Chapter Twenty-Six
D ebs couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in her since her phone call with Sienna. She knew that Sienna wasn’t looking forward to dinner this evening; she’d been on edge for the past couple of days about it, the unrest only growing today. Debs had managed to rearrange her meetings today, pushing back her afternoon ones to free up an hour at lunchtime so she could go and surprise Sienna at the centre. She had wondered if it was too much, if Sienna really would prefer solitude and space before this evening, but she was glad for her foresight and decision when she walked in to find Sienna hunched over her laptop, hair ruffled from no doubt running her hands through it, eyes tired like she hadn’t even blinked in hours. She was even more thankful when she slipped her hand into Sienna’s to pull her onto her feet, determined to break her away from her desk for even ten minutes, to find the skin around her thumbnail worried and red, at the point of bleeding. Sienna had clearly been lost in her own anxious thoughts for hours, and Debs ached to know what exactly it was about the situation with her family which made the usually so happy and upbeat woman so despondent. It reminded her of the Sienna who she had first met, only more . More uncertain, more lacking in confidence, more distant. Which made sense when she thought back to that first conversation they had months ago, when Sienna spoke about her initial attempt to go to university and her mother’s disapproval of quitting. Did she still hold it against her? That was ridiculous and entirely uncalled for, considering it was eight years ago and all the things Sienna had achieved since. But then…
Sienna had never once mentioned her family’s reaction to her being accepted to university this time. Did they even know?
The knock at her door halted her from contemplating it any further and she sighed. The downside of rearranging her afternoon meant that she now had a meeting later in the day, when she was usually getting ready to leave. And worst of all it was probably the one person who she could really do without dealing with today.
“Debs, a pleasure, as always,” Joel greeted her, his smile already grating on her frayed nerves.
“Joel. Sorry, this is a little later than usual. I had to move some things around,” Debs explained, trying to remain professional and not let her irritation show.
“No problem at all. Actually. I was wondering if you fancied doing this somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else?”
The comment threw Debs off, and she stared at him for a moment.
“Yeah. I don’t know about you, but I could do with some dinner. Maybe we could go grab a bite to eat and—”
Realisation hit Debs. Annoyance rolled through her again that Joel could assume that something as simple as having a later meeting could give him the right to suggest making this anything other than what it was. From someone else, she probably wouldn’t have minded, just politely declined and moved on. But coming from Joel, she suspected she knew his intentions.
“I’m going to stop you before you finish. This is a business meeting.”
“Are you telling me you’ve never had lunch or dinner to discuss business?”
“Not with someone who already thinks it’s appropriate to talk about me like there’s something more than just business, no.”
Joel scoffed, seemingly unfazed by Debs’ announcement that she knew what he’d been saying. She’d not said anything before, the meetings not frequent enough to be a constant bane in her life, and even though she had considered Grace’s offer of taking over the discussions, she had resisted, not wanting to palm him off on her just because he was arrogant about what he could expect.
“I’m not sure what you’re implying, Debs…”
Debs didn’t have the patience for this tonight. Not only did she not want to be here with Joel, but he also had the audacity to try and lie his way out of it.
“Do you think I don’t speak to James anymore? I’ve heard that you’ve been implying there’s more to these meetings than just business.”
“Oh, come on, Debs. Are you really trying to tell me there’s nothing more here? I understand if you don’t want James to know—”
“I have no issue with James knowing anything. In fact, I’d quite likely tell him if there was something happening, considering we have two children together, and therefore, it’s just common courtesy. But I haven’t said anything because there’s nothing to say.”
“Maybe we can change that. Come on, Debs, I’ve always thought you were stunning. Maybe if James hadn’t got there first—”
“Got there? I’m not a toy you can fight over and claim like some child!”
“Okay, fine. I get the message.” He raised his hands and took a step back, an action Debs was grateful for because she was rapidly losing her cool. The knock at her office door broke the tension, and Debs sent a silent prayer up for Janet’s diligence. She always insisted she stayed until Debs left, and tonight she was beyond grateful for it.
“Ms Brannigan, you’ve got a phone call. It’s your brother.” The secret codeword soothed something in Debs, knowing she had a way out. Debs’ brother never phoned the office, always her mobile, so she knew that it was Janet’s way of ending the meeting.
“Thank you, Janet. Please rearrange Mr Marshall’s meeting for the next available time. Unfortunately, I’ll have to take this.”
“Of course.” Despite his seemingly professional reply, Debs could sense his underlying frustration with the subtle flex of his jaw.
“Mr Marshall, would you like to do that now or call back when it’s convenient?” Janet asked.
“I’ll call,” he said, his stare finally snapping from Debs.
Debs held her breath until Joel left the office, deflating against the side of her desk to hold her up. The whole interaction had rattled her more than it should have; her nerves were already on edge, and her thoughts were consumed with Sienna. Joel’s apparent retreat before Janet had made her entrance did nothing to settle her, certain that he hadn’t absorbed the message fully. She didn’t know why it felt so off-kilter; it wasn’t the first time a client had flirted with her, had asked her to dinner, or wanted something more. But it was the first time since she had been with Sienna, and suddenly, the thought of maybe not having the safety of her marriage to help her popped into her head. It shouldn’t matter, didn’t matter to her. Sienna was still just as important to her, but would others see that?
“Are you okay?” Janet asked, and Debs turned to see her regarding her with concern and a hint of fear in her eyes.
“Yes. Yeah, I’m fine. He just… I’m fine. Thank you for staying and breaking up the meeting.”
“No problem. Can I get you anything?”
“Nope.” Debs sighed. “I’m just going to go home and have a large glass of wine. This day has been too fucking long.” She walked around her desk, starting to pack up her laptop and collect her things. “Do me a favour, though, and in the morning, transfer the Jenkins project over to Grace’s team fully? I know Harry asked for me, but at this point, he’s just taking the piss.”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
Janet left, giving her a final worry-filled look, before leaving Debs on her own. She braced herself against the desk, dropping her head and heaving a sigh. Her eyes instinctually drifted to the Peace Lily on her desk, hoping that it would fill her with a sense of calm she just couldn’t seem to find herself in the moment.
I wish I could see her tonight.