Love or Money?

by Carrie Stone

  All was quickly forgotten when Glenda got to the part about Bill. Suddenly everything about Glenda made sense. She was in love. Zara felt her stomach tighten. Is that how Steve felt about his new woman?

  Chapter Eleven

  “What about this one?” Felicity suggested, holding up a light pink silk tie.

  Aidan looked at her with mock horror. “Put that back where you found it. I’m not wearing a pink tie. It’s a chef interview, Fee, not an interview for a bank manager. I’d rather wear a noose.”

  Felicity reluctantly replaced the tie and huffed slightly. She was beginning to grow tired of Sydney. Aidan had been such fun since their friendship had blossomed. He had an outgoing, daredevil personality and was so relaxed and chilled that she found herself becoming a different person around him. He’d encouraged her to try so many things that she’d have shunned before. She’d actually enjoyed the Roo burger he’d cooked her, washed down with a chilled beer straight from the bottle. She had laughed at the irony; a man that looked so much like her ex, encouraging her to do all the things that her ex had despised and that Maurice would have found so remotely unladylike and ghastly. It was refreshing to try out this new version of herself.

  The biggest problem was that Sydney city itself hadn’t captured her heart in the way she thought it would. Visiting Bondi with Aidan had been a fun experience – the beach was every bit as breath-taking as she’d imagined, the same as Manly. Yet it felt wrong. Something inside was telling her it was time to move on. With just over seven weeks remaining, she wanted to see more of Australia and if that meant saying goodbye to Aidan, then she’d have to make the sacrifice. She just needed to find a way to tell him.

  “Did you want to go and get that bag we saw?” Aidan asked, failing to notice Felicity’s lack of enthusiasm.

  Biting her lip, Felicity considered the small, simple bag that she’d seen a few days previously. Her oversized soft calfskin shopper bag wasn’t practical and despite being extortionately expensive and at the height of fashion, it would make sense to take Aidan’s advice and replace it with something more relaxed.

  “Erm, ok. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt whilst we’re here” Felicity said, stroking her shopper bag lovingly. It was hard to believe she was agreeing to replace something that most women would give anything for, with something that wasn’t even leather. Australia was having a strange effect on her.

  Following Aidan out of the men’s clothing store, Felicity’s heart leapt as she spotted a travel agency on the opposite side of the road. At precisely the same moment, a red coach destined for ´Brisbane´ shot past her at speed.

  “Oh my goodness.”

  Aidan stopped walking, suddenly aware that Felicity was stood transfixed and open mouthed.

  “What is it?” he asked curiously, following her gaze.

  Shaking her head in amazement, Felicity looked into Aidan’s eyes, ready to tell him of her travel plans, but quickly stopped herself. The way he was staring at her was a familiar look. The small smile, twinkling eyes and longing gaze. It was the look of a man very much with loving feelings. She shifted uncomfortably. How had she failed to notice it before now?

  Quickly recovering from her astonishment, she squinted, looking into the distance at the rapidly retreating red coach.

  “I thought I saw somebody I knew, but I was mistaken, it’s not them” she lied, brushing her hair away from her face.

  She felt uneasy. Even though she’d been aware that Aidan had been flirting with her since the day they’d met, she hadn’t realised it had progressed into something else on his part. She thought she’d made it crystal clear that she shared no mutual attraction or intention of taking it further than friendship. Surely he’d understood that when she’d told him all about James and his resemblance? Not to mention the fact that she wouldn’t want to be involved romantically with someone who reminded her of the negative and disturbing emotions she still had from that relationship.

  Why was it so impossible for a woman and a man to just be friends? She’d heard of other women that did it, yet it had always failed to work in her case. Despite purposely not giving flirtatious signals and doing her utmost to establish ´friendship only` boundaries and comments at all times, Aidan had failed to take the hint. How could she have been so stupid.

  “You know, maybe its best I just head back to the hotel. I have a bit of a headache and you’ve got your interview to prepare for anyway.”

  Aidan looked at Fee quizzically. “You don’t want to get the bag then? I have plenty of time to prepare for the interview; all I need to do is sharpen my knives and wash my whites” he joked.

  Felicity stared at him stony faced. She was no longer in the mood for his humour. She wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible and try to remedy the situation.

  “I’ll get the bag another day. In fact, I think I’ll make a quick stop at the pharmacy on my way back to the hotel. I’ll leave you to carry on shopping and we’ll catch up later once I’ve had a lie down to get rid of this headache.”

  Ignoring Aidan’s confused and disappointed demeanour, Felicity hugged him in her usual friendly manner.

  “Ciao, mister. Good luck with the preparation. Let me know how tomorrow’s interview goes.”

  “But I thought you said we’d catch up later? I was thinking we could grab a few beers – get me some Dutch courage for tomorrow” Aidan joked hopefully.

  Heart sinking, Felicity saw straight through his gesture. He truly was smitten. Oh dear God, how had she ended up in this situation after just ten days?

  Careful not to show her panic, she laughed off his comment.

  “You have all the Dutch courage you need. The job is yours, be positive! As for beers – you know I’m not a beer girl. Stop trying to turn me into an Ozzie.”

  Smiling at her, Aidan shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

  “Ok, hon. Speak to you tomorrow. Hope the headache eases up.”

  Waving goodbye, Felicity turned right into a narrow side street in the direction of the pharmacy, annoyed at herself.

  Thirty-one years old and unable to give off the correct vibes to attract the type of man she desired. First the whole gut wrenching situation with Dan that she still couldn’t think about without feeling stupid and sick. And now this.

  Knowing Aidan was well out of sight, she cut through a back alley that led north in the direction of her hotel, suddenly remembering the reference to Brisbane. As much as she’d always discredited anyone who talked of fate and destiny, firmly believing that she created her own reality, she couldn’t ignore the coincidental travel agency and coach that she’d seen.

  Only that morning, she’d overhead a couple chatting about Brisbane whilst sipping her coffee in the ultra-modern hotel breakfast area, and had been intrigued to hear that it was among the woman’s list of favourite cities. Scouring the internet for highlights, she’d discovered that although it wasn’t coastal, there were certainly enough nearby excursions and attractions to contemplate.

  There wasn’t much more she could do in Sydney. Waking up to breakfast in the hotel, spending the days shopping or with Aidan and the evenings frequenting restaurants and bars, wasn’t how she’d envisaged spending her sabbatical. After almost giving up on her career and everything she’d worked for to force this break, she needed to make her time count. She needed to find out exactly what she was doing in Australia. And she needed to get away from Aidan. Fast.

  Reaching her hotel, she passed through the cool marble reception and headed to her room, formulating a plan. Closing the door behind her and kicking off her shoes, she sat at the desk area and switched on her laptop. She sighed as her work email account opened itself in the background and the bold Inbox figure of over three hundred unopened messages caught her attention. She had purposely been avoiding contact with Maurice through fear of her attention being sucked back into her work. The overwhelming desire to scan the messages surfaced, as it had every day for the last ten days. She ignored it, quickly closing the
page window before she had a chance to succumb.

  As much as she was missing her work and the office, she knew it would defeat everything she’d achieved so far by allowing herself to concentrate on her life in London. Typing into the search engine page, she waited patiently for the results to be displayed, feeling butterflies for the first time in over a week.

  Scanning the flight results for Brisbane, she found an option leaving the following evening. Ignoring the niggling feeling of guilt for planning to leave so suddenly without informing Aidan, she entered her credit card details into the webpage.

  Holding her breath, she watched as a new page loaded confirming her flight booking. It was done. She was leaving Sydney. Walking over to the large wardrobe where her expensive clothes were carefully hung, she began taking things off hangers; her mind was contemplating how she would break the news to Aidan.

  “At least give me a chance to explain, darling” Phillip’s voice drooled down the phone. Sylvia huffed in irritation. She had a three o’clock client followed by a photoshoot for a national magazine. She didn’t have time to play Phillip’s games.

  “Explain what? How you haven’t been in contact for over two weeks? Do you seriously think I give a shit, Phillip?” she said, frustration turning into anger. Who did he think he was? Did he truly expect to call her out of the blue after their last conversation of calling time on the relationship and she be grateful for it?

  “Whoa, listen, you’re over-reacting. We both knew we needed some time out but I’m ready now, darling. I get it. I get the whole commitment thing. And I want to do it” he replied, voice softening. “With you, Sylvia. I want to do it with you.”

  Holding the phone away from her ear in shock, Sylvia looked at her assistant and shook her head in amazement, before bursting into laughter.

  “You really are something, Phillip. I told you that I wanted to end things. That’s E. N. D. That means over. Done with. Finished. Let it sink in to that tiny mind of yours. I don’t want you, Phillip and I certainly don’t want commitment with you.”

  Sylvia noticed her assistant staring at her with wide, shocked eyes and quickly walked toward the kitchenette area for more privacy.

  A stunned silence greeted her from the other end of the line. She was certain that Phillip had just received his first real rejection from a woman. She waited with interest as she heard him clear his throat.

  “So there isn’t anything I can do to win you back?” he asked in a small, hurt voice.

  Sylvia looked at the handset in confusion. Was he serious? Phillip Moore was actually grovelling and sounding genuinely sincere. She felt a gentle pull on her heart strings. She’d been harsh in order to protect herself from his egotistical and self-assured arrogance that he’d easily win her back. Had she over reacted?

  “I’m sorry, Phillip; I just feel we are too different for one another. I can’t see this relationship working in the longer term. I want a man who doesn’t need me to push him for his time and focus. Someone that makes me feel wanted. I don’t feel that with you” Sylvia said sadly.

  Phillip sighed in defeat.

  “I love you though. I didn’t realise it until now. But I think I was scared; I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I guess I didn’t know how to deal with it, so I backed off. Too little too late, I suppose.”

  Listening quietly, Sylvia felt herself soften to his words. She wasn’t used to him speaking so openly and honestly. It was a glimpse into the part of him that had originally attracted her in the first instance when she’d been scheduled in as his substitute make-up artist. Whilst making him presentable for his morning show, she’d found herself intrigued as he made notes for his show’s topic debate. He’d seemed genuinely moved by the plight of the street children in India. Asking her opinion on whether his questions were ethical, she had warmed to him as she found he’d shared lots of her views. He had even used one of her quotes for his interview.

  Closing her eyes and hoping she wasn’t about to make a regrettable decision, she took a deep breath.

  “Maybe its best we meet and talk in person. I can’t pretend that I love you too because a lot of my feelings I have blocked towards you and, in honesty, I’m uncertain of whether we have a future. But if that is truly the way you feel, then I’m willing to give things a try.”

  A small part of Sylvia felt heavy as she arranged to meet him the following day at his house. She hung up the call and glanced at her watch, trying to decipher her true feelings for Phillip. It was unhealthy to constantly question his intentions and feelings towards her and even now, after his declaration, she wasn’t sure if she could trust him. What if he was just saying these things to win her over? Would he then get what he wanted and once again leave her hanging and waiting for his time and focus?

  Sylvia’s assistant loomed awkwardly in the doorway. “Sylvia, Donatella and her team have arrived. She’s in the dressing room.”

  It was time to put her personal issues aside; Sylvia replaced her mobile in her pocket and followed her assistant out of the kitchenette. Donatella was a demanding client. She would need to have a clear mind in order to do her job properly.

  Except one thought refused to dissipate. Would Phillip still be as interested if he discovered she’d had one casual short fling with another man? And should she tell him?

  “Brisbane? But I thought she was enjoying Sydney?” Zara asked in confusion as Glenda unplugged the hoover from the wall socket.

  “Yes, well so did I. It came as a surprise to me too. I have a feeling it’s something to do with this Aidan friend of hers.”

  Zara heaved herself into a more comfortable position on the sofa, thinking back to her last email from Felicity two days previously.

  “But I thought she was getting on well with him? What makes you think it’s something to do with him?” Zara asked.

  Glenda picked up the hoover and, careful not to make heavy footprint dents on the carpet, tiptoed with it towards the hallway. It didn’t matter that Felicity was thousands of miles away; her regular cleaning of the cottage was still as important, despite no-one being there to make use of it.

  “Something she wrote made me wonder if he’d made a pass at her. You know how Fee is, she’s undoubtedly given him the cold shoulder and making a rapid exit.”

  Zara smiled. It had been quite a shock to see the photo of Aidan that Felicity had sent to her. His striking resemblance to James was uncanny. Yet she’d known from the way Fee had referred to him that there was no attraction or even contemplation of anything other than someone to keep her company. Poor Glenda had hoped it could have been more, but she knew Fee too well. James had ruined her life; she wouldn’t be wanting someone so closely linked. And the fact he was a chef wouldn’t appeal to Felicity either.

  “Oh dear. I feel sorry for him if that’s the case. Felicity can be cold and aloof when she wants to be. Let’s hope he didn’t fall for her too much.”

  Glenda gave Zara a knowing look. “My thoughts exactly.”

  “At least she’s getting to see more of Australia though. I envy her, I’d love to have a holiday” Zara said wistfully. It had been years since she and Steve had been away. Six, to be exact. Although Lexi had been a toddler and the trip to Cornwall hadn’t been quite the relaxation that she’d hoped for, it had still been special. Steve had been at his most attentive and loving and she was certain it was then that Abbey had been conceived.

  “Once the baby comes and things are settled, you and Steve should try and get away. A little break for yourselves. I don’t mind looking after the kids for a weekend” Glenda offered kindly.

  Zara looked at Glenda with excitement.

  “Really? Do you mean that? Oh Glen, that would be brilliant. As long as you’re sure the kids wouldn’t be too much for you. I’ll mention it to Steve, maybe two days in the New Forest or something. Or even Paris. I’d love to try Paris.”

  Glenda chuckled at Zara’s enthusiasm. She was pleased to see her happy. She’d noticed that she h
adn’t been her usual upbeat self of late. Of course, she knew it was likely to have something to do with her being over six months pregnant. But she seemed uncharacteristically preoccupied and distracted. She’d thought about mentioning it to Felicity over email to see if she had picked up something too, but she didn’t want to worry her daughter. Fee would be like a dog with a bone if she thought Zara was upset and hiding something.

  “Yes I mean it. You talk to Steve and when you are ready to book something, let me know and we can make the arrangements.” Glenda said firmly.

  Zara leaned back onto the sofa with a warm feeling inside her. Steve had returned from his overnight trip with such affection and attentiveness towards her that she’d felt her heart break. It was clearly guilt-driven. Every time she fished for details, he had smoothly steered the conversation towards her and the children. It was eating her up inside wondering what Steve’s other woman looked like.

  Yet now she had been given a chance to win back her husband. She was determined to make him realise what they had was worth fighting for. A mini-break was the perfect opportunity. Once her baby weight was shifted, and with time alone without the children, she would have the chance to remind Steve of the sexy woman he had fallen in love with all of those years ago.

  “Right, I’m all done here. We should make a move, you’ve got the kids to pick up and I’ve got that office party tonight with Bill.” Glenda said as she pulled closed the patio doors.

  Zara slowly stood up, holding a protective hand under her baby bump. It was so nice spending time in Glenda’s company on her days off. It wasn’t quite the same with Fee gone. In the office she didn’t get her usual daily email from her, however brief it had been. She also missed being able to pick up the phone when she wanted to have a chat.

  “Yes, Daisy’s nursery closes soon so I had better be going. Not only that but I need to research about maternity pay. I have a meeting with the new Human Resources Manager tomorrow to see what I’m entitled to.”