The Inheritance: A feisty, giggle-inducing romance

by Coleman, Angie

  17

  The sunlight wakes me up. What time is it? It can’t be morning already, I’m too cosy to get up anytime soon.

  “Hmm,” I moan, rolling over in the bed. There’s something unusual, but I can’t figure out what yet – to be honest, it doesn’t really matter right now, because I’m cosy and warm. I feel protected and it’s like heaven.

  I open my eyes for a moment to glance at the time, but I suddenly realise that I’m not in my own room – Jamie is lying next to me. The bed that I’m lying on is not mine, but Jamie’s and this is his room.

  Shit! I’m trapped in his arms and he’s so close to me.

  I sit up instinctively, and then I realise that I’m completely naked, and so is he.

  Blimey, how did this happen? I wasn’t even drunk – or at least, I didn’t have any alcohol, but I was somehow stunned by him. I can feel the shame and the embarrassment slowly creeping over me. I can’t believe that it happened.

  I turn round to look at Jamie incredulously – he’s still asleep next to me. He looks peaceful and happy and… he’s so perfect. Damn, he’s beautiful. His dark curls are perfect and his broad chest moves rhythmically with his breathing. He’s just so beautiful. I suddenly feel overwhelmed with embarrassment at the realisation that he will open his eyes soon and I will have to deal with his reaction. No, I can’t. What will I tell him? That I just gave in to desire? Will I admit that he was right and that I’m attracted to him? Will I tell him that hearing him say the words ‘I love you’ like only he can, with his warm, deep voice, scared me so much… but also made me so happy that I wanted to surrender myself to him?

  No, I can’t admit anything like that.

  I have to get out of here. Slowly, I don’t want to wake him up. He doesn’t have to wake up now. I move his arm away from me gently – he frowns slightly with his eyes closed and he looks troubled for a moment. I know that I have to get away from his room as soon as possible, but the fear that Jamie will wake up forces me to move slowly.

  I gave in to his charm – that’s all. I don’t love him, it was just a weak moment with very little meaning to it. That’s the truth. Jamie is an interesting man, there’s no doubt about that. Elly agrees with that too. Any other woman would have fallen for Jamie, that’s for sure.

  ‘I don’t feel anything for him, nothing at all’. I try to convince myself, whispering these words as I walk to my room and get ready for a shower. When the water wets my face, last night’s memories resurface in my mind, making me incredibly confused. Jamie isn’t just interesting – he’s also a passionate lover, a thoughtful and caring man, a generous and loving person. Last night was the most exciting and overwhelming night of love that I have ever experienced – this is a troubling thought, because the desire to lean my head on his chest again makes my soul restless. I keep thinking about myself in his arms, I can almost taste his lips again, so sweet and so gentle. I can’t keep thinking about it, not now. I have to get out of this apartment as soon as possible. This apartment is too small for both of us.

  I get ready surprisingly quickly. This is definitely proof of the fact that I can’t wait to escape. I don’t want to see Jamie’s sleepy face anytime soon. I grab my bag and dash out.

  When I close the gate, the freezing cold air caresses my face and distracts me from my thoughts. It’s still too early to go to work – I really need to see a friendly face right now, and I know where to go. I decide to walk to my destination – I need the cold air to keep me alert and help me to forget the cosy, warm feeling of Jamie’s arms around me. I know that it’s only 6 a.m. and that Elly will still be asleep, but I really need to talk to her. I press the telecom buzzer a couple of times before she answers in a sleepy voice.

  “Hello?”

  “Elly, it’s me. Ashley. Let me in!”

  “Ashley?” she asks, surprised.

  “Yeah, your co-worker and friend – remember? Ashley!”

  Elly opens the gate for me without protesting – it must be because I sound so out of it or because it’s unusual that I want to talk to her this early in the morning. When I get inside, she’s standing in the doorway on the first floor. She’s red pyjamas with a black lace trim and a pair of fluffy, cow-shaped slippers on her feet.

  “Ashley!” She greets me and then moves aside to let me into her flat. “What are you doing here this early in the morning?”

  “I just ran away from the apartment.”

  “What? What happened?”

  “I just ran away from the apartment,” I repeat, feeling like I’ve just been handed a death sentence.

  “Why?” Elly looks shocked.

  “Because… because I slept with Jamie.” I say in one breath. I wouldn’t have the courage to say it any slower.

  “What??”

  I just nod in reply. I’m not strong enough to repeat the uncomfortable truth again. Elly stares at me in complete shock, her mouth wide open. My confession seems to have had the same effect as a coffee – she’s wide awake now.

  “Sit down, tell me everything.” she says as she sits down on her sofa. She puts a blanket on her lap to keep warm and then invites me to sit next to her. I accept her invitation and begin to roll my thumbs nervously to clear my head.

  “What happened?”

  “Oh, Elly, I don’t even know how it happened. It just did.”

  “No, darling, it didn’t just happen – these things don’t just happen to anyone, especially you. I know you. Before you decide to give yourself to a man, you have ages of self-analysis and desperate brain-racking. What happened?

  “I didn’t think much, to be honest…” I admit unwillingly.

  “You didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “So you finally surrendered to the truth?” she asks enthusiastically.

  “The truth?” How is it that she always acts like she knows more than I do?

  “You’re in love with Jamie,” she answers calmly – her attitude scares me.

  “I’m not in love with him!” I reply without thinking. It’s become a habit now.

  “Yes, you are,” Elly says confidently. “Think about it for a second – have you ever had a one-night stand?”

  “Me? Of course not!”

  “Have you ever felt for anyone else what you feel for Jamie?

  “No, but…”

  “Have you ever been attracted to anyone like you’re attracted to him?”

  “No, Elly, no!” I reply impatiently. “That doesn’t mean anything. You know that Jamie is an interesting man, right? It was just a weak moment, nothing more.” I need my friend to agree with me for once, to tell me that I’m not really in love with Jamie,that it’s normal to fall for a man like him for a night without being emotionally involved.

  “It would be for any other woman, but not for you,” she replies condescendingly. She’s merciless.

  “What do you mean? Am I a cold hearted woman?”

  “No, it’s not that, of course you’re not. Knowing you as well as I do, I know you never fall for a man easily. What you feel for Jamie is a completely new experience for you, that’s why you’re so scared you literally ran away so early in the morning.”

  “I didn’t run away because I’m scared…”

  “Why did you do it then?” she enquires, glaring at me with her blue eyes.

  “Because… I…” She has put me on the spot. I have no good reason to justify my behaviour, apart from the fact that I don’t want to face this situation and what I feel for Jamie. My problem is that I’m perfectly aware of the fact that Elly is right after all. The implications of those words terrify me. How can I admit that I’m in love with Jamie if I can’t get my head round it?

  “Okay, perhaps I ran away because I was scared… but that’s not the point.” I say, trying to bring Elly’s attention to my main issue.

  “What’s your point, then?”

  “What do I do now?”

  “What do you mean? Go back home and lie next to him again, before he wakes up!�
� Elly says placidly. Why does she not understand my dilemma?

  “No way!” I protest immediately. “I can’t look at him – what would I do? What would I say? No, no, it can’t work! I just have to find a way of minimising the time we spend together. Maybe… I could… yeah, I could ask Jass to give me a different day off each week. I have to work on Sundays if I want to avoid seeing him. That could work, actually.” I think out loud, evaluating every possibility. That could be a good solution, how come I didn’t think of it before?

  “No, you can’t do that,” Elly bursts out.

  “What?”

  “You can’t solve everything by working on Sundays. I’ll tell the boss that it’s not good for you… you’ve been fighting for so long to have your Sundays off and now you want to work again? It doesn’t go like that, Ashley!”

  “Why not?” I complain.

  “Because you can’t keep running away from your feelings. You can’t always run away from him. It’s not fair.”

  “He told me that he…” I’m unable to complete my sentence and say the word love out loud. I feel stunned, almost as though I’ve had a few drinks.

  “He told you what?” Elly’s blue eyes are locked on mine – she’s begging, almost ordering me to spit it out. I lower my eyes, confused. I don’t know how to face the situation, I never asked for any of it, yet here I am, up to my neck in it.

  “He told me that he named the new Christmas cake after me,” I lie. I’m not very good at lying, so I’ll have to make do with a half truth.

  Elly lays her hand on my knee, gently.

  “Oh, Ashley – that’s so sweet!” she comments in a dreamy tone. I don’t agree – it’s a disaster!

  I don’t have time to tell her what I think because my mobile phone demands my attention. I sigh, irritated, and pull it from my bag. I don’t know this number.

  “Hello?”

  “Ashley! Where…” The mellow sound of Jamie’s voice freezes me – without thinking, I hang up on him.

  “Who was it?” I don’t have time to answer because my mobile rings again. It’s Jamie, again. My hands are shaking – Elly takes the phone from me, puts it on the sofa and then takes my hands in hers.

  “Is it Jamie?” I nod, unable to say a word.

  “Why don’t you pick up the call?”

  “I don’t know what to say to him.”

  “Tell him that you’re okay, for starters.” she suggests. Elly has once again turned into the most irritating, patronising friend I have.

  “He already knows that I’m okay,” I answer bitterly.

  “He only knows that you’re not at home, where you should be.” Elly insists. In the meantime, the phone stops ringing. I take it in my hands and, a moment later, Jamie rings once more. What does he want? Why is he stalking me now? I don’t want to talk to him! I chuck the phone into my bag and stand up. I can’t stay here forever doing nothing. I have my own life and I don’t want an infuriating, unimportant detail to ruin it.

  “What are you doing now?” Elly asks, alarmed.

  “I’m off to the book shop,” I announce determinedly.

  “It’s only 7.a.m., we’re not open for two hours!”

  “There’s an awful lot of work to do, Elly. Martin Goodwin’s book presentation is in less than a week and I have to take care of the last few details before the bar area opens.”

  “But…”

  “I’ll see you later at work, I’m sorry if I bothered you,” I say quickly. I kiss her on the cheek and then I head outside. Yeah, focusing on work is the best and the only thing that I can do right now.

  *

  At 9 o’clock, Elly walks into the book shop – by then, I have already discussed the final details regarding the book bar with the boss, I have talked to Drew and Evan about the seating arrangement for the presentation and I have opened a couple of parcels containing some of the new books from last week. I turned my phone off to stop Jamie calling me.

  “Everything okay?” Elly asks, when she sees me mulling over a list of books to shelve.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks. I only have the parcels down there to do and then we’re done.” I say, pointing to a pile of them at the back of the shop.

  “You’ve done so much work already!” she comments, amazed.

  “Here, this is the list of orders to make up. Some are quite urgent, I highlighted those.” I explain and I show her the list of titles requested last week. She looks at the paper for a few seconds, trying in vain to decipher my handwriting, and then she looks at me again.

  “Ashley, did you speak to Jamie?”

  “No, I didn’t and I’m not going to. I’m working, please help me with the list.” I reply grumpily. I’m doing my best to avoid thinking about him and what does she do? She mentions him like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

  “You have to face this situation, and you know it.”

  “No, I don’t have to face anything – I have to work. Can you take care of the till for now so I can do the filing in Jass’s office?”

  Elly stares at me in shock. Apparently, she has no intention of listening to my requests, so I mutter impatiently and head to the boss’s office. Just as I’m about to enter, I hear the telephone near the till go off – I step back to make sure that Elly answers it. When I see her pick up the handset, I breathe a sigh of relief – she was listening to me after all.

  “The Lighthouse book shop – how can I help? Yeah, we have it. Sure, no problem, you can pop in anytime today. Bye now.” Elly says kindly and then hangs up.

  “Who was it?” I ask from Jass’s office.

  “A customer.”

  “What was he after?”

  “A copy of a manual. I’ll take care of it, you think about your work” she suggests. Maybe Elly resents the fact that I never listen to her ideas. Too bad, I have a lot of work to do and I don’t have time to listen to anyone right now.

  “I’ll be in the office if you need anything.” I hear her grumble as she opens the till. I close the office door and then I flop into the soft, comfortable chair behind the desk. I’m not really in the mood for work, all I feel like doing is curling up in bed. I would like to hide away under the blanket in complete isolation, but I can’t. If only had I known that my attraction for Jamie would be so strong, I would never have agreed to share my apartment with him. I have a funny feeling that these latest nuggets of information I learned have made everything even harder to cope with. I shouldn’t have gone to Morgan & Hall’s, I shouldn’t have talked to his mother and I shouldn’t have seen the cake and found out about the chocolates. But the thought of losing my apartment scares me so much that I don’t consider giving up for more than a split second. I have to find another solution. When Jass arrives this afternoon, I’ll ask him to find me a different day off from Sunday. That should do the trick.

  As I open the first drawer to tidy the papers, the office door opens and closes again. Jamie stands in front of me and almost completely fills the doorway. I am struck speechless, my is hand still on the drawer handle and my mouth opens in shock. I know that I could escape easily, but I didn’t think I would have to face him until tonight. I’m not ready now!

  “I need to talk to you,” he says in an authoritative tone that scares me a little. His eyes have a somewhat hostile glint but they’re still incredibly attractive.

  “Who let you in?”

  “Why did you run away?” he insists, impassive. I don’t intend to talk to him about any of that.

  “Elly let you in, right? It was Elly, I know it!” Who else could betray me like that? So much for being my best friend! I spring up from the chair and dash towards the door to tell her off, but Jamie blocks my way.

  “Tell me why.”

  “I have to talk to Elly, move away.” I demand, trying to be careful not to look into his eyes while keeping a safe distance between us. It’s not easy.

  “You want to talk to me, not Elly.” he says, trying to sound more gentle now, but I can still hear the fati
gue in his voice.

  “Did I do something wrong? Tell me what I did!” he says, looking at me.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong, I did, and I don’t want to talk about it now.”

  “Ashley, look at me!”

  “Let me work,” I plead, desperately trying to find a way out of the office, it’s too small for both of us.

  “Ashley, I love you!” I stop breathing for a moment, surprised. That’s a cheap shot.

  “Stop saying that.”

  “It’s the truth, I’m in love with you.”

  “Stop it, I said stop it.” He’s complicating everything for both of us – why doesn’t he go back to being hateful and annoying, like he used to be?

  Neither of us has the courage to say or do anything for a couple of seconds. The silence in the office is unbearable, the whole book shop seems empty. I can hear my pulse inside my ears and I wish I could ignore these small details – nobody ever made my heart beat like he does, nobody ever made me feel the way I do now, but knowing all this doesn’t help at all.

  “I won’t let you go, Ashley. I love you.” His voice is sweet now… at the same time, there’s a hint of some overwhelming sadness and a kind of steely determination. I glance at him and his eyes enchant me with their magnetism. I knew it would be a mistake and yet I still did it – ever since I met Jamie at the solicitor’s office, it seems that all I can do is make mistakes with him.

  “Stop saying that,” I beg him. “It won’t become true just because you repeat it.”

  “And lying to yourself won’t help either.”

  I remain silent – my brain feels empty and I don’t know what to say any more. He raises his hand to touch me gently, then he changes his mind and folds his arms across his chest.

  “I’ll wait for you at home,” he says, then he walks away.

  I remain standing in the doorway.

  18

  It’s past nine when I return home. I must admit that I tried my best to get home as late as possible – although Elly disapproved. In theory, the apartment should be my refuge, but with Jamie living there it has become the most dangerous place that I know. When I enter, I find him sitting on one of the stools by the kitchen counter. As soon as he hears the front door, he turns towards me and gets off the stool.