Helen
She pulled back slightly so she could look directly into his eyes. ‘Can we sit down and talk?’
‘Yeah, you sit on the bed. I’ll grab that chair.’
‘No, sit next to me.’ She held his hand. She was back in control of her emotions. ‘Why didn’t you tell me the real reason you left Bartons sooner?’
‘I thought I shouldn’t, but in hindsight, I wish I had.’
‘So do I. I wouldn’t have such a stiff backside from sitting on that coach for hours.’
He grinned. ‘I could give you a massage?’
‘You’d better not, because we both know where that will lead.’
‘Would that be so bad?’
‘No, but we need to finish this conversation first.’
‘Okay.’ He looked disappointed.
‘There are still some parts of the story I don’t understand. Like how did Bartons know it was you who blew the whistle on them?’
‘They don’t know. They might have worked it out now, I suppose. As far as they were aware, I worked out what they were doing, they asked me to leave quietly and agreed to give me a decent payout for doing so as long as I signed their NDA.’
She nodded. ‘And there’s still the matter of your lie about the appointment.’
‘I told you on the phone, I panicked.’
‘It’s not very comforting, knowing that your partner will instantly lie to you when put under pressure.’
He gently squeezed her hand. ‘I understand how it looks, but when is there ever going to be another situation like that? I’m not planning on signing any more NDAs. And have I ever lied to you before?’
‘I don’t know. Have you?’
He looked her in the eye. ‘I promise I haven’t.’
‘Okay. But if it happens again, I’m not sticking around. Because we have to be honest with each other for this to work. I don’t want you becoming Angus version two.’
‘It will never happen again. I promise.’
It’s what you wanted to hear, so why prolong this any longer? ‘Thank you.’ She hugged him.
It was Nigel’s turn to relax in her arms. ‘Am I forgiven?’
‘Yes. And I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I shouldn’t have ghosted you, but that message looked like a red flag. I was terrified I’d fallen for another lying rogue. And I’m sorry I read your email. Can you forgive me?’
He put his hand up to her cheek and carefully caressed it before kissing her slowly and gently, as if he were savouring every moment. She was breathless when he finally pulled away.
‘Was that a yes?’ she whispered.
He smiled. ‘I’d hate to think what a no looks like.’
She leaned in and kissed him again. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you too. Do you want that massage now?’
‘I think you should finish shaving first.’