Chapter 10
TASHA
Tasha knew she still had to mention Callum’s family party.
The last thing she or the Prestons needed was Riley being his usual entitled self and marching up there to complain, or worse getting someone else to do it, like the police, but Riley was busy arguing loudly with Brooke on the phone in the living room.
They had been at it for the past hour and Tasha’s head was pounding, both from the hot weather on set and yet more drama from Riley.
Tasha waited in the kitchen, as they screamed at each other.
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples lightly with her fingertips.
Eventually she heard their tone change and once again they were blowing kisses to each other down the phone. She wished they would make up their minds one way or another and either work at their relationship or end it once and for all.
Riley walked through to the kitchen. ‘What’s the matter with you?’ he asked.
She took a calming breath. ‘I have something I need to talk to you about.’
He groaned. ‘What now?’
She explained about the Prestons hiring the manor and moving in for the next week.
He rested his hands on his hips, scowling. ‘Why don’t we have the big house? I thought we were here because it was the bit the owners rented out. Why do we only have the cottage?’
‘Because there are only two of us,’ she said, watching him prepare to respond. ‘And they’re a large private party. The place was booked out but became unexpectedly vacant, so I’m sure the owners were happy for the Prestons to hire the place.’
He began studying his phone again, clearly bored with the conversation. ‘Pay them to swap, or move, then. Whatever it takes.’ When she didn’t respond he looked up at her. ‘What’s the problem?’
Tasha was too busy trying to control her rising temper to be able to answer him.
‘Tasha, why are you staring at me like that? Go on. You know how I feel about not being treated in the manner I expect.’
She reminded herself that she needed this job, although it was getting more difficult by the day not to give in to her need to tell Riley exactly what she thought of him and his disregard for anyone else’s feelings.
She couldn’t lose her temper right now and she had no intention of trying to persuade anyone to change anything about the property arrangements.
‘There is nothing wrong with this place Riley; we both know that. We don’t even take up all the bedrooms in the cottage and we’re out at work most of the day. So, on this occasion I’m not doing anything about trying to change things.’
‘You’re not?’
She wasn’t sure whether he was testing her loyalty and decided that even if he was she didn’t care. ‘No, not this time. This is a stunning place. We even have the woods over there and these beautiful grounds and the huge pond. There’s no realistic reason to change anything.’
He glared at her, furiously leaning towards her, his nose inches from her. ‘You won’t do it?’ he asked quietly. ‘You’re choosing to disregard my instructions?’
Refusing to be intimidated and closer to telling him to shove his job where the sun didn’t shine than she had ever been before, Tasha took one step back.
‘That’s right.’ His eyes widened. ‘Callum very kindly brought your phone back to you, not that you bothered to even thank him. We don’t need that huge manor house.
His family, on the other hand, are staying there, with friends travelling to the island for the party.
They’re looking forward to a big family celebration and I will not ask him to change anything to appease your whim. ’
She turned to leave the room. Stopping at the kitchen door as a thought occurred to her. She turned back to him. ‘I can give him your number though if you’d like to tell him we wish to swap properties with him.’
Not bothering to wait for a response, she went into her temporary office in the dining room and closed the door.
Once inside Tasha held on to the top of the table, trying to gather herself.
She didn’t know whether she was trembling because of her fear of upsetting Riley, or because she was so angry with him for being so uncaring about anyone else.
Hearing him stomp outside, Tasha decided she needed a cup of tea to calm herself down. She returned to the kitchen and switched on the kettle before taking a mug from the cupboard.
Tasha had barely had time to close the fridge after returning the milk to the shelf when the kitchen door opened and Riley stood at the doorway, arms crossed and a scowl on his handsome face.
He relied far too much on his looks to charm people, she thought, as he stared at her, seemingly either trying to disarm her or work out whether to give her a lecture.
She had no intention of letting him think he’d intimidated her as he continually did to others. ‘Well, have you decided what you’d like to do?’ she asked.
He glared at her. ‘The way I see it you haven’t left me much choice,’ he grumbled. ‘We both know there’s not enough accommodation here to sleep too many people, so I suppose I’ll have to put up with the Prestons keeping the manor house.’
She was taken aback that he had given in so easily but had no intention of letting him know it. Tasha picked up her mug and went to leave the kitchen. ‘If that’s all, I’ll go and answer some of the emails we received today.’
Finally, Riley turned his back on her.
‘If that’s the way you feel about it, then I’ll leave things how they stand.’ He walked out of the room and all Tasha could to was stare at his retreating back, astounded that for once she had stood up to him and got her own way. It was a strange feeling but one she decided she liked.