Chapter 39
James - One Month Later
Sadie’s frowning as she turns the page in her book, and I study her surreptitiously over the top of my laptop.
She’s wrapped up in a large olive-colored cardigan, and Mr. Karen is stretched out fast asleep on the couch next to her, paws pressed into her thigh.
I adopted him officially two weeks ago. There’s no way either of us could send him back, and he provides so much entertainment.
Out the window, the October sunshine is lighting up the dust on the windows, and I make a mental note to talk to the management company about cleaning.
When I woke up this morning, Sadie wasn’t in bed; she’d already disappeared to her favorite spot in the apartment to reread a Brandon Sanderson book.
Everything’s been ridiculously quiet over the last month, except perhaps for Janus and Jo, where the arrival of baby Williams has thrown their life into chaos, and I’ve taken over the running of the business.
At first, I struggled with the constant demands on my time, but I’m settling into a groove now, carving out some time in the day, and things are actually going well.
There’s a different vibe in the office, a sort of calm and organized clarity that I really like, even though we’re running flat out.
The team seems settled, I talk to Des every day, and Samsung is happy.
Having to make fast decisions on my own is surprisingly satisfying.
Who knew? I rub my eyes behind my glasses.
Jake is in jail, and Sadie and her mom will eventually testify, but the case is progressing slowly.
Sadie’s mom is still in our spare bedroom, but it’s like living with the best roommate.
She’s quiet and easy, and I’d bet good money that Des’s apartment has never been so spotless.
She’s fixed the leaking tap and redone the seal around the bath.
Clearly, she’s very used to looking after herself and getting things done, just like Sadie.
Shame she can’t do the outside of the windows.
All the cleaning companies she works for seem to treat their staff like dirt, but persuading her to join us in an admin role is still a work in progress.
I think she thinks I’m joking every time I try to talk her into it.
“You’re staring,” Sadie says.
And my eyes snap back into focus. “Best view in the world,” I say, with a cheesy grin, and she snorts.
“You want to go for a bike ride later?” I say.
She tilts her head. “A bike ride? That wasn’t what I expected you to say. Cycling with your biking buddies isn’t enough?”
And this is another thing. I’ve joined a cycling club, and every Wednesday evening we cycle somewhere interesting in the city and grab some food. Sadie comes along, too, sometimes.
I tip my head to one side. “I missed you when I woke up.”
Saturday has become our chill-out-in-bed morning, often spent reading, a new rule and one I love, so I was kind of surprised that she had headed out here, though maybe she didn’t want to be interrupted with other ideas.
“It was a hard choice. Brandon Sanderson or James Royce.”
“So, the better man won.”
She puts her book down and stands up. Mr. Karen shakes himself, looking all disgruntled that his hot-water bottle has moved, and she heads toward me, ruffling my hair as she moves in behind where I’m sitting at the table. I tip my head back to look up at her.
“In the real world, James Royce is always the better man,” she says.
Now it’s my turn to snort. I spin round to lock her between my knees. She nods at my screen. “You’re working on the new Samsung hardware?”
“Yep. It’s quite exciting what they’ve done. You want to see?”
I’ve been teaching Sadie more electronics stuff, and she’s taken to it like a duck to water.
She’s got this visual sense of how and where things connect, like it’s her superpower.
I can already tell that she has an instinctive way of looking at a computer board that isn’t very common.
Once she’s learned all the theory, she’s going to be amazing at hardware as well as software.
She smiles at me. “Maybe later, I’m at an exciting part of my book. I didn’t want you to feel neglected, though.”
I laugh. “Neglected? I don’t think there’s any chance of that.”
My relationship with Sadie is so different, and it’s felt like that from the first moment she walked down that corridor toward me.
I want to shout from the rooftops how giddy I am.
I can’t do enough for her. Work has been fine with us being a couple.
Jo pursed her lips when I told her, and said, given that she slept with one of our biggest clients, that she didn’t have a leg to stand on, and quoted some stat at me about how many people meet their future partner in the office.
She talked to Sadie, too—about the degree and about me—to make sure she was happy and reassure her about her role in the company.
It made me appreciate her approach to this business even more.
“Who’s making dinner tonight?” I say.
“I think it’s my turn,” she says as she heads back to the couch and picks up her book again, and Mr. Karen eyes her up like he wants to make sure she’s not going to move again for several hours.
And just like that, we’re peacefully spending time together, wrapped up and enjoying our own worlds. I still haven’t told Sadie that I love her. I’m biding my time. But I hope she realizes it in what we do together every day.