Chapter 20
20
JACOB
I t’s surprising how quickly the seasons go by.
One moment, we’re landing in France in the wintery rain. The next, summer’s going all gold and orange and autumn is blowing in.
All those days went by because of Gabriel and his family. Our family? They made a nightmare into a dream, damn them. How are we supposed to live without them now?
Catherine doesn’t seem to be in any rush to go back to London. She walks in the grove of olive trees, a thoughtful expression on her face, and I watch her from the window of the main bedroom, admiring the view.
My wife. That is my fucking wife, Catherine, and I love her.
The buzz of an incoming call interrupts my admiring thoughts.
“Chambers.”
“Oh, sweet Christ! You’re alive! I thought you’d died and bequeathed your company to me!”
“You’re hilarious, Evans.”
“Don’t I know it. Have you had enough of abandoning your business interests here in London?”
Evans has neatly taken over my role at the office. She told me that if I ever got in a plane crash again and neglected to call her, she’d find me herself and smash heirloom china over my head.
“I don’t know,” I say, after a too-long pause. “I might need to abandon them a bit longer.”
She sighs. “If you’re going to hand me the reins, then just do it, Chambers. I want the title and the raise. I want the power.”
“You already have the power.”
“Of course I do. But it’s better if you make the arrangement formal. And permanent.”
“You forget yourself.”
“Do I?” she wheedles. “Or do I simply know that your heart’s desire is to spend a few years making your wife grow round with child in New York?”
“Evans! I’m shocked!’
She laughs evilly. “No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.”
In the olive grove, Catherine pauses and looks up at the window. I wave to her, thinking of that night in the forest and how terribly, beautifully brave she was and how I might have fallen head over heels for her right then.
“I can’t leave permanently, you know. I have the townhouse. And standing holiday invitations.”
“Your invitations will remain intact,” Evans says in a soothing tone, which is scarier than the laugh. “You can always come back when you’re ready.”
“Do you know what I think? I think you’re lying to me. I think you’ll rule my company with an iron fist, and everyone there will become loyal to you, and if I ever move back to London, I’ll have to work for you .”
“I haven’t the faintest what you’re talking about. That’s certainly not the plan I had in mind.”
“It’s exactly the plan you had in mind. Admit it, and the company is yours for the next two years.”
“Done.”
Catherine’s watching me, a bemused smile on her face.
I undo my belt, then my zipper, then motion to the front of my pants in case the meaning wasn’t clear.
“Don’t keep her waiting, Chambers.”
Evans’s voice startles me. I drop the phone, then scramble to pick it up, my whole chest suffused with glee and embarrassment. “Sorry about that. I’ve got to go.”
“Tell Catherine I said she’s very welcome!” Evans cries, then hangs up.
I sweep Catherine into my arms all of thirty seconds later. Then her mouth is on mine, and she’s laughing , and when we tumble into the bed, I forget everything, everything , but her.