little things you don’t normally tell a new partner? I didn’t hold back. He said that things like my weight didn’t bother him—”
Cade made a spluttering noise and our gazes met. “What do you mean about your weight?”
I sat up, automatically sucking in my stomach. “Never mind. It’s not important.”
His blue eyes were stormy. “I think it is.”
He had to zoom in on the thing that made me feel uncomfortable. “I got teased at school, for being the fat kid, and no matter how much I diet or exercise, I can’t shift it.” I snapped the words out. “But Rob doesn’t mind. He loves me as I am.”
“Christ, Jen.” Cade shoved back his chair and glared at me. “You’re not fat. You’re curvy. And, believe me, you don’t need to shift anything.” His voice softened. “You’re gorgeous, even if you can’t see it.”
Yep. Cade fell into the nice-guy category. I could have gone on to tell him he didn’t need to be polite, that his compliment made me uncomfortable, and that I preferred Rob’s blunt honesty, but I didn’t. I wanted to get it over with.
I took a gulp of my latte. “Rob was uncomfortable about me hanging out with guys from work. It’s what his ex did, and he said it was one of his trigger points, so that’s why I stopped going for drinks with the team. And I don’t mind. Really. He’s everything I could want. I still can’t believe he loves me so much, and I’d do anything to make him happy. But then we had the quiz night. It was for charity, and I’d organized it before we were married, so I couldn’t miss it. I invited him, since we could take partners, but he arrived late.”
I paused, the breath tight in my chest. I never spoken about that evening, and though I moved past it, the details were etched into my memory. I started twisting my wedding ring back and forth on my finger. It was a tight fit, and there wasn’t much wiggle room.
“When he arrived, he saw me at the bar with you. He didn’t see Tasha, just you. It was the first time I’d seen you since I left ComCo, and he walked in as you gave me that big hug. Then, when I introduced everybody, he recognized your name. He told me later he saw our text messages by accident when he borrowed my phone, and he…” I swallowed. “He was suspicious of you. He thought we were more than co-workers.”
“There was. We were friends, Jen.”
“Rob doesn’t understand the concept of women having male friends, unless they’re gay. He’s okay with that.” The latte sat heavy in my stomach, and I wondered if I was going to be sick. “He wanted to leave early, and I wanted to stay. It was impossible to talk in the pub, so we went out to the yard at the back. I think I told him I’d see him at home. He grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the car, and that’s when you came out and told him to watch what he was doing.” I covered my face with my hands. “And yeah, you know the rest.”
I saw the replay in my head. Rob lashing out at Cade. Pinning him to the wall and punching him. Yelling at him to stay away from his wife, that he knew what was going on between us. Threatening to do worse if it happened again.
Tears filled my eyes, and I scrubbed them away. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. And I know you hate me—and you’re right, we have to work together—but I don’t know how to tell him you work here now.” My voice deserted me. “I’m scared,” I whispered.
More quickly than I could process, Cade shot out of his seat and crouched beside me, one hand on my arm, his eyes searching my face. “You’re scared of what he’ll do to you?”
“No. I’m scared of what he’ll do to you.”
7.3 Kate
I left Jordan and his team with Adam, for the next set of presentations, and slipped back to my office. Holy shit. I wanted to dance on my desk and punch the air. Never in a thousand years would I have expected Jordan to be here. I needed to share my news with someone.
Jenny.
O.M.G. You’ll never guess who turned up at ComCo today, for a site visit. Jordan. The guy I met in Exeter.
She didn’t reply straight away, so I carried on with another text.
I’m going for drinks with him tonight. Hope he’s not some creepy stalker who’ll toss my body parts in the canal. Lol. Only joking. I’m so excited. Wish me luck! xoxo
It was a few minutes before she called me. “Mr. One Night Stand wants a replay? I think you should steal his hotel key and force him to stay in bed with you for the weekend. Pick a decent hotel, though. One
with good room service.”
“Jen.” I tried to sound outraged, and failed when I giggled instead. “We’re going for a drink. That’s all.” Maybe.
“Ha. Like I believe that.”
There was something odd about her voice. She sounded muffled and a little croaky, as though she was trying hard to sound upbeat. “Jen, you okay?” I asked.
“Of course. It’s just… well… I’m stressed. It’s nothing.”
“Can I help with anything?”
“I’m being silly. Mid-afternoon blues. Must be my time of the month, or something.” Her sigh was loud on the line. “Do you want an emergency date-rescue call tonight? I can call you with a valid reason to go home, if you need it?”
“No, I’m all right.” I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. “I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. Have a good weekend.”
I couldn’t wait for the afternoon’s work to be done. At my suggestion, Jordan booked into the quirky Victoria & Albert Hotel, on the edge of the city center, and I’d meet him there.
First I had to suffer a debriefing with Adam, who dissected the visit and pointed out all the things ComCo could have done better. It was a struggle to focus, and he noticed my inattention. “Am I keeping you from your weekend? This tender is important, Kate. Do I need to remind you?”
“Sorry, Adam.” I glanced at my watch. It was already five. “Do you mind if we finish? My sister is staying for a few days, and I’d like to get home.”
He cocked his head to one side, and I braced myself for an argument. Instead, he said, “That’s fine. Enjoy your weekend.”
That was it? I dashed back to my office for my things, and then escaped. I made a quick call to Sophie from my car, to tell her I might be late and why. Her response was similar to Jenny’s, and I drove the short distance to the V&A in a state of high excitement. Going home to shower and change would have been good, but if Jordan was only here for the weekend, I didn’t want to waste a minute of it.
He stood in the hotel lobby, gazing at the vast expanse of exposed brickwork with a bemused expression. “Hey.” His lips curved up when he saw me. “This feels as though I’ve stepped back in time a hundred years or so. I keep expecting Sherlock Holmes to walk around the corner.”
“I’m pretty sure this was built as a cotton mill, and they’ve tried to keep the industrial feel in the restoration. The rooms are supposed to be nice.”
Jordan took a step toward me, his eyes gleaming. “I didn’t notice. I dumped my bag and came down here, to wait for you.”
“Adam kept me late. He wanted to talk about the visit today.” That reminded me there was something I had to clear up with Jordan. I hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. “I can’t afford any conflict of interest. With you and the tender.”
He nodded. “I should explain. I came up here as an observer, and nothing else. I have no input into the process. I just used it as an excuse.”
God, his drawling accent was adorable. “An excuse for what?”
With another step, he moved so completely into my personal space I could be wearing him as an overcoat. He took my hands, tangling our fingers together. “Do you really need to ask?”
A delicious shiver ran down my spine. “What do you want to do? I mean, go for dinner or something?”
“Uh huh. Dinner sounds good. You know, this is my first visit to Manchester. Do you wanna show me something of your city?”
It was another lovely summer evening, and I didn’t want to go somewhere full of ComCo people. It had to be a venue we could sit outside, with a half-decent view, and within walking distance of the hotel. Dukes 92 was perfect. The sprawling pub had the dual attractions of being set beside the pretty Bridgwater canal, and having live music most nights.
A local band was setting up on the outside stage, as we arrived, and we took a table at the back of the sun-dappled courtyard. I leaned back in the rustic wooden chair and rummaged in my bag for sunglasses. I took a fierce pride in the way the crowd parted to let Jordan through to the bar, and at the admiring looks from the other women there. He had a presence, an unshakeable confidence in himself, and I basked in his reflected glow.
I saw him bantering with the barmaid and smiling to a young woman he bumped into, and then I took pleasure in watching him striding back to our table with the drinks.
He was here with me. It still hadn’t sunk in. I felt as though I’d conjured him out of thin air, and he might disappear again at any moment.
I thought I saw Adam at the bar, but then the crowd shifted and he disappeared. This was an unlikely place to see my boss, and I wasn’t going to let him spoil my good mood.
Jordan placed my white wine spritzer on the table, removed my sunglasses, and whisked them away into the top pocket of his suit.
“Hey,” I squawked. “They’re my RayBans.”
“Temper. Temper.” He spoke in a sing-song voice, teasing me. “It’s not fair if you hide behind these.” He patted his pocket. “Don’t worry. You can have them back later.”
He settled down and looked at me, a lazy grin spreading across his face. “What I think we should do is backtrack a little.” His intent gaze fixed on my face. “We jumped forward and skipped several valuable stages in a relationship.”
My heart jumped. Relationship? He said the R word, unprompted, and on our first date. Well, second date.
“What stages?” I asked.
“Getting to know each other.”
I tried to look severe. “What do you want to know?”
He shrugged, his gaze still focused on me. “Like who you are. Where you live. What you do in your spare time. If you’re kind to small animals. What music…”
“Enough.” I took a sip of my drink. “Should I start?”
“Go for it.”
There was a pause while I collected my thoughts and wondered where to begin. I would like time to stop, so I could savor being here, with him by my side. This might all end in tears and probably would, but at that precise moment, when everything was new and shiny, anything was possible. It was magical.
“You know my name. I’m twenty-nine, and I live in Didsbury—about two miles away in the suburbs. I’m the Operations Manager at ComCo, but you know that already.” I ran my fingers through my hair, not sure where to go next.
“My boyfriend moved out, and I haven’t seen him since, nor do I intend to. I like all sorts of food, but have to be careful about what I eat, or I’ll be fat as a pig.” I paused, and Jordan took one of my hands and idly caressed it as I spoke. The contact sent a shock wave through my body, and a warm tingling started in the pit of my stomach.
“I have a younger sister, Sophie, but our parents are dead. Dad was in the army, but he wanted me to have stability rather than move from base to base, and so I went to boarding school and spent most of my holidays with Gran. Dad was killed in an incident when Sophie was ten, and Mum died a few years later. Car accident.”
I took another sip of my drink and pushed past the wave of melancholy that threatened. “I like living in the city, for the shops, theater, and cinema,” I said. “I listen to nineties music, mainly rock and Indie. I love Oasis and Event Horizon, but I’m not big on classical, and I hate opera.” I squinted at him, at the sun setting behind his head. “Did I miss anything?”
Jordan nodded. “Okay. You know my name. I’m thirty and an only child. My mother died when I was a baby. My father is now on his fourth wife, and while I’d like to think he’s never found anyone to match up to my mother, it’s left me with a rather jaundiced view of marriage. I work for my father’s company, in case you’re too polite to ask.” He paused, took a quick slug of beer, and then continued.
“I don’t have a girlfriend. I move around too much to cultivate a proper relationship. I’ve spent most of the last ten years in Europe. I like all kinds of music—even opera. I enjoy running and working out in the gym.” He smiled. “I eat almost everything, and I have a very good appetite.”
“I remember.” I sm
iled at the memory of the breakfast and dinner we shared.
We sat quietly, but it was a companionable silence. I relaxed in my chair, content to watch him and absorb some of the atmosphere of the evening around us. The band hadn’t started yet, but the pub was busy and noisy, the sounds of city traffic rumbling in the background. I smelled food, from the tapas bar across the street, and I inhaled deeply. I loved the city and that peculiarly dusty smell that was always present.
The next hour flew by. Jordan fetched more drinks, and we danced a little in the now-shadowed courtyard. It was getting busy and noisy, and I was hungry. I suggested we get some dinner. I hoped he’d be the dessert course.
7.4 Jenny
I waited for Rob in the usual place, but he was nowhere to be found. In my head, I replayed how Cade looked at me. His hand on my arm. The concern in his voice. The way he cared.
If we stayed in the meeting room much longer, I’d have broken down in a flood of tears, and there was no way I’d let that happen at work. Instead, we drank our coffees while I composed myself, and then we returned to our desks. Cade agreed to time his departure after mine in the evening, but this was a temporary measure at best.
I had to tell Rob I now worked with Cade. I couldn’t spend the next six months in fear.
Common sense came to my rescue. I wasn’t afraid of Rob. He loved me and wanted the best for me—for us. I’d make sure he understood how much I loved him and had no eyes for anyone else.
Not even Cade? It was a dark whisper inside my head.
No. That’d be silly. He was a friend.
I forced myself to think of something else.
Kate and her returning one-night stand—that was so romantic. She’d have an amazing weekend. The sound of a horn jarred my thoughts, and I looked up to see Rob’s car approaching.
“Hi.” He smiled when I climbed into the car, and then he leaned across and gave me a kiss. “You look upset. What’s up?”
I bought a few moments to settle my thoughts, while I fastened my seatbelt. He was always so in tune with my moods. Rob noticed everything, and that was a good thing. Right? It meant he was observant.