Chapter Thirty-Four Ella
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ella
That night, I stayed over at Jimmy’s – which meant it was our first morning waking up together, entangled in one another’s arms. Slowly, I opened my eyes and turned to face the alarm clock. Jimmy pulled me in tighter.
‘Mmmm . . . too early,’ he moaned. I giggled and let myself be hugged.
His chest was warm against my back; his arms close against my skin.
I had never been much of a cuddler. I didn’t mind a small hug, then I liked to move on.
But Jimmy was so kind and caring, there was something about his touch that made me feel peaceful, like I could trust him. I wanted to stay here all day.
I hadn’t dozed off again for long before his alarm went off, and I felt him kiss my forehead.
‘Good morning, beautiful,’ he whispered as he shut the alarm off, then headed into the en suite and turned on the shower. I lay there for a moment, marvelling at how ginormous his bed was, its feather-grey silk bedding cool beneath my naked body.
I sat up, glancing around as he hummed to himself in the shower.
Jimmy’s apartment reminded me of our Hudson Yards apartment, but his had an incredible view of Central Park and was spotless.
I inhaled deeply – jasmine and elderflower.
I could get used to this, I thought, letting the sense of comfort settle over me.
I switched on the seventy-inch TV and flicked through the apps till I settled on Netflix, almost automatically landing on Gossip Girl, my go-to distraction.
I picked up my phone and skimmed the group chat, smiling at Katy’s rants about her date. When would that girl ever find the man of her dreams? Then, noticing an archived notification, an unsettled feeling stirred in my stomach before I clicked it.
Philip: It was great seeing you yesterday. I’ll be here for a few more weeks, if you fancy catching up at some point. Or we can wait till you’re home. I’m sorry, Ella, I do know I fucked up this time x
‘Everything OK?’ Jimmy’s voice called out, and I felt my heart jump. I forced a smile as he stood before me with a towel tucked in around his waist.
‘Uh-huh, just watching Gossip Girl.’
‘You love that show, right?’ Jimmy laughed, walking around the bed and into his gorgeous walk-in wardrobe. ‘Are you hungry? Pancakes will be on the table in twenty.’
‘Of course, I am! I’m getting totally spoiled here!
’ I laughed, bumming my way to the edge of the bed, dodging the silvery stains from our night of passion, then heading into the wardrobe behind him.
I wrapped my arms around his chest, which still felt damp.
‘I’m going to shower and then I’ll get organised,’ I said, resting my head against his back.
Jimmy turned to face me, kissed me and smiled. ‘Take your time, your boss said you can be as late as you wish today.’
As I left the wardrobe and headed towards the bathroom, I passed by the bed and noticed my phone sitting there.
Not wanting Jimmy to know Philip was here or that we’d chatted, I picked it up and kept it close.
I wasn’t sure why, but it felt uncomfortable – like I’d done something wrong – and I didn’t want Jimmy to think badly of me.
I clicked off Philip’s message without replying.
After showering, I got dressed in a pre-planned outfit I’d taken to Jimmy’s the night before: cream trousers, a brown booby strapless top, with an oversized white shirt to sit over it.
I brushed my hair out and applied some concealer.
With those finishing touches, I felt fresh and ready for another day of chasing down companies and planning the launch events.
As I walked through his hallway to the open-plan kitchen, I heard voices. I paused in my tracks, not knowing whether I should continue.
‘We’re on thin ice with the investors, they don’t love the idea, and with the extra money you’re spending on the Met? Like seriously, you authorised the Met?’
My stomach flipped, knowing that I’d suggested that venue. I had no idea Jimmy would get a hard time about blowing the budget. It was his company, after all.
‘Morning,’ I said, noticing Travis and Fee cornering Jimmy in the kitchen.
Fee looked in complete shock. ‘Good morning, girl.’ She turned to Jimmy and pushed back his shoulder. ‘You didn’t say you had company, brother!’
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. ‘I didn’t get a word in edgeways, sister! Come sit down, Ella.’
Travis seemed edgy, barely meeting my eyes or saying hello. Maybe he knew I was aware of his secret and feared I’d tell Fee or Jimmy.
I walked over and took a seat at the breakfast bar, where a massive pile of pancakes waited.
‘Peanut butter?’ Jimmy smiled.
‘Nutella?’ I laughed. ‘If you have any.’
Fee let out a laugh. ‘Oh, he’s got some, it’s the only thing I have on mine.
’ She opened the cupboard door and passed me a large jar of Nutella.
‘Come on, Travis, we’ll let these two lovebirds get their breakfast, but think about a plan, Jimmy.
I mean it. We need to have legitimate answers for the board,’ Fee said assertively.
‘See you in there,’ Travis mumbled, keeping his head low and heading towards the door.
‘Bye, guys!’ Fee giggled, following him out.
When they were gone, I took a few mouthfuls of pancake and turned to Jimmy, who seemed lost in thought.
‘Are you OK?’ I asked. ‘Like, is everything OK with the business?’
Jimmy shook off his distraction and smiled. ‘Yeah, yeah.’ He grinned. ‘How are the pancakes?’
I put down my cutlery and sighed. He was always so happy; I didn’t like seeing him stressed. ‘You know, a problem shared and all that . . .’ I rolled my eyes, remembering that’s what he’d said to help me when we were at Summit One. ‘Just saying!’ I held up my hands. ‘But I’d like to help if I can.’
Jimmy managed a small laugh, then sighed and sat down next to me at the breakfast bar, leaning his elbows on the polished granite worktop and interlacing his fingers.
‘The investors are stressing over the app launching,’ he said slowly. ‘For the past eighteen months or so, we have made some silly decisions on apps launching that haven’t paid off.’
‘Shit,’ I said.
‘And the investors have, of course, picked up on the misfires. They can pull the plug on all our deals if we don’t keep up with downloads and sales.
So, the board is giving me one last chance to get the money back.
I suppose it’s all down to Stars and Swipes – it’s the next big app we’re launching. ’
I tried to grasp what Jimmy was saying. One last chance? But it was his company. Shouldn’t he be in control? I realised I didn’t know. Business at this level was beyond me, but I wanted to help, even if I had no clue how.
‘I founded the company, but the board runs it,’ he sighed, as if sensing my confusion. ‘I have a seat, but if they feel I’m running it poorly, like losing money hand over fist or making bad decisions with deals – as some of them have insinuated – then they can pull me out.’
‘And how badly have the other deals gone?’ I asked, feeling sick for him, while not wanting him to think I pitied him.
Jimmy’s eyes looked sad, hurt, and I sensed he’d been dealing with all this stress alone.
‘Well, they’ve lost the investors millions, put it that way.
But I hadn’t signed off on the other apps, Ella.
It was the other members of the team, they were their projects, but when you sit at the top, then you become the one who’s ultimately responsible.
’ He placed his hands on his heart. ‘I know I’ll fix this.
This company is all I have.’ His voice was shaking.
‘So, what do you need from Stars and Swipes?’ I asked, seeing that I needed to be blunt with him.
‘It has to be such a success that the board is willing to overlook the previous losses and that the investors will feel inspired enough to agree to keep backing my company,’ he said, closing his eyes and sinking his head onto my shoulder.
‘It will be,’ I promised, squeezing his hand. ‘We’ll make sure it is, OK?’ I felt motivated and determined to help him. Jimmy had worked so hard on turning his life around but I wondered if the board held his less-than-squeaky-clean past against him, regardless.
I couldn’t help but think: what part did the stalker play in all of this? What part did Britney play? I knew she was involved. Maybe she deliberately sabotaged his deals. Britney and her cronies must want the app to fail so that Jimmy loses his company. But why?
A stabbing pain struck my stomach. The world was growing darker and more twisted. Someone out there wanted him to lose everything.