by Penny Avis
A glass of wine soon turned into two, and then three, and before they knew it, it was gone three o’clock. Nick looked at his watch and yawned.
‘There’s no point going back now, and I’m sure you guys have worked quite enough hours this week. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off, go home and get some rest. I’m going to.’
‘Thank you. Yes, I think we could both do with a rest,’ said Meredith.
Outside the restaurant, Nick flagged down a cab. ‘I just need to fly by the office to pick up a few things,’ he said. ‘Can I drop either of you anywhere?’
‘I could do with going via the office too,’ said Alfred.
Meredith looked at him sternly. ‘Alfred, go home!’
‘I will, promise! I just need to sort a couple of things. Then I’m gone,’ he said, grinning.
‘You’d better be. I think it’s an afternoon of gentle shopping for me,’ said Meredith.
‘Enjoy. See you Monday. And really well done today. I knew I made the right choice having you onboard,’ said Nick.
‘Thanks,’ said Meredith, trying not to grin too widely. Maybe the tide was finally turning her way.
Chapter 27
Meredith wandered slowly away from the restaurant, trying to decide where to head next. Covent Garden, maybe? But the prospect of shopping on her own didn’t really seem very appealing. She wanted to celebrate. Maybe she could ring Jamie? She had said she would let him know how it went, after all. Buoyed by Nick’s praise, and the wine she’d had over lunch, Meredith took out her phone and dialled his number. She was slightly taken aback when his mobile was answered by a woman.
‘Jamie Spencer’s office. How may I help you?’
‘Oh yes, good afternoon. This is Meredith Romaine from Clinton Wahlberg. Is Jamie available?’
‘I’m sorry, he’s on another call. Can I take a message?’
‘If you could just tell him I called… It’s not urgent.’
‘Yes, I will, but he is quite busy this afternoon.’
‘Okay, no problem,’ said Meredith, trying not to be too disappointed. Shopping it was then.
But a few minutes after she’d rung, she got a text message from him.
On a really dull conference call. Will ring soon as I can.
Meredith stood still for a moment, unsure what to do. Maybe she should head to a coffee shop for a while and see whether he rang back. But then she could be waiting for ages. Perhaps she should just go shopping, even if that did take her in the wrong direction.
She flagged down a cab. ‘Covent Garden, please,’ she said through the cabbie’s open passenger window.
But true to form, she was just paying for the cab when Jamie rang back.
‘I knew that would happen,’ she said without saying hello.
‘Knew what would happen?’ said Jamie. ‘And hello, by the way.’
‘That if I got in a cab to come shopping, you’d ring, and if I waited where I was, you wouldn’t.’
‘What are you talking about?’ said Jamie, laughing.
‘Nothing, ignore me. Too many glasses of wine at lunchtime. I’m just talking nonsense. Anyway, how are you?’
‘Great, thanks. But not quite as happy as you, by the sounds of things.’
‘We just finished the big pitch this morning and it went really well, so I’m celebrating. And I was just wondering whether you fancied bunking off for the rest of the afternoon and joining me?’
Meredith winced as she waited for his reply; that was pretty forward.
‘I’ll just check with the boss,’ said Jamie. Meredith giggled as the phone went silent for a few moments as Jamie pretended to check with himself. ‘Yup, checked with him. Luckily he said yes. Where are you?’
‘Covent Garden.’
‘Give me half an hour to wrap up here and I’ll come and join you.’
As she waited for Jamie to arrive, Meredith wandered aimlessly around a few shops, mostly just checking her appearance in mirror after mirror and wondering whether she’d done the right thing.
They met in a small wine bar in a road off to the side of Covent Garden. Wine bottles wrapped in raffia hung from the ceilings and the walls were covered in black-and-white cartoon sketches. They took a table in a quiet, cool alcove.
‘Right, I’m ordering a bottle of champagne and then you can tell me all about it,’ said Jamie, waving to catch the attention of the waitress. He was dressed in a suit but without a tie. Instead he had the top button of his white work shirt undone, a look which Meredith decided really suited him.
Once the champagne had arrived, Meredith told Jamie all about the pitch.
‘A rogue reporter in the room? Wow, that’s a new one,’ said Jamie, laughing as she recounted the story.
‘Actually, I think it might have really helped us, because at least we did something about it. Anyway, we’ll know soon enough. I’m just glad it’s over.’ She paused and looked at Jamie. ‘And I’m glad you’re here too.’
Meredith bit her lip, worried that she’d overstepped the mark.
‘Me too,’ said Jamie, smiling at her. There were a few moments of silence as they looked at each other, and for the first time Meredith felt certain that there was chemistry between them.
‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ Meredith asked, deciding to seize the moment.
‘No,’ said Jamie. ‘I was seeing someone for most of last year, but it didn’t work out. Too many rows – about my work, mostly. I know that I’m a bit obsessive about it, but that’s what happens when you run your own business. It becomes your life, and if that means missing a few dinner parties, well, so be it.’
Meredith immediately started to wonder what his last girlfriend had looked like. Visions of an immaculately manicured, golden-haired beauty sitting forlornly at a dinner table set for two flashed before her eyes.
‘It’s not an easy balance to find. I’ve had hardly any time to meet people since I moved from France,’ said Meredith, choosing her words carefully. She didn’t want to tell Jamie about Ryan, but she didn’t want to lie to him either.
They sat chatting for the rest of the afternoon, the conversation and champagne flowing freely, until both of them realised they were starving hungry.
‘We could just eat here,’ suggested Meredith.
Jamie looked around the bar, which was rapidly filling up with the after-work crowd.
‘Looks like this place will be crammed pretty soon. I’d prefer somewhere quieter. Maybe I could cook? My flat is only ten minutes away.’
‘I didn’t know you lived so centrally,’ said Meredith, surprised by his suggestion.
‘Modern, convenient, nearer to the office, all those dull sort of things,’ said Jamie, raising his hands above his head as if he’d been caught red-handed.
‘It’s not dull. It’s what makes your life work,’ said Meredith, reflecting on how similar their decision-making was. She’d felt the same when she’d rented her flat in Primrose Hill. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind cooking? I’m very happy to go somewhere else.’
‘To be honest, I’d prefer it. I love cooking. It helps me relax,’ said Jamie.
‘Okay then, great. I’d love that,’ said Meredith, smiling.
They paid the bill and walked outside. The still evening air caused Meredith’s head to spin.
‘Whoa, that’s what happens if you drink in the afternoon,’ she said as Jamie caught her arm.
‘You deserve it after all that hard work,’ said Jamie, slipping his arm around her.
‘Yes, you’re right. I do,’ said Meredith, nodding defiantly. She leant in towards him, enjoying the feel of his arm muscles against her shoulders.
‘I just need to pick up a couple of things from the supermarket. Then we can get a cab,’ said Jamie. ‘Do you like Thai chicken salad?’
‘I love any Thai food,’ said Meredith. Gorgeous and a good cook? Now that would be a lucky break.
As they got out of the cab outside Jamie’s flat, Meredith looked up at an unpromis
ing-looking grey building.
‘Are we here?’ she asked.
‘I know, not much to look at. But the flats inside are much nicer, honestly.’
As soon as Meredith stepped inside Jamie’s flat, she could feel a woman’s touch in the decor. It was painted throughout in a mixture of white and soft Scandinavian green. The luxurious curtains had swirling patterns of cream and gold, and the sofas were similarly upholstered in heavily textured cream fabric and covered with a liberal dose of scatter cushions. The aluminium-and-glass coffee table was pear-shaped, instead of the regulation rectangle, and a pair of table lamps with dramatically oversized striped lampshades and purple crystal bases sat on the side dresser. On the left of the hallway was a curved coat stand in the shape of a woman holding out her arms, and the hallway mirror was framed in tiny white and cream shells. The soft, artistic feel and attention to detail were a total contrast to the business-like interior Meredith had been expecting, and she realised that in comparison her apartment was positively barren. She looked around in amazement.
‘Did you choose all this?’
Jamie nodded. ‘Pretty much, with a bit of help from my sister.’
‘Wow, I love it! It’s so cool.’
‘I like the change from the uniformity of the office environment.’
‘You can say that again,’ said Meredith, admiring a small bronze statue of two leaping dolphins on his mantelpiece.
‘Why don’t you sit down,’ suggested Jamie, heading into the kitchen to get them both a drink.
Meredith sat down on one of the sofas and laid her head back.
‘This is the life,’ she said.
Jamie put a glass of wine on the coffee table in front of her.
‘I’m just going to make the salad. It won’t take long. Would you like the TV on?’
‘No, thanks. I’m just going to chill out here, if that’s okay.’
Meredith watched as Jamie went into the kitchen, took off his jacket and hung it on the back of one of the bar stools that were tucked under the kitchen island. The muscular frame that had caught her eye the first night they’d met looked just as good in profile. He took out a chopping board and started expertly cutting carrots and lettuce into long, thin strands, his dark hair bouncing on and off his forehead as he chopped. Meredith found the whole scene quite mesmerising. She lay back and closed her eyes, allowing feelings of comfort and warmth to wash over her.
An hour and a half later, Meredith woke up with a start. Jamie was sitting on the other sofa with his laptop on his knees and there were two uneaten plates of salad on the dining table. He looked at her in amusement.
‘Hello, sleepy head.’
‘Oh my God. What time is it?’
‘Just after nine.’
‘I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I fell asleep! What a lightweight. Why didn’t you wake me?’
‘That’s okay, don’t worry. You’ve had a busy week. Well, that and a skinful. And anyway, you looked rather cute – when you weren’t snoring or dribbling, that is.’
Meredith looked at him in horror.
Jamie laughed. ‘It’s okay, you weren’t really. Do you want to eat something?’
‘I think I’d better,’ said Meredith, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry. How embarrassing!’
‘Please stop apologising.’ Jamie got up and helped her up from the sofa. ‘It’s fine, honestly.’
The touch of his hand was enough to make Meredith’s heart start racing, and as she stood up in the small space between the coffee table and the sofa their bodies gently brushed together.
‘Thank you,’ said Meredith, trying not to look flustered.
The Thai salad was a delicious mix of tender chicken, hot chilli and crunchy peanuts and it was all Meredith could do not to wolf it down in one go.
‘I don’t have much in for dessert, I’m afraid,’ said Jamie.
‘That’s okay. I’ve had plenty, thanks. That was delicious.’
Meredith got up to help Jamie clear the plates into the kitchen. As she leaned past him to put her plate on the side, he took it from her and put an arm around her waist. He leant forward and kissed her gently, just for a few seconds. But the impact on Meredith was electric. His kiss sent shivers down her spine and caused her back to arch involuntarily towards him. Jamie responded by pulling her tightly towards him and then he just held her there, not moving, as if to savour her reaction. He slowly ran his hands up and down her back and then kissed her so gently that Meredith almost felt like she was being kissed for the first time.
After a few minutes, Jamie took her hand and started to lead her into the bedroom. ‘Shall we?’ he asked quietly. ‘I don’t want to rush things.’
‘Yes,’ said Meredith. He wasn’t rushing things; quite the opposite.
They lay down on the bed facing each other a few inches apart. Jamie ran his fingers over her hair, around her face and up and down the front of her body, like he wanted to explore every inch of her.
‘You are beautiful,’ he said. He started to undo the buttons of her blouse. ‘Is this okay?’
Meredith just nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak. He undid each button incredibly slowly, touching her with small butterfly strokes as he did. Meredith knew that the moment had arrived to tell him. She leant over and started to undo his shirt buttons.
‘Jamie, you need to know something,’ she whispered, pulling him close.
He kissed her ear. ‘What do I need to know?’
‘I have implants,’ she said.
Jamie looked at her in surprise. ‘What, like a pacemaker?’
‘No, not that sort of implant,’ said Meredith, giggling. She looked down at her exposed breasts. ‘These type of implants.’
‘Really?’
Meredith nodded.
Jamie paused for a few moments and then ran his fingers around each breast. ‘Well, they look pretty good to me.’
‘You don’t mind?’
‘Mind? Why on the earth would I mind?’
Meredith smiled shyly. ‘Oh, I don’t know. Just because… ’
‘Look, we blokes are pretty simple folk, you know. We’re just happy that we get to see them at all, implants or no implants. You really don’t need to worry.’
He pulled her towards him until she could feel the naked skin of his chest against hers.
‘But I do think that I need to have a very close look, though,’ said Jamie.
The next morning Meredith woke up in Jamie’s flat still feeling tingly. They had lain in each other’s arms for hours the previous night and made love several times, each time more slowly and more deliberate than the last. Although she had tried to banish all thoughts of Ryan from her head, she couldn’t help thinking that the contrast between Jamie and the frantic sex she’d had with Ryan could not have been more marked. Ryan needed to have her in a way that Jamie didn’t. Jamie seemed so much more in control of his emotions and he’d made her feel beautiful and special.
Jamie came into the bedroom carrying two cups of coffee. He put a cup on each bedside table and then climbed back into bed. He picked up Meredith’s hand and played with her fingers.
‘Amazing what these fingers can do,’ he said, mischievously pulling her hand under the covers.
‘I have to go,’ said Meredith, rolling towards him and gently kissing his face. ‘I have to be at my friend Daisy’s gallery in an hour.’
‘An hour? That’s ages,’ said Jamie.
Meredith laughed and then her voice quietened. ‘I had an amazing night, really, more than you could know.’
‘Me too,’ said Jamie, stroking her hair.
They snuggled together quietly for a few minutes.
‘I really have to go,’ said Meredith, reluctantly dragging herself out of bed.
‘Would you like to have dinner again? Are you free next week?’
Yes, she was free. Free of self-doubt, free of Ryan and free to spend as much time as she liked with Jamie.
Chapter 28<
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Hot and flustered, Meredith rushed into Daisy’s gallery at twenty past ten.
‘You’re late,’ said Daisy.
‘Yes, sorry, traffic was rubbish,’ said Meredith, flinging her bag onto her shoulder.
‘The others are here already,’ said Daisy. Alfred and Finn, Daisy’s assistant, were sitting in the office at the back of the gallery, chatting. Alfred was dressed in a pair of beige trousers and a white polo shirt with navy stripes around the arms which, combined with his neatly cut hair and frameless glasses, made him look every inch the city slicker he was. In contrast, Finn was wearing black jeans and a baggy black jumper that had slipped off one shoulder to reveal a red vest top underneath. His mop of mousy hair looked like it hadn’t been combed for days and he was lying back on the chair with his feet on the desk and his arms behind his head.
‘Bloody raging hangover,’ Finn was saying to Alfred as Meredith approached the back of the gallery.
Alfred smiled politely in reply.
Meredith grinned at Finn and Alfred. ‘Have to say that I’m feeling a bit fuzzy round the edges too. Whose stupid idea was it to meet on a Saturday? Oh yes, mine. Morning both.’
‘Where were you last night?’ said Daisy, eying her suspiciously.
‘Out,’ said Meredith and she gave Daisy a knowing look.
Daisy opened her mouth to demand more, but Meredith raised her eyebrows towards Finn and Alfred, to let Daisy know that she would fill her in later when they weren’t around. Daisy grinned with excitement and nodded.
‘Right, shall we get started?’ said Meredith.
Daisy pulled two more chairs from the back of the gallery and the four of them sat in a circle in her small office.
‘Right, this is the brief for the art commission as best I understand it,’ said Meredith, getting out the notes she’d taken from her meeting with Vivien Sherwood. ‘I’m seriously hoping that it will make sense to you guys, because I have to say that some of it was a bit of a mystery to me.’
The others sat in silence as Meredith ran through the details of her meeting.
‘And then she said she wanted something “contrastingly reflective” behind the reception desk, whatever that means.’