His head full of uncertainty, Doug slumped into his chair. Is this what love felt like? The desire, the burning need to spend every single available moment with someone, coupled with the agony of not knowing whether they felt the same way?
‘Do you have a moment, Douglas?’
He dragged himself out of his introspection to see his mother hovering in the doorway. ‘Of course, come in.’
‘I won’t keep you. I know you must be … busy.’ Considering she’d just found him with his head in his hands, slumped at his desk, he appreciated her tact. She took a few steps inside and closed the door behind her. ‘I just wanted to let you know that I’ve spoken to Sebastian and everything is in place.’
He mustered a smile, wondering if his Great Idea was quite so great now. ‘Thank you.’ What she’d managed to do over the last three months deserved more than that though, so he stood and walked round to face her. ‘I mean that sincerely.’ He dropped a kiss on her cheek.
To his shock her hand gripped his arm. ‘No, it’s me who should be thanking you. It’s taken a long time, but I’ve finally realised how much you’ve done to protect this family. To protect me.’ She paused, looking him straight in the eye, her expression as gentle as he’d ever seen it. ‘Even that time you hit your father it was about looking after me, wasn’t it?’
He glanced down at her hand. ‘Yes.’
When he looked back up again she released his arm, only to lay her hand on his cheek instead. ‘I should have thanked you, not torn you off a strip. I’m sorry. At the time I wasn’t thinking straight. Afterwards I was too keen to bury my head in the sand and forget what he’d done, how he’d threatened me.’ Dropping her hand to her side, she took a step back. ‘Margaret and myself are moving out tomorrow. Sebastian has our new address. Gwen is finally moving into that house you bought her.’ He could swear her eyes were glistening slightly as they stared into his. ‘I hope you’ll keep in touch. Goodbye, Douglas.’
With that she walked out of his office. Lady Faulkner, a proud, dignified lady who’d let that pride, that love of title and show, rule her life to such an extent that in the end, it was all she had left.
Abby finally came to the end of her meetings. Wearily she made her way back to her office, noting that Doug had already left for the day. It seemed to be the way of things recently. Letting out a deep sigh she gathered up her laptop and the two files she needed to take a quick look at, and slipped them into her sleek black briefcase. Her heart squeezed as she recalled the day Doug had given it to her. It had been the same day she’d opened the letter from the Crumbs HR Director, inviting her to become a management trainee. She’d leapt around like a crazy person and Doug had just stared at her, his unwavering blue eyes conveying his delight and his pride. Then he’d gone to his car and brought out the briefcase, wrapped in a big red bow. He’d presented it to her awkwardly, as if he wasn’t sure she’d like it.
It had only been when she’d squealed and flung her arms around his neck that he’d admitted he’d never bought a present for a woman before – at least for one not related to him – and he’d been worried she’d take offence at its practicality.
A tear dropped onto her hand as she lovingly stroked the soft leather. They’d seemed so close that day but now, three months later, she worried at the cracks she saw. He was frustrated by her inability to drop everything when he asked. She, in turn, was being driven crazy by his inability to understand how hard it was for her to treat her job at Crumbs as casually as he treated his.
‘Enjoying your time at the top are you, Abigail?’
Abby’s head shot up to find Charles Faulkner strutting into her office. Of all the times to come and find her he had to choose now, when her defences were down. Heart hammering, she gripped tightly onto the briefcase. ‘If you mean am I enjoying working back at Crumbs as a management trainee, the answer is yes.’
He gave her a cold smile. ‘You think you’ve won, don’t you?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Swanning about the office using your jumped up title, sleeping with a man you think will inherit the place. You must think all your Christmases have come at once.’
Abby tightened her hold on the briefcase so he wouldn’t see her hands shaking. ‘I’m doing the job I’m paid by your company to do. Anything more than that is none of your business.’
‘When it concerns my family, I make it my business,’ he countered harshly. ‘If you think for one minute I’m going to let a trollop like you insinuate herself into my company, or the Faulkner family, you must think I’m some sort of fool. Doug doesn’t have the right genes, but by God I won’t have the Faulkner line sullied even further by the likes of you. So have your fun, Goldilocks, but don’t think you’re going to get the keys to the damn kingdom. I’ll never let a woman like you get any further in this company. Never.’
With that he swung his large body round and barrelled out of her office the same way he’d barrelled in, almost knocking into someone in the process. ‘Mind out of my way, girl,’ Abby heard him boom.
She was still reeling from the venom of his words when Geraldine knocked on the door.
‘Abby? Are you okay?’ Geraldine took one look at her face and shook her head. ‘Please tell me you’re not going to take any notice of what Charles just said? He’s an angry, bitter man who’s always had it in for Doug for some reason I’ve never grasped, though after what I’ve just overheard I think I’m now enlightened. He’s not Doug’s real father, is he?’
Abby numbly shook her head. ‘It’s not common knowledge so—’
‘I can keep a secret,’ she interrupted, then blew out a breath. ‘At least it helps explain his animosity towards Doug. It looks like he’s found a new way to target him though, through you. Please don’t give the man the satisfaction of letting him upset you.’
Abby half-staggered to her desk where she finally let go of the briefcase, letting it fall to the floor. Her legs still trembling, she perched on the edge, trying to get her equilibrium back. It angered her that Charles’s nasty words could have this much effect on her. She’d known he’d retaliate, hadn’t she? The man had sacked her and then been effectively blackmailed into not just taking her back, but promoting her. That must have really pissed him off.
‘Abby?’
Taking a few calming breaths, Abby tried a smile. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I just … heck. I’ve never been called a trollop before.’
‘The definition of a trollop is a promiscuous woman. Have you been sleeping with four other men while you’ve been seeing Doug?’
Abby let out a strangled laugh. ‘God, I can’t even find enough time to see him.’
‘Exactly. Ergo you’re not a trollop.’ Geraldine slid onto the desk next to her. ‘Don’t let Charles ruin what you and Doug have. I’ve never seen him so happy. He’s always had this sadness lurking in his eyes that I could never understand, much less do anything about. It’s not there any more, and I know that’s down to you. Don’t let his father come between you. It will break Doug’s heart.’
Abby doubted that. Doug seemed to be getting more and more frustrated with her, rather than into her. ‘I have no intention of letting Charles Faulkner get to me,’ she said firmly, though the words I’ll never let a woman like you kept racing through her mind. ‘But thanks for the pep talk. I’m afraid I’ve got to dash now. I’ve got a plane to catch.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘And wow, I never thought I’d be saying things like that. I sound like a proper businesswoman.’
‘You are proper. I’ve seen how amazing you are at your job.’ Geraldine’s gaze skimmed over her face. ‘You are okay, aren’t you? I mean you’re not going to leave here and then sob your heart out in the taxi are you?’
‘Of course not.’
The moment she stepped into the taxi though, Abby broke her promise. She felt emotionally battered. First the testy lunch with Doug, then the exchange with Charles Faulkner. For a woman who pretty much had everything she’d ever dreamed of –
a gorgeous man she loved, an exciting career – she was feeling pretty damn miserable.
She was wiping away the tears when her eye caught yet another message from Robert, asking her to call him. The timing was almost uncanny.
‘Robert, it’s Abby Spencer.’
‘Abby, thank you for phoning me back. Have you given any more thought to my job offer?’
She leant back against the seat and stared out of the window. ‘I’ve thought about it, yes.’
‘And?’
‘I like Crumbs.’
‘Enough to pass over the chance to be a director in a fast growing modern company? You’re more forward thinking than that, Abby. I’ve seen the way your mind works. You’d fit right in with us. How many of your ideas get squashed in Crumbs because old Faulkner is stuck in the dark ages?’
‘Doug?’
Robert laughed. ‘I’m talking about Charles Faulkner. How do you get on with him?’
Charles Faulkner’s angry face as he’d called her a trollop flashed through her mind. ‘I don’t.’
‘Then at least come up and let us show you around. Even better, take a week off and get a real sense of the place. If you like it, stay.’
‘I couldn’t just leave Crumbs, not like that.’
‘Why not? Do you owe Charles Faulkner any loyalty? And I’m sure Doug would understand. From what I’ve seen, he’s not particularly enamored with working for his father, either.’
‘Thanks. I’ll think about it.’
‘Don’t waste time thinking. Come up and give us a try.’
Abby ended the call with her mind buzzing. A chance to be a director, away from the ugliness of Charles Faulkner and his threats.
The way she felt right now, it sounded like heaven.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Doug turned up to his gym session in a foul mood, which wasn’t missed by his friend.
‘What the blazes have you got to be angry about now?’ Luke asked as they got changed. ‘You’ve sorted the work issue by somehow persuading your father to take Abby back. I feel I should say something like respect, dude. You’ve solved the Abby issue by somehow persuading her to date you – again, respect. What the hell else is there to be grumpy about?’
When Luke put it like that, Doug had to admit his life was a thousand times better than it had been, but … ‘I want more,’ he admitted, throwing his shoes into his bag and hauling out his trainers. ‘I want a life with Abby where I see her every day.’
‘Shit.’ In the middle of putting his vest top on over his head, Luke halted. ‘You want to marry her?’
Doug hunched over, rubbing at his face. Hadn’t he frozen with fear a few months ago when one of the girls had mentioned marriage? But what he’d witnessed with his parents – infidelity, callous disregard for your partner, coldness, threats and betrayal – didn’t compute with how he saw his life with Abby. They’d wake up in each other’s arms. Make love. She’d say something, probably say a lot of things knowing her, and make him laugh. ‘Maybe,’ he found himself saying. ‘In time.’
‘Well, wow.’ Eyes almost bugging out of his head, Luke slid his top down his chest. ‘That’s pretty major. I thought you didn’t do relationships.’
‘I didn’t. Until I met Abby.’
Slowly Luke’s mouth turned upwards in a shit eating grin. ‘Bloody hell, I never thought I’d see the day. Douglas Faulkner, Mr Remote, turns out to be a right softy. Love, marriage. Hell, next it’ll be kids.’
Doug swallowed, hard. ‘Hold on. Before you have me changing nappies, you should know that’s a long way from how Abby sees us. I currently lie eighth on her importance list behind her father, four sisters, nephew and her job. Actually, thinking about it, Pat might be before me, too.’
‘Pat?’
‘Yeah, the flaming dog.’
Luke cracked a smile. ‘Pat the dog. I like it.’
‘This isn’t funny,’ Doug snapped, then sighed. ‘Sorry. Ignore me. I’m actually pretty lucky to be eighth.’
‘You know just because Abby puts the needs of her work and family before you, it doesn’t mean she thinks they’re more important.’
‘It sure feels like that.’
‘So you expect her to drop her responsibilities and come running whenever you click your fingers?’
‘Of course I don’t.’
‘Then why the gripe? How can Abby get respect from the Crumbs staff if she doesn’t put all her effort into the role? And how can she suddenly drop the family she’s been looking after for the last umpteen years? Isn’t her loyalty and her integrity part of why you love her?’
‘Okay, okay, enough.’ Shame coiled in his gut and he held up a hand in surrender. ‘I get the message. You’re right, of course you are. I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I’ve been doing it for so many years it’s become a habit.’
‘You get to call a woman like Abby your girlfriend, you should be thanking your lucky stars, mate.’
‘I am. For the first time in my life I’ve got something good to look forward to and I’m not going to cock it up.’ He studied his friend. ‘Now we’ve dissected my love life, how about we move on to yours?’
Luke snorted dismissively. ‘What are we, girls?’
‘Spill.’
He let out a dramatic sigh. ‘Okay. Gerri and I are getting on just great.’ Doug couldn’t help but wince, which made his friend chuckle. ‘You never did find out why she hated being called Gerri, did you? The first guy she fell for called her that, then went and broke her heart so since then she’s hated the name. I told her I wasn’t anything like that dumb prick – I was better looking and I was never going to hurt her – so I was going to keep calling her Gerri.’
‘And she accepted it?’
‘Don’t look so surprised. She’s a pussy cat who’s spent too much of her life hiding her true nature behind a wall of hurt.’ Luke stared pointedly at him. ‘What she needed was a well-adjusted, normal, open, warm-spirited soul to patiently knock that wall down.’
‘Sorry, but I don’t immediately recognise that description. Who is that person?’
Luke flicked him with his towel. ‘You can mock, but Abby’s done the same for you, too.’ His face turned serious for a moment. ‘And just as Abby is the one for you, Gerri’s the one for me. All we have to do now is make sure they realise it.’
Doug slowly shook his head. ‘Hell’s teeth. Five months ago we were free spirits. Now look at us. We’re sunk.’
‘Never. Not while we can still grapple a twenty stone man to the floor with our bare hands. Now get your pathetic arse out there and let me wipe the floor with you.’
The gruelling session worked out all of his remaining angst. By the time Doug was showered and back in his car he was able to acknowledge he was a lucky sod who didn’t deserve Abby in the first place. So what if he didn’t get her to himself very often? Having her in his life at all was a million times better than the alternative.
He could only pray his shitty behaviour this afternoon hadn’t turned her off him completely.
Abby lay on the bed in her hotel room and sighed. It was one of the rare occasions when she had nothing to do but please herself. What a shame she wasn’t in the mood. In an effort to pick herself up she ran a bath and ordered a hamburger from room service. After raiding the minibar – up yours Charles Faulkner, I’ll cheer myself up on the Crumbs expense account – she took the bottle of wine to the bath and spent a good fifteen minutes soaking her body and her liver.
When that, and then the hamburger, failed to cheer her up she clutched at the final straw and phoned home.
Holly answered, immediately firing her with questions. ‘How big is your bed?’
Abby stretched across it, imagining Doug lying next to her. ‘Too big for me.’
‘Have you had anything from the minibar? Dad says they always charge lots of money for that stuff but because you’re away with work you can make the company pay.’
‘Yes, he’s right. Look, isn’t it time you
were going to bed? Can you say hello to your sisters from me and find Mandy or Dad?’
There was the sound of the phone being thrown against something hard, some muffled shouting, and finally Mandy came on. ‘Hey, how’s the working girl?’
Abby sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a loud sigh. ‘Miserable.’
‘Shit, Abs, what happened?’
Abby shut her eyes, trying not to give in to tears again. ‘Doug and I had a sort of fight, then Charles Faulkner came into my office and said some nasty words. I’ve tried alcohol, a bath and a hamburger and I still feel crap.’
‘Blimey, that’s one lousy day. What do you mean, nasty words?’
‘He called me a trollop and told me he’d never let a woman like me get anywhere in his company.’
‘So, there are plenty of other businesses out there you could work for.’
At her sister’s bolshie tone, Abby finally managed a smile. ‘True. In fact, I’m sitting on a job offer from one.’
‘Oh wow, you haven’t mentioned that before. Who and where?’
‘The who is a fast growing healthy snack company.’ When she named the company Mandy squealed. ‘The where is Manchester.’
‘Umm, I’m liking the first part but not the second. How about the what, as in what’s the job?’
‘It’s a director post.’
‘Bloody hell, Abby. Why are they offering that to you? And I mean that in a very caring, sisterly way that in no way infers you aren’t fantastic.’
For the first time in what felt like ages, Abby started to laugh. ‘I can’t believe it either, but I met the owner on a workshop I attended a couple of months ago. He was the external expert, there to observe, and we hit it off. He wants me to go up and spend a week there. And if I like it, stay.’
‘Well, blow me. I don’t want you to go to flipping Manchester, of course, but you’d be stupid not to consider it. As long as Charles is head of Crumbs you’ll never get what you want there. This could be a real opportunity. And while you’re chewing that one over, what about the fight with Doug?’
Oh Crumbs Page 28