He looked almost sulky as he replied.
“Okay, I understand, but I really wish you weren’t going for so long. I’m going to be utterly deprived by the time I see you again. I’m only glad that you decided to drop the physiotherapy and stick with the basic sports injury training. It’s the fast track course that you’re taking, so it’s only going to be for a year fulltime, thank goodness. I couldn’t stand it any longer than that.”
Carrie put her head down.
“No, me either. I’d rather be working with you every day, but this will be better for the future and you were always going on about getting a good education before you settled down. I’m only practising what you preached.”
“Huh! Wish I’d kept my mouth shut now. I didn’t know I was going to make millions at the time, or I wouldn’t have bothered going on about it so much.” He sounded almost defeated.
Carrie sighed deeply.
“Try and understand Daniel. Look at it from my point of view. They’re your millions, not mine. I worked flat out for three years and didn’t make a penny doing what I loved. I just about survived on the money I earned. I do have my pride if nothing else. Unless you want me going away for months on end touring for the next ten years, it’s going to have to be this. I don’t have any other choice.”
Daniel smiled down at her and flicked her hair back from her face.
“Idiot. They’re our millions. I couldn’t have done any of it if you hadn’t been there waiting for me. Even if you didn’t know that you were meant to be waiting for me. You know, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over that. I don’t know whether it was love or blind faith that made you wait all that time for me. I put absolutely everything into my work in Atlanta for us because I thought you had received my letter and knew how I felt. Thank God it just happened to work out alright anyway, so don’t be doing this just because of the money.”
She searched his eyes.
“I’m not doing this for the money. I’m doing this because I love dancing and I want to set up the studio with the clinic running along side it. My old colleague Oliver has agreed to take some of the dance classes now that I’ve managed to catch up with him and Jess is on board too. We don’t know a single dancer that doesn’t have painful injuries. They have knees that niggle, shoulders that crunch horribly, and ankles that click like they’re out of joint. We’re all decrepit by the time we’re thirty and we need help badly. This is going to be a fabulous venture. And Lisa is looking forward to joining the project too. She’s going to be coming in part time. Tommy will be just starting pre-school soon so it’ll be perfect timing for her and for me. Don’t make me feel bad about leaving you, please Daniel.”
His shoulders slumped in resignation.
“Okay, okay, leave me if you must, but I don’t know what I’m going to do while you’re gone. Don’t be surprised if you return to find a raving lunatic chomping at the tapestries by the time you get home again. I’m going to need a massive project to keep me occupied.”
She smiled indulgently at him.
“Okay, tell you what. The course finishes in late June next year. You do some searching on the internet and maybe we can have an early summer holiday. You’ll be finishing the rugby season at the same time so organizing somewhere really nice will give you something to get your teeth into.”
Daniel looked slightly happier. He quirked his lips up at her.
“Alright, I’ll do it, I’ll see what’s going, but I want it to be somewhere special. Somewhere I’ve never been in real life. Like Rome maybe?”
She laughed lightly.
“You’ve been listening to those messages again.” She accused him. “But yes, Rome was lovely. I’d love to be there with you for real this time, not watching you on the television.” Carrie picked up her bag again.
He started walking towards the lounge. His bare feet sank into the thick carpet and he picked up his ipad before he slid onto the settee.
Carrie watched him as he moved his long fingers over the screen. His dressing gown had fallen open slightly and she could see a knot of tight muscles running across his chest and stomach. She began growing hot all over as she noticed the tangle of dark hair, pointing downwards, just below his navel.
He glanced up as he felt her eyes on him. He grinned and let the dressing gown fall open slightly more.
Carrie rolled her eyes and groaned, partly in longing, partly in frustration.
“Okay. That’s enough of that sort of thing. I’m going.”
He waved his hand dismissively.
“Alright, leave me, go off on your blasted course and leave me here pining for you. I’ll book the holiday for June, but it won’t be the same without you around.” He pulled his best puppy dog expression. She walked over to the settee and bent to kiss him.
It lasted longer than she had anticipated and she was breathless by the time she stood back up.
“Tell you what.” He looked up at her solemnly. “Would it make you change your mind about going to university if we made the holiday our honeymoon?”
Carrie gasped and stepped back.
“Daniel Lewis! That is the worst excuse for a proposal that I have ever heard, and no it won’t make me change my mind about university.” She smiled shyly at his crestfallen expression and added. “But if the offer’s still open, yes I will marry you.”
Daniel laughed delightedly.
“Excellent. I’ll hold you to that, June it is. Go on then.” He waved his hand at her again. “Leave me, get going. I’ll have it all sorted out by the time you get back, the wedding included.”
Carrie shook her head.
“There is no way you are going to have a wedding and a honeymoon sorted out by three o’clock this afternoon. There aren’t any lectures today, it’s just a saying hello sort of thing.”
Daniel looked up from the screen.
“Huh, in that case don’t say hello to too many people and you can be back even earlier. Are you walking or taking the car?”
“Car today, but I’ll see how the parking is. Might be a nightmare. Should be back sooner than three if I’m driving. Do you think you can keep yourself from chomping on the tapestries until then.” She grinned at him.
“I will do my very best. Thank goodness there’s a course running locally. I would have gone completely mad if you had to go away. I’ll expect you just after three, but if you’re any later I won’t be responsible for my actions.” He suddenly put the ipad down and stood up. He walked over to her, letting the dressing gown fall completely open. He pulled her into his arms again, his hot, hard body warming her through her clothes. “You’d better get going Carrie, or I’m not going to be responsible for my actions right now.” He kissed her tenderly.
She let him taste her mouth and then she stepped back and turned to the door.
“See you in about four hours then, and I promise you, I won’t want you to be responsible for your actions when I get home.”
He let her go.
“Good. I’m going to hold you to that, and just as a reminder, and only so that you don’t forget me while you’re saying hello to all these other students.” He rummaged in his dressing gown pocket and lifted out a tiny box. “I want you to have this.” He opened the box and Carrie gasped as the huge diamond glinted a million sparkles around the room. He picked the ring out of the velvet and lifted her left hand. The platinum band slipped perfectly onto her finger.
Carrie could barely speak.
“Dan, it’s…I cant…I don’t…” She floundered as the fabulous diamond glinted in the light. “It’s so beautiful. Thank you.” She whispered eventually.
Daniel put his finger over her lips and stared into her eyes.
“Shh, it’s nothing. Just a small thank you for waiting for me, and a tiny token of my undying love.” He shoved her towards the door. “Now go on woman, or you’re going to be late. I don’t want to hear that you were given a detention on your first day.”
Carrie stopped in the doorway
. Something he had said just reminded her.
“Detention? What? Like the one you tried to get me out of three years ago. For the silly string incident.”
Daniel grinned.
“I seem to remember getting it cut to fifteen minutes on the promise that I’d help you clear it all up.”
Carrie shook her head and laughed.
“Yeah, well that might mean more if it hadn’t been you that gave me the detention in the first place. And now that you remind me, there were the doughnuts and the chewing gum too.”
Daniel flicked his hand dismissively at her.
“Serves you right for being so unobservant. If you’d fallen into my arms at that first incident we may not have had to wait three years. I think you still owe me for the torture.”
She grinned at him again.
“Well just so you know, I don’t have any money left so unless you’re going to let me off the fine, I’ll have to pay you in kind.”
Daniel growled again.
“Good. The first payment is going to start at about two minutes past three this afternoon, and I don’t take cash or credit, so make sure you’re not late.”
She nodded and then had an idea.
“Maybe I won’t take the car. If I walk, you can come over and walk me home, just like we used to. I missed it the last couple of years at college. That way you can protect me from all the young studs and the bullies at the same time.”
Daniel’s expression brightened.
“Okay, you’re on. I’ll be right outside at three, so don’t be late.”
Carrie walked out of the door and closed it behind her. She moved quickly down the hall and out onto the long drive before she took her mobile phone out of her pocket. She dialled Daniel’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Hi, have you forgotten something?”
She turned round on the driveway and looked back to where she could see him staring at her anxiously from out of one of the tall drawing room windows. She waved at him.
“It’s nothing important, I just wanted to tell you something.” She paused for a breath.
“What? What’s wrong?” He sounded worried and she could see his eyebrows forming a solid black line across his forehead.
She started walking backwards as if she didn’t want to lose sight of him ever again. Then she waved once more and whispered down the phone.
“Oh, it’s nothing much. I just wanted you to know something…”
“What?” He sounded even more on edge as he stared out of the window.
She laughed into the phone and then clicked it off. She whirled around and around as he watched, her, arms open wide as she spun wildly.
Then she yelled out, as loudly as she could, for the whole world to hear.
“I LOVE YOU DANIEL!”
The End
I hope you have enjoyed
Silent Treatment
Please go to
www.romanticsuspensebooks.co.uk
for snippets and the inspiration for my bestselling
Scarred Series
Running Scarred
Scarred Beginnings
Forever Scarred
Scarred Horizon
And
all of my other romantic adventures
A Perfect Summer
A lifetime of pain and terror wiped out by one perfect summer of love.
Delicious Desires
A delicious desire for one man could become the love of his life’s destruction.
Treasured Dreams
Could a thirteen year old girl’s diary have really sealed the fate of her entire family?
Echo Beach
Some men waited a long time to be rescued from the beaches. Some are still waiting.
Tinted Lenses
She’s a photographer’s dream, but will those lenses still be tinted by the time they fight their way out of the amazon rain forest.
A Fallen Fortune
Can Leo give up everything he owns to take a chance on love?
You are very welcome to contact me at any time at
[email protected]
You can find me on Face Book
https://www.facebook.com/jackiesbrilliantbooks
or
follow me on Twitter
https://twitter.com/wackyjackyful
Silent Treatment Page 19
