The Inheritance: A feisty, giggle-inducing romance

by Coleman, Angie

  After slapping him last night, I would have thought he would be ready to poison me this morning. Why has he cooked such a tasty breakfast for me?

  “Good morning!” He greets me cheerfully when he sees me.

  I must admit – he’s surprised me yet again. Why isn’t he grouchy? Why isn’t he being his usual cranky self?

  “Good morning,” I reply, suspiciously. What is he up to?

  I sit down on one of the stools, trying to look indifferent. Then I raise my eyes and gaze into his – he’s looking at me as though I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Or at least, that’s what it feels like – I must be wrong, because it’s not like him. I’m wearing a huge hoody – my comfortable Sunday outfit – and my hair is tied in a knot. I’m not wearing make-up and I don’t feel very attractive. There’s no reason why he should look at me like that.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him, irritated.

  “Yeah, why?” he asks kindly, confusing me even more.

  “You’re staring at me!”

  “I’m not staring at you, I’m just looking at you,” he explains.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you that it’s rude to stare at people?”

  “Are you upset?”

  “No, why would I be?” Maybe because he keeps surprising me or because when we look into each other’s eyes, my recent plans and decisions don’t make sense any more. All I know right now is that I want to kiss him again.

  “There might be a reason for you to be upset.” I wonder what he’s getting at.

  “I don’t know what you mean, stop trying to analyse me.”

  “It’s because of last night,” he declares. He crosses his arms on his chest and leans back on the sink.

  “Why would I be upset about last night?”

  “Because of what happened.”

  “Nothing happened last night. Well, I enjoyed the dinner and the company.”

  “Ash,” he says. It’s the first time he’s called me that.

  “What?”

  “You know what I mean. I’m talking about our kiss,” he insists, not dissuaded. Okay, he didn’t get the fact that I’m trying to avoid the subject.

  “Nothing happened – isn’t that what we agreed? We never… we never did anything.” Why can’t I say the word ‘kiss’ in front of Jamie?

  “We kissed, Ash. We kissed.” He moves away from the sink and walks to the counter in front of me. I can’t look him in the eyes and I don’t understand why he wants to carry on with this conversation.

  “It never happened – I thought we’d agreed.”

  “You said that and then you slapped me in the face for emphasis, I remember, but then you kissed me again.”

  “Don’t ever say that word again, Jamie.” I threaten him, angrily.

  “Which word? ‘Kiss’?”

  “Stop it!”

  “Why does it bother you so much?”

  “It never happened. It was a mistake, okay?”

  “Let me understand – did it never happen or was it just a mistake?” His amused expression irritates me even more. I can’t stand him. I get off my stool and walk towards the stairs, but he stands in front of me and blocks my way.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking. What’s the problem?”

  “You’re in my way – go away.”

  “No, tell me why you’re acting like this.”

  “Like what? I’m just trying to go upstairs and watch some TV. I want time to myself!”

  “You haven’t even eaten the breakfast I made!”

  “I’m not hungry yet.”

  “That’s a lie.” He’s so insistent today.

  “Will you go away if I have some of your breakfast?” He smiles, amused, and when he does my heart races for a few seconds. How does he manage to attract me so much? How did he learn the trick?

  “I don’t think so but you can try,” he says jokingly, then he moves in a little too close.

  “Whatever you’re thinking – don’t!” I warn him. I take a step back. I bump into the counter – I’m trapped. He chuckles. That’s not a surprise – he enjoys seeing me struggle. He stretches his arm towards me and I gulp, fearing that he’s going to touch me. I want to avoid any physical contact. He grasps a stool, instead, and pulls it towards me. Then he smiles and gestures for me to sit down. I feel my cheeks flushing – I hope he didn’t misunderstand me when I gulped. Unwillingly, I sit down. The sooner we get this conversation over and done with, the better. I can’t wait to get away from him, he has a power over me that I can’t resist any longer.

  “That’s better. Would you like some breakfast?” He points to the plate that he prepared for me, then pulls up another stool and sits next to me, ignoring my nervous expression.

  I taste some of the food, only because I feel it’s the quickest way to end this awkward situation. I should have stayed locked in my room this morning, I should have guessed how he’d be.

  We have breakfast together, glancing at each other every now and again. I keep an eye on him because I don’t want him to do anything stupid – he’s enjoying seeing that I do exactly what he tells me to.

  As soon as I’m done with the food, I get off the stool like lightning, I shove my plate in the dishwasher and shoot upstairs. The telecom buzz freezes me halfway up. Who the hell is bothering me this early on a Sunday morning?

  “I’ll go,” I shout before Jamie gets off his stool. This is still my apartment, no matter what’s happening between me and him – it’s my duty to welcome any guests.

  I lean over and speak into the telecom. “Hello?” I ask glancing at Jamie, who’s still sitting in the kitchen.

  “Hello, it’s Mrs Rochester.” Her voice is unmistakable. Does she work Sundays?

  “Hello, Mrs Rochester, come on up.” I invite her in, trying to pretend I’m pleased to see her; I press a button to open the gate. I wait for her with the front door open, trying to compose myself while she is in the lift. The doors open and she appears.

  “Good morning,” I greet her, gesturing to invite her inside. She smiles at me, the gleam of her perfectly white teeth framed by red lipstick. When she enters the apartment, she takes off her brown fur coat and leather gloves.

  “Good morning, Miss Morgan. Good morning, Mr Standley.” She nods as she walks into the living room. I’m sure that neither Jamie nor I can hide a hint of perplexity in our faces.

  I take her coat and hang it up after closing the front door. Meanwhile, Jamie gets off his stool and walks to the sofa. Mrs Rochester stretches her hand out to Jamie, her gestures are confident and natural, which make her appear even more elegant.

  This is the end of my lazy Sunday!

  “I’m sorry for turning up on a Sunday, but it’s not my decision as to when I visit. I’m really sorry.”

  “Don’t worry, Mrs Rochester. We’ve just finished breakfast… would you like some coffee?” Jamie asks politely. She smiles at him kindly and blinks twice while she nods. Her attitude is getting on my nerves… and I don’t know why.

  “I thought that you guys didn’t work on a Sunday,” I tell her. I try my best to hide my irritation with all that smiling and blinking.

  “Our main office is closed, Miss Morgan, but I’m on call seven days a week.” Of course she is. Somebody calls her for a job on a Sunday, when she’s the only one working? That makes no sense.

  “Who calls you for the inspections?” I dare to ask. She doesn’t seem to be annoyed and accepts the coffee which Jamie has handed to her.

  “Your father’s will stipulates the method and frequency of inspections which we have to carry out, if you wish to inherit accordingly.” she explains whilst sipping her coffee.

  If I understand correctly, my father has given precise instructions regarding when to bother me… and of course, when is better than a Sunday morning to do that?

  I know I said this already, but Sundays are extremely important to me – they’re the only day where I can relax and recharge my batteries after a whole week at work…
and random visits from strangers on this day stress me out more than they would on any other day.

  “That’s okay, Mrs Rochester, we’re happy to have you here,” Jamie says in a friendly tone. That irritates me even more!

  “How are things going, guys?” she asks, looking only at Jamie. He invites me to sit down next to him with a gesture, then he looks back at Mrs Rochester.

  “It’s all going reasonably well, I’d say,” he says, sounding very calm.

  “What about the company?”

  “Things slowed down a bit, but we’re catching up again now,” he says, and then he glances at me.

  “That’s good – I’m happy about that. Are you happy with how things are going, Miss Morgan?”

  “Me? Of course… everything’s going well.” I reply defensively. I don’t quite understand what she wants from me, and I don’t know what to expect from her.

  “Yeah, I know that.” she comments in a serious tone, but then she glares at me through her white framed glasses. “I mean, how are you coping with it all? Is the co-habitating a problem? Are you managing to balance your jobs at the book shop and at Morgan & Hall?”

  “Yeah… I mean… of course! It’s not always easy, but I try to keep an eye on everything. I don’t have a lot of free time, you know…” I tell her, hoping that she doesn’t read this the wrong way.

  “Yeah,” she comments indifferently, her face seems to want to tell me that I need to do better. Maybe I’m just paranoid…

  “Ashley chose our February products at the beginning of the month,” Jamie interrupts cheerfully. “She’s doing all that she can to be supportive.” What on earth does he mean? I didn’t choose anything! If anything, I tried to get in the way and stop production for three whole days!

  Mrs Rochester seems to believe him – she looks more relaxed and smiles at us again.

  “I’m glad to hear that, Miss Morgan. For a moment, I thought that you didn’t want to collaborate with Jamie despite your father’s wishes. That’s excellent news! I trust you guys have found a balance between living and working together.”

  Balance? What is she talking about? We’re not planning to live together forever… is that what she means? Perhaps Mrs Rochester is waiting to see which one of us will crumble first – and if my sixth sense is still as good as it used to be, she’s betting on Jamie.

  “Did you manage to settle in well in the apartment, Mr Standley? Are you making yourself at home here?”

  “Yes, Ashley has been very welcoming and has made sure that I feel at home,” he says, and he glances at me again.

  “Did you agree on which rooms to take? Do you have a rota?” she asks. A rota? It’s a miracle that we haven’t punched each other in the face yet!

  “Do you mean that I should let Jamie use half of the apartment? That’s not quite what’s happening, I’m afraid… but he has all the space that he needs.” I reply, feeling a little nervous.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing, Mrs Rochester. Ashley has been a little overworked recently and she’s grouchy in the morning. I apologise for her.” Jamie says calmly. I don’t like being treated like a child. “I have my own room and all of the common areas in the apartment are shared. I don’t need any more.”

  “That’s good to hear. Can I walk around the apartment?”

  “Why?” I blurt out immediately.

  “I just want to see whether you really share the apartment equally and fairly,” she explains in a patronising tone. I’d like to tell her that I would rather she didn’t walk around my apartment, because it’s rude and inappropriate. I would like to kick her out straight away, but Jamie speaks again, after he stands up. “Sure, I’ll come with you.” He walks upstairs with her.

  I never thought that Jamie could be so polite to women? Doesn’t he realise that Mrs Rochester has just implied that she doesn’t believe us? How can he be so naïve?

  I decide that it’s best if I stay downstairs – Jamie has lied to protect me and I don’t want to be in trouble if Mrs Rochester isn’t convinced by the evidence lying around in the apartment. I feel nervous and irritated, and staying on the sofa seems to be the best way to try to find some peace again. Jamie doesn’t need me to show guests around my apartment anyway – he feels comfortable enough to do it all by himself.

  About ten minutes later, the two walk back into the living room – they both look happy and smiley. I still feel nervous… so much so that I wish I hadn’t had breakfast this morning.

  “Okay, Miss Morgan. I would say that I have seen enough for now – I’m happy with the way things are going. All you need to do is to carry on like this for the next eleven months, and you’ll both get what you expect to.” Why does it feel like Mrs Rochester is the real owner of the apartment, now? Who does she think she is?

  Now that I look closely at her, she looks older than I thought she was. I’m so irritated I can’t reply – I can’t think of anything sarcastic or witty to say.

  Jamie walks her to the front door. “It was a pleasure to have you,” he smiles.

  “My pleasure, Mr Standley,” she replies. This sounds more like the end of a romantic date than a legal inspection.

  When Jamie finally closes the door behind her, he turns round and I glare at him, full of irritation.

  “I’m surprised you guys didn’t kiss,” I blurt out.

  “Are you jealous?” He smirks, insufferably.

  “Jealous? Are you joking?” Why on earth would I be jealous of an old lady who goes around bothering people on a Sunday morning on the pretext of an inspection? “That’s ridiculous.”

  “You’re jealous,” he concludes, still grinning.

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “It’s the truth – you’re jealous,” he carries on. He takes a step towards me.

  “Stop it!”

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop flirting with me, it’s inappropriate.”

  “I enjoy flirting with you.”

  “Well, I don’t enjoy being the object of your flirting, so stop it now. I’m going upstairs to chill – this morning has stressed me out.” I announce defiantly. He steps towards me again – I feel my heart beating faster, this is not a good sign.

  “I could come upstairs with you,” he proposes. I can’t help but flush a little. I turn round quickly, trying to hide from his smile.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  “I deserve it though!”

  “You deserve what?” I ask him, alarmed.

  “To watch TV with you. You can choose what to watch, I’ll just join you. I won’t bother you, I promise.”

  “No way! You’ve already spent too much time upstairs, enough is enough. The TV is mine!” The thought of having him sitting next to me scares me – his lips have a magnetic power over me. My brain would begin to switch off and I would day dream about touching his body, and running my fingers through his hair. Okay, that’s enough – I have to take control of the situation again!

  “I don’t understand why you’re so stubborn about the TV.”

  “You’re a bit slow, Jamie, and it would take a lot of time to explain – and I don’t have time to waste. Just live your life, let’s keep out of each other’s way.”

  “But you kissed me last night, and now you’re green with jealousy just because Mrs Rochester was nice to me.”

  “You’re missing the point,” I snap – I’m annoyed that I can’t say anything better to state the obvious. “Stop repeating that – it was a mistake, so please just forget about it. I’m not jealous of Mrs Rochester, you can do anything you want with her.”

  “I’m pretty sure that you’re dying to make a mistake again.”

  “I don’t even know why I’m still here talking to you. I’m going upstairs – don’t follow me.” I announce, then I head to the stairs.

  “You know I’m right!” He shouts, he won’t give up. Why does it feel that I’ve got an inescapable, unsolvable problem? And why, even though I know this, am I
still attracted to the cause of it?

  12

  Somebody’s calling me on my mobile phone. If I don’t answer, the tune will only become louder and more annoying, so I decide to get off the bed straight away. It’s 5 p.m., still a long time to go before this horrible Sunday is over. I glance at the screen – it’s Elly.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Ashley, how are you? You know… I just wanted to call to tell you that Alex is so… amazing!” She almost screams the last few words in her excitement. That’s excellent news!

  “That’s great.”

  “Is that it? I would have expected a little more enthusiasm from my best friend!” she says.

  “Sorry, I just woke up.” I reply. “Tell me more, though!” I say, pretending to be excited. It’s Jamie’s fault – his attitude has drained all my positive energy today. I would normally be dying to know more about Elly and Alex, and be a lot more enthusiastic than I am at the moment.

  “We went for a romantic walk on Royal Avenue last night after dinner – it’s stunning, especially at this time of the year when it’s full of Christmas decorations. We talked about so many things – time with him just flew. He’s so sweet. I’m glad you introduced me to such a wonderful guy! He’s going to pick me up at the book shop tonight, after work. He said that he doesn’t like me taking the underground because I’m too beautiful and I might be stolen away. He’s so charming!”

  “Wow, what more could you want!” I say, feeling genuinely happy. I’m glad that last night went as I hoped for them. It wasn’t exactly the same for Jamie and I.

  “He’s a wonderful man, he’s kind and protective… he seems to really care about me!” Elly sounds as if she’s falling in love with him – I had no doubt that they were a perfect match!

  “I’m happy for you, Elly. I knew that you had so much in common!”

  “Yeah, it’s been less than twenty-four hours since we first met, but I can’t wait to see him again!”