I’m about to give voice to my questions when somebody knocks on the office door. All three of us lift our eyes towards the door.
“Hello?” Jass asks, now sounding even more concerned.
Denise – one of our part-time workers – peeks in slowly. She has been working here only for a few weeks and obviously doesn’t know that our boss doesn’t like to be interrupted when he’s in a meeting.
“I’m sorry to bother you all, there’s somebody here who insists that he wants to talk to Ashley. I’ve been trying to tell him that Ashley’s in a meeting, but he’s still insisting.” Denise looks at me. “He seems really upset.”
Elly glances at me for a moment, almost as worried as I am. I know who’s waiting for me outside the office, but I don’t understand what he has in mind now. I hope he won’t make a scene in front of the customers.
“I’m sorry Jass, I’ll be back in a moment.”
Jamie is walking nervously back and forth in front of one of the tills. He’s ruffling his hair with his hand and his expression is one of the least reassuring that I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t know him, I’d run for the hills, fearing for my life.
“Ashley’s here.” Denise tells Jamie, then she dashes off to lurk behind the thriller shelves. Jamie lifts his brown eyes onto me and strides towards me. Does he think that he can scare me with his aggressive attitude? Or his penetrating eyes?
“What the hell were you thinking?” he bursts out.
“What are you talking about?”
“Stop it. I know it was you who told our secretary to shut the lab down for three days. I had an argument with her and some of the staff this morning because of the misunderstanding. I had to write an official letter to cancel the three days stand still that Heather had agreed with you. Do you think it’s sensible to do what you did? They all have families, Ashley. The company has deadlines to stick to.” Jamie speaks aggressively, he can’t hold back his anger. His tone sounds ominous and his expression reveals how tense he is right now.
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about!” I lie. He doesn’t have any proof that it’s my fault, and I don’t intend to admit I did it. Especially now that he’s making out it is a more serious problem than it actually is.
“I said stop this.”
“Stop what?”
“Playing games, telling lies.” He says assertively, then he pulls out his phone from one of his pockets and scrolls down his received text folder to find the message he’s referring to. “‘You’re asking me for suggestions? It must be a desperate case! What did you do? Women always like flowers – you’ll never go wrong with flowers!’ He reads out loud.
“What does that mean?” I ask, trying to look confused.
“This is Anthony’s reply to a message that you sent him. I called him – he read me the conversation that you had with him. He thought that my text sounded a little unusual, but he didn’t suspect anything until I called him to ask him what he meant in his last text.”
“You have no proof that it was me – what does your conversation with Anthony have to do with the three day lab shut down?” I ask, confident that I can still turn the situation to my advantage.
“I never told you that my friend Anthony has nothing to do with the company.” Fuck. I freeze in front of him. That was a stupid move. “You know it because you’ve also messaged my secretary – when I received a notification about the three day holiday, I called Heather and she told me about yesterday’s conversation. She received a text from my phone number yesterday afternoon, when I was asleep. You used my phone. How did you unlock it? Wait a minute… you took my wallet?” Jamie’s on edge.
“Okay, fine – I texted Heather and Anthony.” I can’t keep lying any more. “I’m still going to hold a 38 per cent share of Morgan & Hall for the next…” I pause for a second to think. “three hundred and fifty-six days, I suppose. I warned you – keep away from my personal life or you’re going to regret it. This is for the trick that you played on Saturday night. Try to do anything like that again and your company will shut for a whole month.” I shout at him menacingly. Jamie opens his eyes wide for a moment. What’s that face? He didn’t expect me to find out?
He tightens his lips and clenches his jaw with anger. He looks surprised and overwhelmed, but only momentarily.
“I don’t know what your friend told you, but I didn’t say a word. I just opened the door to him, like you’d asked me to. That’s all.”
“Yeah, but you also scared him to death.” I comment bitterly. Does he really think I’m that stupid?
“I asked him who he was, that’s all.” Jamie says apologetically.
“My friend’s version differs from yours… and to be honest with you, I trust my friend a lot more than you.”
“How can you act so childishly?” Jamie bursts out.
“You think that I’m childish? Look who’s talking!”
“Shutting down the lab for three days would have caused at least a seven day delay and you know that I’m struggling with deadlines already. You wanted to annoy me, but what you did could have caused problems for the entire Morgan & Hall workforce! Do you realise this? You’re just like a whimsical teenager! That’s why Nathan decided not to hand over the company to you – the business would have failed in less than a week under your direction.”
This is ridiculous. I didn’t expect him to say anything like that. I stare into his eyes in dismay and shock, it feels like he’s just kicked me in my stomach with his boots.
“Are you done chatting, Ashley? It’s getting busy here!” Jass nags me, bringing me back to reality. I glance at Jass, struggling to hide how much Jamie’s last few sentences have hurt me. Jass realises that something’s not quite right with me, and walks towards us. He looks Jamie up and down. Jamie’s taller and fitter than Jass, but my boss is not intimidated.
“I’m sorry, mister, but I’m going to have to ask you to defer your discussion until later, when Ashley’s not on duty. Whatever your reason for being here, I’m afraid that we need to get back to our meeting now.” Jass stretches out his hand to indicate the door. Jamie quickly looks away from Jass and glances at me. I don’t fully understand his expression but that’s okay – I’m so fed up with him that I turn round without saying a word and head back to Jass’s office.
“What happened?” Elly stares at me with her eyes wide open. “I was really worried for you.”
“Nothing,” I reply impassively. I don’t have the energy to face any kind of conversation with Elly – I know she would say that Jamie is right and I’m not in the mood to stand up for myself, not right now.
“Are you alright?” She asks me, then she stands up and walks towards me with her arms crossed.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, thanks. I just need to focus on work, that’s all. Where were we?”
“We have a whole list of things to do now – Denise and Kristine could do with some support. Let’s go and help them.
“Good idea,” Jass comments. “Roll up your sleeves!”
*
Soon after closing, Elly tells me that she has to dash off because she has an important appointment, apparently. It’s freezing cold tonight and I’m all wrapped in my coat. As I walk along the pavement, a car pulls up next to me. I stop instinctively, and then the driver gets out. It’s Jamie.
“I’ll give you a lift.” He sounds calmer than he did a few hours ago. Almost as if he wants to apologise for having hurt me with his words, but I’m not completely sure. Jamie is so unpredictable that he would confuse even the most confident woman.
“No, thanks. I’ll call a taxi.”
“There’s a taxi strike today.”
“You’re lying!”
“Ashley, why do you always have to act like this? There’s a taxi strike today, I’m not lying. Do you think that I would be here if it wasn’t true? I drove all the way here just to pick you up!” Jamie insists, exasperated.
“Well, nobody asked you to.” I reply sharply. I’m sti
ll not convinced about the strike. I’ve never heard of a taxi strike before, especially not in such a big city.
Jamie looks thoughtful, but he keeps his eyes fixed on me. Then he sighs with frustration and passes his fingers through the fringe that covers his forehead.
“Whatever, then. I’m going back home, with or without you.” He finally surrenders, and opens the door to get into his car. Okay, maybe there’s actually a strike and, if that’s true, I’ll have to walk all the way home. That’s not going to be fun at all. At the same time, the idea of getting a lift from Jamie is equally unappealing. While I’m thinking all this, the cold wind blows on my face and brings me back to reality.
“Okay, I’ll come with you.” I force myself to say. I’m shivering inside my coat. I walk to the passenger side of the car and open the door, before he decides to turn on the engine and leave me there.
It’s quite warm inside the car, and I feel a lot better. Jamie glances at me – he looks frustrated, or maybe he’s just tired. I don’t care much about how he feels, I’m still hurt. I remain silent throughout the journey to my apartment.
When we finally arrive, I realise how tired I am – I wish I could pass out freely on my favourite sofa, but I should go to my room if I want to be safe from any vengeance from Jamie. He takes off his coat and hangs it in the hall, then he walks to the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” he asks, trying again to hide his frustration. Why does he act like I’m the only one who should apologise, now?
“I don’t understand you – first you hurt me with your words, and then you behave like nothing has happened.” I say to him. He glares at me with his intense, brown eyes.
“I don’t want to argue right now, Ashley. I’m too tired.” He mumbles, clenching his hands into fists. It’s obvious that he’s struggling to keep calm and that he’s not very good at tolerating pranks. Who knew that he would take it so seriously? I could joke about it and tease him, but I’m still hurt for what he said to me at the book shop. His words were painful, and I don’t want to believe that my father saw me as a whimsical, useless person, unfit to take the reins of his company.
This thought saps my energy – walking upstairs is too much effort at the moment. I lie on the sofa, exhausted, and I close my eyes. I want today to end as soon as possible and the only way to do it is by falling asleep. Jamie however, begins fiddling with pans and pots in the kitchen, making this impossible. Nothing’s going to finish any time soon – today, Jamie’s words and the horrible feeling that maybe he wasn’t wrong will all last for a good while.
“Did he tell you that?” I ask, frustrated. Jamie stops fiddling with the pans and turns towards me.
“What?”
“That I’m a whimsical, useless girl, and that’s why he didn’t leave Morgan & Hall to me.” Jamie remains silent for a moment.
“No, he didn’t say anything like that, but you probably know yourself that you didn’t exactly behave like a grown-up.” Jamie says.
“What do you mean?”
“You were about to close a company that provides families with a living, you would have delayed production and I won’t be able to pay the staff if we don’t produce. Do you think that’s a sensible thing to do?”
“I didn’t do anything like that!” I reply instantly. How dare he say that I’m the cause of his business problems?
“See? That’s exactly what I mean – this behaviour will never make you a good Morgan & Hall manager.” Jamie says calmly, turning round again to fiddle with the pans and pots.
“What?” I get off the sofa, I’m shaking with anger. How dare he?
“You think that you’re never responsible for anything that you say or do, Ashley.” He grumbles, still keeping his cool.
“That’s not true – I know when I’m responsible for something.” I insist, even if I have no idea what he’s actually referring to.
“You’re spoiled,” Jamie says. Does he think that I’m completely insensitive?
“I’m not spoiled or whimsical!” I feel a desperate need to shout it loudly.
“Then why don’t you just admit that you had a stupid idea?”
“Because I did nothing wrong!” I insist, even if I’m beginning to think that he might be right after all. I will never admit it in front of him!
“Of course you didn’t, you never do – you hide behind your pride and you hope that this is enough to make everyone else believe that you’re always right! You can’t run away from the truth forever.”
“I’m not running away from the truth, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I mutter, frustrated. This conversation is getting ridiculous.
“I’m talking about Morgan & Hall… I’m talking about our kiss.” Okay, now it’s even more ridiculous.
I freeze for a moment, my brain seems unable to process Jamie’s words. My jaw drops in awe. I know that I must have turned pale right now. How does he know my dreams? He can’t! Maybe I speak in my sleep – I have to move out of this apartment!
“What… are you talking about?” I dread to ask, trying to sound as confused as I possibly can.
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?” I ask, even though I have a feeling that I know the answer. Did that really happen? Wasn’t it just a dream? I’m suddenly overwhelmed by fear. I have to know what happened that night. He keeps staring at me intensely. His expression seems to say ‘see? I was right about you!’ and it makes me even more nervous.
“Jamie! Tell me that’s not true.”
“What?” He asks acerbically.
“The night that I came home and I was drunk…” I mutter. I don’t even know where to begin. “Nothing happened… right?”
“What do you think happened?” Does he enjoy making this conversation even more difficult for me? Why can’t he just say what happened and leave it at that? A true gentleman would.
“We didn’t kiss, right?” I almost whisper my words. Hearing my own words gives me a shiver.
“You kissed me and I kind of liked it,” he says seriously, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Are we really having this conversation?
“Don’t ever say that again,” I reply ominously. “I just wasn’t myself, okay? It’s never going to happen again!” I state strictly. I don’t fancy Jamie – if anything, I hate him. Then why do I feel so strange now?
Jamie looks confused by my reaction. What did he expect? Did he think I would hug him out of joy? I’m too focused on trying to hold back my embarrassment – not so much because we kissed, but because I kissed him and I kind of liked it too! Oh, god. I have to find a way to change the topic of our conversation.
“Can we just forget this?” I ask uncertainly. Jamie stares at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. His attitude annoys me more than I’m prepared to put up with, but it’s not a good idea to make a scene now. I have to try and focus on something else, to make sure that I don’t randomly explode.
He didn’t say whether he liked to be kissed or not, so the kiss can’t be as important as he makes it out to be. If he’s not bothered about it, why should I be?
“You’re managing Morgan & Hall, so don’t hold me responsible for any bad decisions. My father left the company to you.” I remind him, trying to sound as calm as possible. I don’t want to let him influence my state of mind and my beliefs. It’s already a pain in the ass to see him around the apartment every single day – his rant about the three day holiday, my behaviour and the kiss really are unnecessary.
Once again, Jamie stops working with his pans and pots and stares at me – in fact, he glares at me ominously.
“You almost screwed up one of the most productive seasons for our company!” He says sternly. I can sense that he’s angry again.
“I didn’t intend to screw up anything – you started it.” I remind him. Even if he was right about me almost causing serious problems for the company, I wasn’t the first one to start the pranks.
“You’re ridiculous!” He
states, frustrated.
“You’re ridiculous.” We look into each other’s eyes for an indefinite moment in time – I’m crossing my arms on my chest and he’s holding onto the kitchen counter. We’ve never had such a bad argument and this first experience is not at all enjoyable.
“I’ve given all of myself to this company, Ashley. I’ve given it all my time, all my energy and all my heart. Try to remember this next time you want to play one of those pranks.” Jamie says, then he turns round again and carries on working on the food. “Can you set the table please? It’s almost ready and I want to get an early night tonight.”
I could reply saying that he’s not the only one who has invested their time and energy in the company, but I suddenly feel so empty that I’m afraid that anything that I say could offend him forever. I just put my hands on my hips and walk to the cupboard to get some plates. I can’t wait for this day to be over.
9
By the time he rings the doorbell, I’m ready and waiting in the living room. I’m wearing a beige, silky dress, which is a lot less formal than the one I was wearing the other day. I feel a lot more comfortable in this dress. Jamie looks grumpy. He’s been rude and mean to me for the whole week, but I’ve made my mind up – I’m going to ignore everything, like a grown-up, mature person. I know that he managed to call most of the staff back into work and that most of the lab is still working, but I’m scared to ask him for any updates on the matter. We haven’t talked since our last argument, and I can’t forget the unpleasant discovery of the kiss – it’s easier to just avoid talking at all.
He seems even more morose than usual tonight, he’s constantly frowning and all that he seems interested in is his recipe books. I could yell at him again – he will never learn to respect my space, but I want to keep calm. I wrap myself into my warm coat and pick up my hand bag.
The Inheritance: A feisty, giggle-inducing romance Page 10