by Iles, Jo
‘What’s this?’ Daniel asked, his attention now completely devoted to a pile of drawings on Holly’s desk.
‘It’s one of our current jobs. A new build residence out in the country,’ Holly said, momentarily surprised by his interest, as she pulled out the 3D visuals for the project for him to see. Daniel was being very un-Daniel-like. Design and architecture was Holly’s field of interest and expertise, not his.
‘Holly, this is amazing. Really amazing,’ Daniel said, sounding genuinely impressed.
‘Thanks,’ Holly squeaked, embarrassed at his effusiveness.
‘What else are you working on?’ Daniel asked, with more of the same interest in his tone.
‘Would you like a tour of the design office?’ Holly offered. The suggestion was out of her mouth before she’d had a chance to think twice. She wondered how she was going to explain Daniel’s presence to her staff, and, more to the point, to the eagle-eyed Chloe. She never missed a thing.
‘That’d be great,’ Daniel said, flashing her a big smile.
Holly’s design company had become so much of a permanent fixture in her life that she’d practically forgotten that this would all be completely new to Daniel. The business was, after all, a post-Daniel development in her life. One of the few things, other than Harry, that had actually changed about her.
But as Holly showed Daniel around the office, she saw that something had changed about him. His behaviour was a revelation. Each time she explained this drawing or showed that model to him, she was totally surprised at how impressed he seemed to be. He kept asking her curious questions about the status of each project, whether they’d encountered problems with planning and building regulations, and so on. In the time they’d been apart, Daniel seemed to have developed his knowledge of, as well as an appreciation for design and architecture.
To Holly, it seemed as though Daniel had done a complete U-turn with regard to her industry. He’d previously never given her much support with regard to her profession—his argument always being that she didn’t need to work; he could never really get his head around the fact that she actually loved her work and wanted to do it. And back then, he’d refused to see the importance of building in a sustainable and responsible way. But now, he was asking her if she’d ever built a carbon-neutral house. Holly had absolutely no clue what had prompted this complete metamorphosis in her husband’s attitude.
Despite her earlier annoyance at Daniel, Holly was finding it hard not to bask in his positive words and energy. As she clocked Chloe talking him through a building schedule, she even saw that he’d managed to win over her skeptical friend—judging by the huge smiles Chloe was throwing in his direction. There was no doubt about it. Daniel was thoroughly impressed with Holly’s office, and Holly’s office was thoroughly impressed and under the spell of Daniel’s charisma. Holly included.
And then the spell was broken.
‘So, I’ll see you both at the weekend, then?’ Daniel asked, although to Holly’s ears it didn’t sound like much of a question.
‘We’ll see,’ Holly said, feeling Daniel’s need to be in control springing quickly back into action.
‘I’ll send a car,’ Daniel replied, giving her his most charming smile.
‘Just leave me your details,’ Holly replied, feeling determined not to give in to him. Well, not immediately anyway.
‘C’mon, Holly. I’ve seen your car. I don’t want you driving any length of time with my son in that thing,’ Daniel said, more adamantly.
‘That car passes every service with flying colours,’ Holly snapped, feeling defensive of her old, but lovely and extremely reliable, Nissan.
Daniel gave her an audible huff, but for once in his life he backed down. Instead, he fished a card out of his wallet.
‘Here’s my address and number,’ he said, handing her the card. ‘Come in time for lunch on Saturday,’ he finished with a tight smile, as he slipped on his jacket and strolled out the door.
Holly blew a sigh of relief when he’d finally gone. It was hard for her to completely relax around him. Particularly as he seemed to oscillate in the blink of an eye: from being charming and inquisitive Daniel one minute, to controlling Daniel the next. Holly knew it was juvenile and considerably beneath her, but she couldn’t help but feel a smidgen of satisfaction that she’d managed to annoy him. She knew he’d fully expected her to agree with him immediately: agree to come to his party and accept his swanky car without a moment’s hesitation. But she hadn’t. If Daniel was going to become a bigger and more permanent fixture in hers and Harry’s lives, then there needed to be some more equal footing than there had been in the past. Holly knew she must start as she meant to go on—and her small, albeit petty, refusal was a small victory as far as she was concerned.
Now, the question for Holly was whether she and Harry should go to Daniel’s party? There was no point asking Harry, because she knew his answer would be a resounding yes. And a part of Holly wanted to go, too. On one hand, she was curious to find out how Daniel lived his life these days—what his home was like and who his friends now were. They obviously still had a physical connection, seeing as they couldn’t keep their hands off each other on the two occasions they’d seen each other recently. Holly was intrigued to learn if they had a real possibility of a happy ever after together.
But on the other hand, she was incredibly nervous about the whole thing and she wasn’t really sure if she wanted to get involved in Daniel’s life again. And what if his mother was there? The woman had told her and Daniel bare-faced lies. Holly wasn’t sure she wanted to see such a woman again, let alone make small talk with her. She wondered how Daniel sounded so levelheaded about his mother’s deception. That was another thing that was very unlike Daniel. Maybe he had changed, Holly allowed herself to hope.
Chapter 5
It was Saturday morning, and Holly still hadn’t made a final decision as to how she and Harry would be spending their weekend. Would they go to Daniel’s house? Or would they stay at home in their pajamas, eating sweet things and watching cartoons? Of course, Holly had made a few preparations—although whether they were subconsciously or consciously done, she couldn’t say for definite. Her humble little Nissan was fueled up and ready to go. She had the directions to Daniel’s house programmed into her phone. She’d even made a mental list of what clothes to pack for herself and Harry, in the event that she did decide to go.
But something was holding her back. Fear. A huge dose of good old-fashioned, palpitation-inducing fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of someone coming between her and Harry. Fear of her own feelings and how she might act upon them. And ultimately she possessed a deep-rooted fear of Daniel. She was afraid of his power and ability to get what he always wanted. She was afraid that he was just fooling around with her—and yet, she was terrified that he might be serious. Holly was a mass of incomprehensible and contrary emotions, so much so that she didn’t know what to do with herself. To get in the car or not? That was the question.
‘Mum! Doorbell,’ Harry shouted in her ear, yanking her out of her bout of inner turmoil. ‘Ding dong, ding dong,’ Harry yelled down the hallway en route to the door, as was becoming his customary chant. When he got to the door, he ceased his racket and, as silently as he could, peeked through the letterbox. Holly couldn’t help but smile at his sudden change from noisy child to one now attempting stealth.
‘I’m coming,’ Holly called as she stormed down the hall. She was pleased to see that Harry was being relatively well-behaved in that he hadn’t actually opened the door without her being there. Holly wouldn’t have put it past her son to have found a way to open the heavy door all by himself.
When Holly opened the door, she was completely surprised to see a clean-shaven, close-cropped man in a black suit and sunglasses standing on her doorstep. The chap’s appearance before her screamed security, and then the penny dropped. He must be from Daniel, Holly realised to herself.
‘Mr Madison sent a car for you, Mrs Madiso
n,’ the security bot said in a flat, matter-of-fact tone that gave absolutely no hint as to what his true emotions about Mr Madison, or her, were.
Holly felt her protective lioness mother wake up, and she forced herself to stand a little taller and fold her arms across her chest. He shall not pass, Holly repeated silently in her head, channelling that lioness and combining it with a bit of Gandalf. Of course, her steely glare and strong body language may have been slightly undermined by the fact that she was clad in her favourite panda pajamas, complete with fluffy panda slippers.
The security bot seemed wholly unfazed by her defiant you shall not pass display, and just stood there, patiently waiting.
‘Say something, Mum,’ Harry piped up, peeking around the door.
Shit, Holly internally scolded herself. She hadn’t actually said a word yet, so preoccupied had she been in the not-letting-him-past bit.
‘Please thank Daniel, but it really isn’t necessary,’ Holly said at last, trying to be polite in front of Harry.
‘I have my instructions, Mrs Madison,’ the security bot replied.
‘Do you now? And what, may I ask, are they?’ Holly asked, raising an eyebrow. She had a fair idea what he was going to say.
‘To escort you and Master Harry to the house,’ he said. ‘For lunch—and the party later,’ he added, with a slight inclination of his head, as though he were imparting some great wisdom.
‘Woohoo!’ Harry yelled. ‘Party party party!’ He did his happy dance on the spot.
‘Thanks,’ Holly said sarcastically to the security bot. He’d well and truly dropped her in it now. When Harry got fixated on something, it was practically impossible to distract him with anything else. Cartoons, toys, and food couldn’t sidetrack him once he’d got something stuck in his head. Not even chocolate—and Harry liked chocolate a lot.
The security bot stood impassively. He wasn’t pushing for an invitation to come in, but there was nothing about him that gave the suggestion that he was going to go away anytime soon. Holly realised she’d been backed into a corner, but she could at least proceed on her own terms.
‘Like I said, an escort really isn’t necessary. I have the address; we can find our own way there,’ Holly stated firmly.
‘But I have my instructions,’ security bot interjected.
‘I have some new instructions for you,’ Holly began. ‘You can tell Daniel, Mr Madison, that we’ll see him later. And please pass my message to him in person. That’s very important to me. No phone calls or texts.’
‘I’m sorry, Mrs Madison, but I can’t do that,’ security bot said, not even trying to sound apologetic.
‘Harry, go upstairs and brush you teeth. We need to get ready for the party,’ Holly said, turning to her son, who for once in his life disappeared upstairs as requested.
‘So you only work for Daniel?’ Holly asked, returning her attention to the security bot and trying a different tactic.
‘Mr Madison,’ the security bot confirmed quickly. ‘And his family,’ he added, not-so-quickly.
‘Well, I am Daniel’s wife,’ Holly purred at him. Saying it as well as hearing it was just plain weird. ‘Which technically makes me family. So I guess you work for me as well,’ Holly explained, trying not to dwell on calling herself a wife any longer than was necessary.
‘Yes, Mrs Madison,’ security bot replied, ever so slightly deflated.
‘I know you’re just doing your job, but Daniel has to know that I’m just doing mine in taking care of my son the best way I know how,’ Holly explained with more openness than she’d intended. ‘But you can still pass on a message from both Harry and myself to his lordship.’
‘Of course, Mrs Madison,’ replied the security bot.
‘It has to be given in person. To Daniel. Mr Madison. As quickly as you can.’
‘Of course, Mrs Madison.’
‘No texting or phoning him either. You have to deliver this message in person,’ Holly warned.
‘Of course, Mrs Madison,’ security bot repeated for the third time. Holly thought she noticed him raise his eyebrows slightly, as though he were affronted that she’d asked him so many times. But then again, he was wearing sunglasses, so Holly couldn’t be entirely certain.
‘Do I have your word?’ Holly asked him seriously, as though this was a matter of life and death.
‘Yes, Mrs Madison,’ replied a now visibly irritated security bot.
‘Then come here,’ Holly said, lunging for him and plastering her lips to his, giving him a full-on snog. Security bot’s strong hands clasped Holly’s waist and she was very aware that he kissed her back for at least a few seconds before he overcame his surprise and detached himself from her.
‘Well, off you go,’ Holly smiled at him. ‘Please pass on my message to Daniel and let him know we’ll be along later.’ She then rushed at him again and gave his cheek a very quick peck.
‘And that’s from Harry,’ she said cheekily as she stepped back indoors and shut the door firmly behind her.
Holly ran upstairs and did a bit of curtain twitching from her bedroom window. She saw a slightly lost-looking security bot slowly walking back to his big black car, shaking his head.
‘Take that, Daniel Madison,’ Holly said victoriously, smiling widely as she clapped eyes on her reflection in her dressing-table mirror. She looked ridiculous in her panda PJs and with her wild hair sticking up every which way. Her comical appearance only made her smile even more widely. As she toddled off to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead, a part of her also hoped her nosy neighbours had enjoyed her Saturday morning performance.
When Holly had explained to Harry that they were going to his father’s home for his birthday party, Harry had seemed unbelievably calm and mature, compared to the hyper-excited little boy from earlier who’d been shouting party at the top of his lungs. Her thoughtful little boy appeared before her as he went about making a picture for his dad, using colours that were liked only by boys of course, and selecting one of his toys to give as a present.
In the car, he sat uncharacteristically quiet behind her, watching the scenery drift on past without his usual constant questioning. Holly sensed he must be nervous about meeting his father again.
‘What are you thinking about?’ Holly asked in her rearview mirror.
‘Daddy,’ Harry replied, still gazing out the window.
‘What about him?’ Holly said soothingly, hoping she would be able to de-stress him. She didn’t want Harry to be anxious about anything. That was her job.
‘Just that he’s going to be angry,’ Harry said, now looking back at her via the rearview mirror.
‘He’s not going to be angry, darling. People can’t be angry on their birthdays. Don’t be worried about anything. He’s looking forward to seeing you,’ Holly said calmly.
‘I’m not worried about me, Mum,’ Harry replied, resuming his survey of the passing countryside.
‘Harry. What on earth do you mean?’ Holly asked, feeling there was something she was missing.
‘Daddy is going to be angry with you,’ Harry blurted out, bordering on the verge of getting angry himself.
‘He is now, is he?’ Holly replied, feeling her temperature rise. If anybody was going to be getting angry at anyone, it was going to be her at Daniel for manipulating her into coming that morning.
‘Yes!’ Harry shouted at her, tears now ready to spill from his eyes. Where did those come from? He’d been fine a few seconds ago.
‘Why is he going to be cross with me, Harry?’ Holly asked more gently after a deep breath, deciding to humour him rather than lose her own temper.
‘Because you were kissing that man at the door,’ Harry said, a huge dollop of a tear escaping down his cheek. ‘Daddy will be angry at you, and then he won’t want to see me anymore.’
‘You saw that?’ Holly asked incredulously.
‘Yes, through your bedroom window.’
‘Harry, I told you to brush your teeth, not spy on me.’
‘Look Mum, I saw you kissing that man and now Daddy will be angry with you.’
So. It had begun already. The boys were already taking sides and ganging up against her, Holly sadly thought to herself. Her earlier euphoria at getting one over on Daniel had by now worn off, and she was a bag of badly disguised nerves. Not because she’d kissed the security bot; because Harry seemed to see things in the same black-and-white way in which his father did. Holly had an inkling that if she wasn’t careful, this weekend had the potential to do some damage between her and her precious little boy. From now on, she had to be on her guard.
‘Some things are between me and your father, Harry. You’re a little bit too young to understand now, but I promise I’ll explain everything to you when you’re a bit older. You father absolutely wants to know you and he would never stop wanting to know you because of something I did,’ Holly explained, trying to exude a calmness she didn’t feel. She hoped as she’d never hoped in her life that she was telling the truth, and that Daniel really did want to get to know his son.
Chapter 6
Harry had been relatively mollified after their talk, and he spent the remainder of the car journey chatting away with his toys in the backseat, as usual. After just over an hour of driving, and only one wrong turn, they reached Daniel’s house. Holly was surprised that he lived so close. All these years, and he hadn’t been all that far away from her. Or Harry. She thought he’d have stayed in the area they’d lived in when they’d been together, but obviously not. Granted, his driveway was a bitch to find, and he was completely out in the sticks, but still, seventy minutes or so, door to door—it wasn’t unworkable.
And what a house. As Holly pulled up in her tired-looking Nissan, she now wondered if this was why Daniel had sent that big black shiny car for them. Her little workhorse was a blot on the landscape. The house, the grounds: they were all seriously beautiful. The house was a new-build boxy construction with lots of glass, presumably to capitalise on the magnificence of the surrounding countryside. In the afternoon sunshine, it was hard to imagine the place being any more breathtaking.
