15
Apologies
Dani walked through the front door and carefully closed it behind her.
It was just before midnight and she was trying hard not to wake anyone.
She slipped off her shoes and hung up her coat and headed for the kitchen.
She needed a drink. She’d have to find her own place soon.
The thirty-minute drive every night was beginning to get to her.
She’d need to start flat hunting. Maybe on Monday, she mused.
Yet another thing to add to her to do list. She snorted to herself as she flicked on the kitchen light.
That to do list was getting longer and longer by the day.
“Hey.”
Dani jumped out of her skin and she let out a muffled cry as her hand flew to her mouth. “Jesus, Adam, you scared the living daylights out of me. Did I wake you?”
He smirked at her, leaning against the kitchen counter in his T-shirt and drawstring trousers.
“No. I was waiting up for you.” He pulled out a chair and sat down as Dani opened the fridge and pulled out the tequila bottle. She motioned to it and Adam nodded.
“Waiting for me? Why?” Dani reached up to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses and place them on the table and poured two large measures.
“Sit down, Dani.”
Feeling pretty wired after her encounter with Jerome today and the busy evening that had followed, she was hoping the drink would relax her. She carefully pulled out a chair and sat down, puzzled as to why Adam would be waiting up for her.
Adam lifted up his glass and Dani clinked it with hers. “Salute.”
Adam raised his eyebrow, “Yeah, cheers.” Then took a large gulp.
“So?” Dani took a large gulp and rested back in the chair.
“Jez sent me an email,” Adam explained.
Dani’s stomach clenched. The way Adam was looking at her only meant one thing. “Oh. Bad news?”
Adam twisted his mouth, indicating he wasn’t sure. “After a paragraph of him tearing into me about my – how did he put it – overzealous attitude, he’s decided to buy you out.”
Dani let out a breath she’d been holding. “Oh, I see. That’s good news, then, isn’t it?” Dani looked at him expectantly, but from the look on his face, she could see there was something else, something maybe not so good after all. “What is it, Adam?”
“He’s decided to buy you out at the asking price I stipulated. The price was an average of the three valuations and he was happy not to dispute that –”
“Adam, just get to the point. What’s the condition?” Dani interrupted. After five years working alongside and living with Jez, she knew there must be a condition and after more than ten years of knowing Adam, it was increasingly obvious he was trying to soften the blow.
Adam snorted. “His condition is that he meets up with you before he hands over the money. Actually, he wants to hand over the cheque in person. He wants to see you, so you can talk.”
Dani leaned forward and rubbed her face as Adam looked on.
Adam clenched his jaw and gripped his glass.
He knew Jez’s game – Jez was trying to get her back and knew that he only needed to be with her for a few hours and she’d start to feel sorry for him and he’d guilt her into getting back with him.
“Look, you don’t need to answer him yet. I can send him an email to say you’re considering the offer. I can stall him.” Adam was hoping that if Dani had more time away from him she’d feel stronger.
“How long before I have to answer him?” Dani interrupted.
“A week or so, and then it’ll take a few weeks for the paperwork to be drafted. I’m sure he’ll need a month to get the money together, unless he has it in cash somewhere?”
Dani shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’ll be borrowing it.” She took a deep breath. “I want to get this done as fast as possible Adam. I need to. I’m trying to get my life back on track and this is hanging over me.”
“I’m not altogether happy about his motive, Dani. You know he’ll try and –”
“I know, Adam. I know what he’ll try to do. But if you’re there, he won’t be able to try anything…”
“He stipulates that he wants to see you alone, Dani. No one else, just the two of you.“ Adam’s voice hardened. He took another drink from his glass as Dani sat back in her chair.
“I need to talk to him.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to. I’ll deal with this.”
“No, Adam. I’m fed up of feeling intimidated by him. I’ll call him and try and talk him around. There’s no way I’m going to go down to London to see him. It’s just too soon.”
“I’ll do whatever you want. But I won’t stand for him making you feel guilty. He was the asshole.”
Dani nodded and drained her glass. “Thanks, Adam, for everything. I mean it.”
Adam smiled a small grin at her and patted her hand. Wanting to change the subject, he grinned more broadly. “So, I heard you made your boss a cake today.”
Dani’s eyes jerked up to Adam’s face. “Er, yes.”
“He was very” – Adam paused as he tried to find the appropriate word – “well, he seemed very pleased that you made him one.”
Dani blushed slightly and grabbed the bottle. “He told you that?” She poured them both another drink, purposely avoiding Adam’s gaze. She felt an overwhelming thrill at the thought of having pleased Jerome, in any way.
“Yes, he did.”
“Well, I seem to be the birthday cake baker. I’m making one for Silvanna next week for her birthday too.”
“I see. Well, that’s nice. You seem to have really settled in there.” Adam took a sip from his glass and got up from the table. “Well, I’d better let you get to bed. It’s late.”
“Sure. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Dani sat for a moment, staring into her glass.
Her emotions were all over the place. Jez had finally come to terms with her leaving, though she knew he was still going to try and win her back.
Even if it was just to satisfy his ego. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
On the one hand, she was pleased he was still fighting for her, but on the other, she knew she’d moved on.
Moving two hundred miles away from him had helped, a lot.
She knew the only way to get over him was to go cold turkey.
Cut him off dead, which was exactly what she’d done.
Dani took a sip from her glass and checked the time. It was half past midnight. He’d be busy now. The bar would be full on a Friday night. Maybe this was the best time to call him – at work. He wouldn’t be able to talk much.
She drained her glass and got up from the table and headed up to her room. No time like the present. After closing her bedroom door, she sat cross legged on her bed. Taking a deep breath, she opened up her bag and took out her phone.
JEROME DROVE INTO THE car park of the Ferretti House and pulled into his designated spot.
He checked the time – it was eleven twenty.
He was late and he felt mentally exhausted.
Dinner had been tense and once it was over, he’d decided to go home rather than stay on at La Casa.
He knew that he had left Peter shorthanded on a very busy Friday night, but he needed to spend time at home.
In hindsight, he realised his decision to go home had only unsettled him.
Instead of finding some clarity, he had in fact become even more confused.
Once they’d reached home, Jerome had taken the children up for their bath while Liz went straight upstairs to the gym to start her evening workout.
Jerome had put the children to bed, then, ensuring they were asleep, he went to find Liz.
He’d decided it was time to lay things down on the table, and delaying it was only eating away at him.
Liz had been showering when he entered her bedroom.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realise.” Jerome stood just past the threshold of the doorway as Liz came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her hair crudely tied up.
A smile curled over her lips and she fixed her cool blue eyes on him. “That’s okay. I’ve just finished my workout.”
“I’ll come back later.” Jerome suddenly felt uncomfortable. Something in the way she was looking at him made him stop from coming in further.
“No, don’t go. Sit. Did you want something?” her voice had softened and she readjusted her towel that was secured around her chest.
Jerome hesitated, then stepped closer and stood by the bed.
He wasn’t sure where to start. He was still annoyed that he’d found out about her possible job in Spain at the same time as the rest of his family.
But he didn’t want to start by accusing her of keeping secrets.
It would only escalate into a huge fight, which in turn would mean their already-strained relationship would become even more unbearable.
Jerome decided on a much softer approach, in the hope he’d get a clearer picture of where his marriage was going.
“I wanted to talk to you. I think we need to clear the air. It’s been… well, it’s been very strained and I know we’ve argued about where we stand and over the last few weeks it’s been difficult. But we need to see if this, us, is going to work.”
“I see.” Liz leaned back against the chest of drawers, her eyes never leaving Jerome’s.
“Liz. I don’t want to argue. Really, I’m done with the shouting and the screaming. We just need to see if we can make this work.”
Moving away from the chest of drawers, Liz stepped closer to the bed, “Jerome, I only wanted your attention.” Her voice was low.
“Well, you certainly got it,” he muttered. Liz stiffened at his remark. Jerome took a deep breath as he prepared himself for his next question. “Are you still seeing him?”
Liz’s eyes stayed focused on Jerome, and then she pulled out the tie that was holding up her hair, allowing her blonde locks to fall loosely over her shoulders.
“No. I told you it was just the once. How many times do I need to keep telling you?” She tried hard to keep the agitation out of her voice.
“So when you went to see him –”