27 #3
“Nine fifteen. Apparently it will only take about an hour or so and I’ll just be a little sore. It’s a core needle biopsy, whatever that is.” She waved her hand in the air dismissively. “The doctor tried to explain it to me but at that point I’d switched off,” huffed Gia.
“Will you be going with anyone?” Gia shook her head. “You can’t go alone, Gia.”
“I don’t want to tell anyone. I don’t want them to worry.” Dani knew she meant she didn’t want her sons to know. “If it’s all clear… or not, I can tell them when I know for sure. Why bother them. They’ve enough on their plates without worrying about me too.”
“I’ll come with you if you want.”
Gia’s eyes widened at her suggestion. “I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that.” Her was voice soft.
“You didn’t, I suggested it.”
“I… I don’t know what to say, Daniella. I mean…” Gia swallowed unable to speak anymore.
“Say yes. Really. You shouldn’t have to go through that on your own.”
Gia smiled at Dani, her eyes filling, overcome with emotion again. This young woman had become quite special to her over the last few weeks. She really was so grateful for her.
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“WHERE’S MAMA?” JEROME SCANNED the restaurant as he spoke to Peter who was at the front desk.
He checked his watch, it was half past twelve on a Friday and it was very unlike Gia not to be down in the thick of things.
The restaurant was already beginning to fill up.
Jerome trained his focus on the back, which already had a couple of tables, and was surprised not to see Dani there.
“She’s upstairs with Dani,” Peter answered.
Jerome’s head turned sharply back to Peter. “With Dani? Doing what?”
Peter shrugged. “Computer stuff. Not really sure.”
“Oh, I see.” Jerome hesitated for a moment, then headed to the back of the restaurant, his curiosity getting the better of him.
He started to ascend the staircase, taking the steps two by two.
When he reached his mother’s office he found it to be empty.
Scowling to himself he turned back around and headed straight for her apartment.
He came to an abrupt halt outside the door and leaned closer.
There were mumbled voices, but the two inch solid wood door made it hard to hear who was there and what they were talking about.
Jerome opened the door and caught sight of Dani embracing his mother gently.
“Oh, Jerome.” Gia smiled at him, pulling away from Dani as he came in closer. His expression betrayed his obvious confusion.
“Mama? Are you alright?” his eyes scanned his mother’s face, then flitted to the coffee table where the coffee cups and brandy glasses rested. He then narrowed his eyes at Dani.
“Of course. Dani just quickly showed me something I wasn’t sure of.” He refocused on his mother as she spoke.
“Well, I’d better go,” Dani said gently, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable under Jerome’s questioning gaze.
“Tell Chef I’ll be down in a bit.”
“Sure.” Dani stepped around Jerome, avoiding his eyes, which seemed to be trained on her.
“What’s going on?” he jerked his head towards the coffee table, once Dani had left.
“I just fancied a drink and Dani kept me company.” Gia began to tidy up the cups. “Look, she only took a sip.” She huffed at the hardly touched glass. “You didn’t need to come up and get her, I was about to send her down.” Gia called from the kitchen where she was placing the dirty crockery.
Jerome furrowed his brow at her comment, then realised that his mother had presumed he’d come to get Dani, when he’d actually… come to think of it why had he come charging up here?
He rubbed his face. He’d instinctively come to find Dani.
There was no logical reason for why he’d single-mindedly rushed up, other than…
Jerome swallowed hard. He’d just wanted to see her, needed to see her, was compelled to.
Just knowing she was somewhere in the building, he had to find her.
Especially after last night. It was as simple and as complicated as that.
“Anyway,” continued Gia, coming back into the living room, unaware of Jerome’s turmoil, wrapped up in her own thoughts and minor deceptions. “If you give me a moment we can walk down together. I just need to touch up my make up.”
“Sure, Mama. I’ll wait.” Jerome slumped into the sofa as Gia walked in the direction of her bedroom.
He really needed to keep his emotions in check.
After last night he knew his and Dani’s relationship had shifted in a direction that was making him feel he had the right to react impulsively.
It’d started with him cutting in on Arsenio last night.
And now, what was he thinking as he raced up to where she was?
Jerome rubbed his face and sighed. He needed to pull back, for his own good and hers.
SCOTT SKULKED BY THE newsagent’s stand watching Liz wait in line to be checked in.
He quickly scribbled down the flight number, destination and time, then watched on.
Liz pulled out her phone to call someone when she was disturbed by a middle aged woman tapping her shoulder.
Liz’s face dropped when she saw who it was, then recovering from her initial shock, she smiled brightly at the woman.
They obviously knew each other. From what Scott could see they were on the same flight.
The middle aged woman was with a man who also knew Liz.
She talked with them until it was her turn to check in.
Liz passed over her passport and ticket details to the airport employee and then pulled out her phone again.
She quickly dialled a number, her previous smiley face replaced with a scowl.
“Jonathan?”
“Hey, babe, I’m on my way.”
“Change of plan.”
“What?”
“I’ve just bumped into Joan and Ian White. They’re on the same flight.”
“The members from Level One?”
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Fucking hell!” Jonathan punched his steering wheel, furious.
“Get yourself on the next flight out. I’ll ask at the desk when it is and text you the details. I’ll call you once I’m in the departure lounge.”
“I could still come on the flight and sit away from you,” he suggested.
“Jonathan they know us both, very well. They’ll think it strange we don’t acknowledge each other and they’re bound to tell Jerome they saw me and you on the same flight.
It’s too big of a risk.” The woman behind the desk passed back Liz’s passport along with her boarding card.
“I have to go. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll get back to you. ”
Jonathan looked in his rear-view mirror, then indicated to the right. He swung his car into a side road and did a U-turn, then drove back towards his home, furiously gripping the steering wheel.
Scott watched Liz disappear through passport control, trying to process what he was seeing when his phone rang.
“He just double backed on himself.” Gary’s tone betrayed his confusion.
“Yeah, I thought as much. Their plans just got derailed.”
“How?”
Scott described what he’d witnessed, filling in the blanks with what he assumed must have happened.
“So, I presume he’ll be getting on the next flight out to Malaga,” Scott concluded.
“Probably. We didn’t get a shot of them together though, and that’s what we needed.”
“True, but we got the next best thing.”
“What?”
“She called him. She called him from her second phone, so we’ll have the number now.”
“Yes!”
Scott was sure Gary was punching the air and he grinned to himself.
“Keep a tail on him until I can confirm when he’ll be flying out and then I’ll speak to Seni, see what he wants us to do now.”
“Sure, boss. For a minute there I thought we were barking up the wrong tree. They’ve been lucky up until now, evading us somehow.”
“Yeah well I think their luck just ran out.”
“SO WHAT DO YOU two want to do today?”
Jerome flipped another pancake to the delight of both Kara and Alessandro.
“The butterfly house,” cried out Kara. She was setting the kitchen table for their breakfast.
Alessandro curled his lip not entirely happy with her suggestion. “Can’t we go to Harewood, they have that big climbing frame.”
Jerome cocked his head looking at Kara, hoping she would change her mind without him having to convince her. Jerome had found the butterfly house fascinating the first two times but after his fifteenth visit it was getting a bit tedious.
“Okay, as long as we look at the birds too,” conceded Kara. Alessandro let out a sigh of relief and Jerome gave him a silent high five behind Kara’s back.
It was almost ten o’clock by the time they were ready to set off.
Jerome had decided that he’d spend at least Saturday with his children, giving Nina the day off.
She’d be back for the evening but this way he was able to spend quality time, just the three of them.
He was also trying to avoid being at La Casa.
He needed to distance himself from Dani and a day totally absorbed with his children was the best way for him to do that.
“I’ll just call mummy first, to see if she’s okay.”
The phone rang a couple of times and then he heard his wife’s familiar voice.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“It’s great!”
Jerome smiled as he heard her enthusiasm and the tightness in his stomach eased with relief. He’d been worried that the location may not have been as luxurious as she’d been expecting. By her tone it was obvious he could now stop worrying.
“The resort is absolutely fabulous! I’ll send you the link so you can see it.
It’s got a spa and a lovely golf course and the view is incredible.
They’ve put me in a really nice villa too.
Well, it’s off season, so it’s not busy.
And we’ve been lucky with the weather. It’s forecasted to be sunny and warm for the duration of the shoot.
” She was talking so fast Jerome found it hard to keep up.
“I’m so pleased darling. Here, have a quick word with the children.”
Jerome handed down the phone and both Kara and Alessandro spoke briefly to her, then they handed the phone back to Jerome.