39. Theo
39
Theo
A s Jess and I stepped out of Seaview High, I smiled.
This situation was new to me.
Normally if I lost a deal, I’d be angry.
I’d go home, run off my frustration on the treadmill, lift some weights or take my annoyance out on the punchbag.
But not today.
When Edwin announced that he was selling to Jessica, relief flooded my chest. I was so happy for her. Like I’d said many times today, she deserved it.
My first instinct was to hold her and congratulate her. I didn’t care if Edwin realised we were closer than perhaps we should’ve been. I needed Jess to know that I was thrilled with her success.
‘So what would you like to do now?’ I asked.
‘No idea!’ She shrugged. ‘I genuinely wasn’t expecting this.’
‘If you don’t want to go to the pub to celebrate, we could get a bottle of champagne and have a drink together on the beach?’
‘Yes! I like that idea much better.’
‘Great. How about we get changed, then I’ll get some supplies and we can meet at our bench in about an hour and a half?’
‘Okay!’
We walked back to the B&B, then returned to our rooms. Once I’d showered and changed I started packing.
When I checked my phone, I saw that my father had sent over details for Paris. His secretary had booked me on the first Eurostar there on Sunday morning and there was a load of stuff I had to catch up on at the office before I left. That meant I’d need to be there all day tomorrow to bring myself up to speed, so it was best for me to return to London tonight.
My stomach twisted. I didn’t want to leave Jess. This was her special day and I wanted everything to be perfect for her. But as much as I’d told myself earlier that I didn’t care what my father thought, the reality was I had to work. Father owned me. Everything was tied to him. My livelihood and my home came from him. So as much as I hated the situation, I still had to toe the line.
Hopefully Jess would understand.
After I’d finished packing, I headed to the supermarket. The selection of champagne was limited, so I decided to go to the pub.
‘Hello, you!’ Barbara said as soon as I stepped through the door. ‘Sorry to hear about your pitch, but I’m sure you’re happy for your lovely Jess.’
‘Absolutely.’ I smiled. ‘The right woman won.’
‘Awww, you’re such a sweetheart. She’s a very lucky lady to have such a supportive boyfriend.’ Barbara winked and my chest tensed with guilt.
Now that I was off to Paris I had no idea what would happen between us.
‘Could I buy a bottle of your finest champagne and a couple of glasses?’
‘Oooh, are you two planning a cosy night in?’ She grinned.
‘No. We’re… going somewhere more intimate to celebrate. Jess is still taking everything in, so she’s not ready for a big celebration tonight.’
‘No worries! A bottle of our best champers and two glasses coming right up!’
Once I got the champagne, I stopped at Candace’s. She gave me two portions of fish and chips to take away in a hamper to make it easier to carry.
When I arrived at our bench, Jess was already there.
‘Thought I’d be the early one for a change!’ She smiled and my heart swelled. God, I was going to miss her smile.
‘Ah! I wanted to get everything set up before you got here, but you know what it’s like in this town. You can’t just get what you want and run. Everyone likes to stop and have a chat.’
A few weeks ago, that would’ve been my idea of hell. I hated making small talk. But the people here had grown on me.
‘Yeah! So different to London, where most people like to keep their heads down and avoid making eye contact. Anyway, what you got in there?’ She pointed to the hamper.
‘Firstly’—I opened it and pulled out the first container—‘for dinner we have fish and chips. ’
‘Oooh!’
‘And to toast your incredible achievement, we have a bottle of Sunshine Bay’s finest champagne.’ I took out the bottle, then handed her a glass.
‘So fancy!’
‘Nothing less than what you deserve. How are you feeling now? Has it sunk in yet?’
‘It’s starting to, but I’m shitting bricks.’
‘I know it must be daunting, but you’re going to be fine. Cecil will take care of all the legal stuff, and if you need any help with the building works, then just tell me and I’ll help you too.’
‘Really?’ Her eyes widened.
‘Of course. I want to see you succeed. And I want to be your first library member.’
‘Aww.’ She beamed as I popped open the champagne, then poured it into our glasses.
‘To you and your fantastic romance library.’ I raised my glass and clinked it against hers.
‘To both of our future successes,’ Jess said.
The evening flew by. Once we’d finished eating, we talked for hours, only pausing to marvel at the beautiful orange-and-yellow sky as the sun set.
I couldn’t even remember all the different things we’d spoken about.
Of course we’d started off discussing her plans for the library, but then the conversation quickly turned to Office Delight , which we’d finished a couple of nights ago but hadn’t had a chance to dissect fully because we were both so tired.
As we headed back to the B&B hand in hand with only the moonlight and street lamps to illuminate our path, Jess gushed about the fact that she’d heard the author of Office Delight was writing a sequel and how excited she was to read it.
‘It’s funny,’ Jess said. ‘A few weeks ago I couldn’t even bring myself to read a book, and now listen to me counting down the months until the next book in the series comes out!’
‘That’s been one of my favourite parts of this whole experience.’ I wrapped my arm around her back. ‘Seeing you get your reading mojo back.’
‘Ditto.’ She smiled. ‘Seeing you fall in love with reading again has been lovely to see. If someone had told me that first day we met that you’d become a romance fan, I would’ve laughed in their faces!’
‘I probably wouldn’t have believed it either,’ I chuckled. ‘But I’m glad you introduced me to it. Romance books are shockingly underrated. I completely understand now why they’re so popular. In my opinion, they should be available on prescription. They make you feel happy and uplifted. They show how people overcome obstacles and how perseverance pays off. They demonstrate how the world becomes a better place because two people came together. And the spicy scenes are also very enjoyable… romance reader for life!’ I patted my chest proudly.
‘Couldn’t have said it better myself! So,’ Jess said, ‘shall we read again together tonight? I missed you last night.’ As she beamed, my face fell. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to get soppy.’
‘I missed you too. But I… I need to go back to London. Tonight.’
‘What?’ Jess’s jaw dropped and my stomach clenched. ‘Why? ’
‘I have to go to Paris first thing on Sunday morning and I need to be at the office at the crack of dawn tomorrow to catch up on everything, so it’s better if I go tonight. And I think it might make things easier.’
I knew if I was in bed with Jess in my arms, there was no way I’d have the strength to leave.
‘When you say things , do you mean us ? Do you want to end this?’
‘Of course not. But right now, I have no idea how long I’ll be in Paris. If my father had his way, he’d keep me there indefinitely.’
‘So if you don’t want to go, why don’t you tell him?’
‘It’s not that simple, Jess. He’s already pissed off with me for losing the pitch and for getting together with you.’
‘He knows?’
‘Yes. He read our emails.’
‘Oh my God,’ she gasped. ‘So I guess he’s not letting you take over?’
‘Nope. Says I’m not ready.’
‘That’s bullshit! I’m so sorry. I know you’ve worked your whole life for that promotion, so it wasn’t fair of me to suggest that you just walk away.’
‘It is what it is.’ I scrubbed my hand over my jaw. ‘But this doesn’t have to be the end for us. Like I said, I want this to work. Being with you—these past few weeks have been incredible. Maybe we can keep in touch and when I’m back we can—’
Jess pressed her finger on my lips.
‘You’ll need to focus on your project in Paris and I’m going to be flat out trying to get this library up and running. So you’re right. It’s probably better if we just have a clean break now. ’
‘That’s what you really want?’ I frowned. Clearly she didn’t feel as deeply for me as I did for her.
‘It’s for the best,’ Jess said as we arrived outside the B&B. ‘Thanks again. For everything!’ She pecked me on the cheek. ‘I’m really tired, y’know, with the presentation and all the excitement. I think I’ve been running on adrenaline all day and I’m about to crash, so I’m just going to go straight to bed now. Have fun in Paris and… good luck!’
Before I had a chance to respond, Jess flew inside and bolted up the stairs.
I, on the other hand, was left standing at the door shell-shocked and wondering if I’d ever see the only woman I’d had deep feelings for again.