Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1

by Torrens, D. G.

  The following morning, Ben’s secretary paid him an impromptu visit as she needed his signature on some important documents. As he opened the door, he was greeted by Lisa’s usual happy smile. “Hey you, how’s it going and how are you feeling?” asked Lisa with genuine concern for her loyal boss. She would be very glad to see him back at work.

  “I am all good, Lisa. My pains are lessening now and I am able to start enjoying this much-needed time off work a little more. So, come on, fill me in. What’s been happening back at the office?” Lisa placed her folder down onto the coffee table while Ben popped into the kitchen to make them both a cup of coffee.

  “Well, Dena has finally surpassed herself and hooked up with David; and not new Engineer David either, only David Scholt the director. Seems she really likes the directors of the company. I can’t believe he would even go near her after she dumped you so callously. That said, her popularity rating around the firm is virtually zero since you had your accident. Whatever her game is, Ben, everyone is suspicious of her now and giving her a wide berth.”

  Ben handed Lisa a mug of coffee and sat down. “Looks like I had a narrow escape there, Lisa. The way she’s going, she won’t get far in the firm. The board are not blind and I know David all too well. Not only is he recently divorced but he has slept with half the girls in the firm, and that was while he was married, as you well know. He will soon tire of Dena and move onto the next one, as she will soon realise. She will have egg on her face when it dawns on her that her step climbing in the firm has come to an abrupt halt. Karma will play its hand, as it always does eventually.”

  Lisa picked up the folder and opened it, placing three sets of documents down onto the coffee table in front of Ben. “These need signing urgently. I have all the other directors’ signatures, I just need yours. Sign here, here and here after you have read through them thoroughly, of course. While you’re reading, do you mind if I step onto your balcony? While you were in hospital, I would pop over to clean your apartment and then sit out there with a cup of coffee before heading back home.”

  Ben threw Lisa an affectionate smile. “Sure, go ahead. The view is pretty spectacular; I really missed it while I was in hospital.

  After signing all the documentation and catching up with Lisa, he showed her out of the door.

  “Oh, by the way, Ben, next weekend me and my husband are having a barbeque, just a small gathering of friends. I would love for you to come and feel free to bring someone, your brother Tristan maybe. Anyway I will leave it up to you, let me know during the week.”

  Ben walked out onto the balcony with Charlie and watched as Lisa climbed into her BMW and drove off. He recalled the day he interviewed her many years before; he’d warmed to her instantly, there was something about her that told a person she could be trusted. The best decision he’d ever made was hiring her for position of P.A. Over the years, she had proved her loyalty on many occasions. Happily married and very happy with her lot, Lisa had never let him down, not once. She was organised, discreet and he trusted her with his life. She always went above and beyond the call of duty and would work all the hours necessary to complete the project set for her. He hadn’t forgotten all the long hours and sacrifices she’d made over the years and made a mental note to order a bouquet of flowers for her to show his appreciation. He recalled she loved yellow roses and he knew the perfect florist to order them from. They always added that extra special touch to all their bouquets.

  Chapter ten

  On Sunday morning, Arianna awakened with a feeling of freshness and optimism for her week ahead. She pulled on a loose sweater and made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She peered through her window and smiled as she was greeted by the clear blue sky and the vibrant sun beaming down onto her house. Not a cloud could be seen anywhere. She observed two magpies as they were pecking away at something on the ground she couldn’t quite make out. She recalled the old magpie rhyme from her childhood:

  “One for sorrow,

  Two for joy,

  Three for a girl,

  Four for a boy,

  Five for silver,

  Six for gold,

  Seven for a secret never to be told.

  Well, two magpies equates joy, she thought, smiling to herself as she took another sip of her coffee. Then the landline started ringing and swiftly brought her back to reality. “Hello.”

  “Hey, it’s Casey, how did last night go? So sorry I couldn’t be there, I was up most of the night with Charlotte. She definitely has a virus, poor thing, I just hope it doesn’t pass to Aaron now.”

  “Casey, it was amazing, a complete success, to say the least. Oliver’s artwork was a big hit. I knew it would be, he is an amazing artist. I even bought one for myself, Casey, and it’s beautiful. Can’t wait for you to see it. I adore his work, it’s truly unique.”

  “I’m so pleased for you, Arianna, you deserve it, and at least you can rest easy on the financial front for a while now too.”

  “Hey Casey, there was this guy who came to the show last night called Ben, there was a kind of connection between us, I think. I know what I said about not wanting to get involved with anyone right now, but then I did not figure on this guy last night. Casey, there was just something special about him, I can’t put my finger on it, but take my word for it. His presence actually made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it was really quite incredible.”

  “Oh my God, Arianna, did you get his number?”

  “No, but he is coming to pick up his painting on Tuesday. I did offer to have it delivered to him but he was rather insistent on collecting it himself.”

  “Well, that says it all, he wants to see you again. How exciting, although, as your friend and given recent events, I will caution you to be careful.”

  “I know, Casey, and I will. I have no intention of ever being fooled by a man again, once bitten and all that. There really was something about him, though; I haven’t been able to get him out of my head since.”

  “I have to dash, Arianna, we are heading to Warwick Castle with the kids so I will catch up with you in the week, okay? How about lunch on Wednesday?”

  “Lunch would be great, same place as usual, the Coleshill Hotel, say around one o’clock?”

  “Perfect, you can tell me about any developments with the delightful Ben over lunch.”

  “Casey, give Charlotte a big kiss for me and tell her I shall pop over and visit her soon.”

  “I will do, she would love to see you. You know how much she adores you.”

  Arianna rung off and her thoughts turned back to Ben. She was very much looking forward to seeing him again. A warm fuzzy feeling ran through her entire body as an image of him the night before took up pole position in her mind. With a wide smile on her face and a spring in her step, she made her way into the bedroom and threw on her gym clothes. Forty minutes later, she was heading to the local gym situated at the back of the high street. She loved Coleshill; everything she needed was right on her doorstep; the gym, hairdressers, florist, post office, banks and much more. Some weeks she hardly left the small town and had to remind herself there was a whole world outside Coleshill.

  Everyone was dressed for summer as they meandered up and down the bustling high street in sundresses and shorts. Two young children whizzed passed on their bikes and Arianna swiftly stepped back as they cycled passed. “Sorry, lady,” the young boy shouted. Arianna heard the familiar ring on her phone; it was Casey. I could have sworn she said she was out for the day, she thought as she fumbled for her phone at the bottom of her gym bag.

  “Hey, I thought you were busy today?”

  “I am, look, we just arrived in Warwick and guess who we ran into? You’re not going to believe this, only your ex, Justin, and he was with a tall blonde, ambling along without a care in the world, until he ran into us. He looked embarrassed, as he will have known you would have told me about the money he stole from you. He said a quick hello, introduced his new girlfriend and then he cou
ldn’t have walked away quick enough. I simply said to him he should be ashamed of himself and that you were better of without him. His girlfriend looked away, seemingly embarrassed, like she knew what I was talking about. I have to say, Arianna, it felt deliciously good to make him squirm like that.”

  Arianna stood rooted to the spot, her stomach flip-flopped at the mere mention of Justin’s name, and not in a good way either. It made her feel sick to the stomach.

  “So Casey, I have to ask this pathetic question, what did she look like?”

  “Okay, I won’t lie to you, she was attractive, but not in a unique stunning way like you. She looked like every other attractive blonde,” reassured Casey. She didn’t want her friend to feel any worse than she knew she was feeling right now, but at the same time, she was her best friend and they always told each other the truth, no matter how painful the deliverance.

  “Well, I should have guessed. I knew it was someone from work, but that’s all I knew about her. She is welcome to him, Casey. I still feel sick to the stomach every time I think about what he did. The lying cheat. Look, thanks for calling me, you really could have waited until you got home you know. Now go and enjoy your day and I will catch up with you in the week.”

  Casey felt really bad for Arianna; they had been best friends since forever and she could never understand why Arianna was drawn to these bad boys. She wanted nothing more than to see her in a settled, happy relationship. She was kind and thoughtful, with a giant heart. Casey had always admired her friend, the way she journeyed through life with conviction, never swaying from her path and always knowing where she was going. She’d always wished she could have been more like her in that way. Since the death of Arianna’s father, something had changed in her. Her vision became blurred where men were concerned, as intelligent and astute as she was in business, these attributes failed Arianna in her personal life. Her all-seeing business eye was blind when it came to matters of the heart. She always wanted to find what her parents had, a love that conquered all storms. Unfortunately, her search, to date, had been in vain.

  Arianna rang off and continued towards the gym, her mood somewhat changed and her heart feeling heavy and weighing her down tremendously. Why oh why, at 36 years old, have I not met the man of my dreams, my life partner, and my soul mate? I need to change my path and take a new turn or I am destined to be single forever.

  Arianna pushed herself really hard in the gym, more so than usual. Letting go of all her pent-up frustration was good for her and she was feeling a little better. After a 45-minute workout, Arianna headed for the showers. On her way out of the leisure centre, she checked the events board to see what was happening in her area, before bidding goodbye to the receptionist and heading off home to make a quick change before heading over to her mother’s for lunch. Sunday lunch would be hearty and heavy if she knew her mum and she was suddenly rather glad she had had a workout as she knew full well she would not be able to resist her mum’s cooking once it was put in front of her. Just the thought of her mum’s homemade gravy and oversized Yorkshire puddings made her mouth water; her stomach started growling as she headed towards Knowle, a 20-minute drive away.

  The small village of Knowle retained considerable charm despite being on the very edge of the West Midlands conurbation. Arianna had loved growing up in the quaint village and her mother still lived in the same house to this day. After her father died, she vowed never to sell the house or leave the village, as she felt like it would be a betrayal of their happy memories. Arianna fully understood her mother’s feelings and saw no benefit in persuading her otherwise, even though it was a large house and really too much for one person to manage. She just hoped her mother would employ some help as she grew older, a cleaner to help with the house and a part-time gardener perhaps. To date she was adamant she could manage alone and refused to entertain the idea of outside help, always standing firm in her decision.

  Arianna pulled onto her mother’s driveway and climbed out of her car. She grabbed her handbag off the passenger seat and locked up before walking towards the front door, where her mother was already standing, looking as perfect as ever and ten years younger than her 62 years suggested. “Hey, come here and give your old mum a big hug.” Sofia’s arms were wide open and filled with warmth as she wrapped them around Arianna.

  “Oh, I really needed that hug, mum, and less of the old. You look fabulous for your age and you know it too. So what’s for dinner then? I’m starving.” They walked into the house and Arianna shut the large oak door behind her.

  “Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, your favourite, dear.”

  Arianna spent the whole afternoon catching up with her mum and filling her in on the night’s events at the gallery. They ate dessert in the conservatory several hours later, after their dinner had gone down, and made plans to go shopping together the following week. After several hugs, they said their goodbyes and Arianna headed on home, full to the brim and feeling tired.

  Chapter eleven

  Ben was rudely awakened by his rather annoying alarm clock; he placed his hand over the top to turn it off and stumbled out of bed while still trying to adjust his tired eyes to the bright morning light. He made his way to the bathroom, turned on the shower and stood underneath it with his eyes closed for a few moments, allowing the warm water to flow over his sleepy body and slowly wake him up. Ten minutes later, feeling refreshed and ready for the day, Ben felt a rush of excitement flowing through his veins at the thought of seeing Arianna again. An image of her formed in his mind and he smiled at the thought of seeing her today.

  He threw on a navy sweater and a pair of perfectly fitting jeans then he pulled on his chocolate brown Timberland boots and glanced at his image in the full-length mirror. That will do, he thought to himself as he ruffled his hair, smiling as he made his way towards the kitchen, with Charlie following closely behind. “Today is the day, Charlie. What do you think my chances are, buddy? Bark once for yes and once for no.” Charlie spun around in a circle and barked then rolled over on to his back on the tiled floor. “Well. I hope you’re right, Charlie.” Ben filled Charlie’s bowl with his favourite food and popped two rounds of toast into the toaster for himself. He glanced at the white envelope sitting on the kitchen counter and was reminded of his out-patient’s visit the following day at the Westview Hospital. He was no longer feeling concerned about his headaches as they had subsided over the last couple of weeks and he was feeling altogether better.

  After breakfast, Ben took Charlie for a quick walk before hopping into his car and making the 25-minute drive to Coleshill via the M6. He was surprised to discover he was feeling rather nervous, a feeling he’d not felt for a long time. He felt a knot forming in his lower stomach and shook his head. This is just unbelievable, I hardly know this woman and already I feel like a teenager asking a girl out for the very first time, he thought as he approached Coleshill high street and slowed down accordingly. He drove around to the back of the high street and parked opposite the local leisure centre. As he neared the gallery, he took a deep breath before turning the corner and entering the building, where he was greeted by a smiling Arianna. The first thing he noticed was the sparkle in her eyes and beautiful warmth that radiated from her smile, a welcoming smile that eased his nerves. Arianna swept a stray hair from her face as she came out from behind her desk to greet Ben.

  “It’s lovely to see you again, Arianna. I’ve come for my painting.” Ben could not take his eyes off her, he was enamoured by her and wanted nothing more than to get to know the woman behind the warm smile.

  “Likewise, Ben. I have the painting ready for you, follow me it’s in the back room for safe keeping.” As Arianna walked gracefully in front of Ben, his eyes were drawn to her lithe, toned legs and perfect silhouette. “Here it is, Ben, and may I say what a great choice you have made. This is a beautiful painting. I had three more offers for this particular piece that night and one person even offered above the asking price. But I put him right and told hi
m that’s not how I work! If a painting is sold, then it’s sold and that’s that.”

  Ben liked her even more by the minute; not only was she beautiful, she was also a woman who was not swayed by money. “Thank you for not selling my painting to a higher bidder; there are many that would have in your position.”

  Arianna smiled and indicated for him to follow her upstairs to the main gallery. “I too bought a painting on Saturday from my own show. What do you think?” Arianna stood in front of the enigmatic and deeply emotional painting.

  “Wow, that is beautiful. I see you too made a great choice.”

  Ben and Arianna stood in silence for a while, admiring the painting before them, then Ben decided the moment couldn’t be more perfect. He turned around and looked directly into Arianna’s eyes. “Do you fancy going to lunch sometime?” Ben waited with great anticipation for an answer, but remained cool, not showing his nerves.

  Arianna picked up her bag from the chair then looked to Ben. “That sounds like a great idea. How about right now? I was just about to close up for lunch anyway.”

  Ben could not believe his luck. Smiling wide like the cat that got the cream, he followed Arianna downstairs and waited outside the gallery while she locked up and turned the sign indicating to any customer she would be back in an hour over on the door.

  “I thought we could lunch at the Coleshill Hotel, they have a great lunch menu and the service is second to none,” suggested Arianna.