by Sofia Grey
He didn’t deserve to be happy, but he wanted to be. God. He wanted to be with Marianne. The knowledge it might never happen was beyond painful, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t a quitter. He knew from years of working in a sales-based environment that sometimes he had to play the long game.
He had to convince Marianne to take a chance on him. He had to woo her.
Starting on Monday, Marcus arranged for a steady stream of coffees and pastries to be delivered to Marianne’s desk, along with salads at lunchtime. Little posies of fresh flowers appeared in reception for her. And he’d learned his lesson about texting, but that wasn’t the only way to talk to her during the day. Instant messaging, built into their email system, was perfect.
When Jordan called on Wednesday with another problem, Marcus assumed it was work related. The audit was ramping up in intensity, with the additional security measures they implemented, and the audit team worked long hours. Jordan wanted an urgent meeting and scheduled it with Cassie, arranging for Rico and Aiden to come too. Not Marianne. That made Marcus wonder.
They convened in Marcus’s office, in the middle of the afternoon. Jordan arrived last, with a casually dressed stranger in tow. Marcus did a double-take. It was AJ. Marianne’s boyfriend.
Marcus felt a red mist of rage descending in front of him. What the fuck was AJ doing in his office? AJ chatted comfortably with Jordan, then greeted Rico. How did they know each other? Rico seemed pleased to see him, as did Aiden.
Marcus was confused and wary.
When everyone was seated, Jordan introduced AJ as Alex Hamilton, his neighbour in Rhosneigr. Marianne never mentioned that, and neither had Louisa.
Smiles gone, Alex told them about a photographer he accosted on the beach near his house, and the digital pictures he stole and subsequently printed. Jordan made photocopies. He handed them round, and Marcus stared, bewildered, at the pictures of Louisa with Ted, Kate, and Poppy. Every time Louisa appeared, her every movement was captured. Everyone else merited one picture. Out of the hundred or so in total, almost thirty were of Louisa.
“Surveillance,” said Aiden. “I’ll check with our agencies, to make sure it’s nothing official.”
This was like a bad dream. Someone stalking Louisa and Ted. Christ. He freaked out when someone took pictures of Louisa, but this was a different magnitude of fear. “Why would Louisa be under surveillance?” Marcus blurted the question. “She’s not an illegal alien or a spy; she’s my wife. And that’s my child.” He thought quickly. “What can we do about the guy shooting pictures of them? Can he be arrested? Should I fly them back to Houston?”
“I was thinking of heading back up to Rhosneigr anyway—cut short my London trip,” said Alex. “It wouldn’t be much, but it’d mean they wouldn’t be quite so isolated if I were there.”
Jordan smiled politely. “Thanks for the offer, Alex, but I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
Alex shrugged. “I need to get back to my studio. And with the hours you’re all working, I don’t get much time with Maz at the moment. I’m hoping to see more of her when she’s not so busy.” He looked at Marcus, and then back to Jordan. “The other thought I had was to bring in some security specialists. Guards, if you’d like. My house is well protected”—he flashed a grin at Rico—“but yours is more open. Maybe there are ex-forces people out there who’d like a bit of easy work.”
Marcus grudgingly admitted that was a good idea.
Rico nodded. “That’s easy for me to set up, and yes, I think you should consider it. Also get the local police to pick up this guy if he’s still hanging around. If he thinks his cover is blown, he may well disappear.”
“I think we need to tell Kate and Louisa at least a partial truth,” said Jordan. “I don’t want to scare them, but they need to take reasonable precautions and stay alert to strangers in the area.” The relaxed look he’d acquired in recent years was gone. It hadn’t taken long at TM-Tech for the lines of worry and stress to return to his face, and Marcus felt a pang of guilt for bringing him back.
“Agreed,” said Marcus. “Rico, how soon can we get a security presence up there?”
Rico considered the question. “Friday, possibly. Saturday, almost certainly. Say three guards in rotation—two on watch at any time. Is there room for them to crash at your house, Jordan?”
“We’ll make sure there is.”
“There’s plenty of space at mine,” said Alex. “If I travel back today, do you want me to explain to them, or are you guys coming up for the weekend?”
Marcus and Jordan looked at each other. Jordan spoke. “Ideally, yes. But there’s a lot going on here, Alex. We may have to stay and work through it.” He paused. “I’ll call Kate this afternoon. If you’re sure about going back today, I really appreciate it.” He glared at Marcus, his eyes hard. “Our wives and children are the most important things in our lives.”
* * * *
Marianne was getting good at blocking out uncomfortable truths. She wasn’t avoiding AJ; she was busy at work. She was relieved on one level that he wasn’t pushing for more intimacy, while she worried he no longer found her attractive.
What was wrong with her? She never wavered or doubted herself. Could she seriously turn AJ down?
As for Marcus... She needed a lobotomy if she thought they could have any kind of relationship. He needed to grovel to Louisa, not inundate Marianne with flowers and coffee.
She was due to see Marcus this afternoon, to go over some of the reports. Cassie was supposed to call when he was free, but Marianne had heard nothing. She checked his schedule, but he had a private meeting listed. Jordan was away from his desk too, and when she checked, he also had a private meeting blocked out by Cassie. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they were together, probably with Rico and Aiden, who also had private meetings. All booked by Cassie.
Marianne felt a tremor of unease. What was going on that she wasn’t invited to?
A flashing icon signalled a new message, and she clicked to see it was from Marcus.
M.REEVE: I need to talk to you. I hear the boyfriend is planning to go home today, so meet me for dinner tonight?
What the fuck? What had Marcus heard? And from where? She tapped out her reply.
M.DEAN: Don’t know what you mean. Having dinner with AJ tonight. Can meet you for coffee tomorrow?
M.REEVE: You didn’t know? He’s going back to Rhosneigr today.
M.DEAN: When did you speak to him?
M.REEVE: Just now, in mtg with J, R & A. Gotta go. Think about dinner and let me know.
M.REEVE HAS SIGNED OFF.
What the hell? AJ in a meeting with Marcus and the rest of the management team? Seconds later, her phone buzzed with a text. It was from AJ.
Hi. Need to speak to you. Can you slip out for half an hour? Meet you in Starbucks over the road from your office? AJ
Was he breaking up with her? And telling everyone else first? He wouldn’t do that.
See you there in 10 mins. Don’t have much time, though. M x
She hurried to the bathroom, to check her hair and makeup were perfect, and spritzed fresh perfume. She looked good, if she ignored the dark circles under her eyes. Late nights and lack of sleep were taking their toll, and even triple-strength concealer only went so far.
She ran her damp palms under the cold tap. AJ wouldn’t be breaking up with her. There’d be a rational explanation why he met with Jordan and Marcus.
She swept past Jordan, Rico, and Aiden as they walked back into the office. She refused to show any sign that she was in turmoil inside.
AJ waited at a quiet side table inside Starbucks. He flicked through something on his phone and didn’t look up at her approach. She gazed at him, reminding herself how happy she was they had another chance. He was her future, like she told Marcus.
“Hey.” Her voice came out breathless, and she smiled as she slid onto the chair next to AJ. Leaning into him, she claimed a quick kiss.
“Hey, you. I began to think
I wouldn’t see you today. I didn’t know what to order for you. What would you like?”
“I don’t have much time. What’s up?”
It came out sharper than she meant, and he widened his eyes “I don’t think it’s been a great success this week—me being here, in London.” He paused, perhaps waiting for her to jump in.
She stayed silent, her pulse booming in her ears. Why hadn’t she made time for him? He was too important to leave on the side lines and too used to being the centre of attention.
“I’m struggling to work here,” he continued. “I need my studio. And it’s not much fun seeing you for a couple of hours after work. I hoped we could spend more time together.”
Oh God. She was right. He was breaking up with her. She struggled to squash down the fear, but it leaked into her voice. “You know I’m busy at work. I don’t get any time to myself, and you have every spare minute. Isn’t it enough?”
“No, it isn’t. Not like this.” He spoke evenly, as though it was of no consequence. “I’m heading back up to Rhosneigr tonight—”
“I know,” she snapped without thinking.
He frowned. “Who told you? I only decided an hour ago.”
“I overheard it.” She couldn’t lie to his face. “From Marcus. Are you breaking up with me?” Great. She sounded whiny now.
“No.” He sounded surprised. “Now we’re together again, I want to make it work. Do you?”
“Yes. Of course.” Her cheeks burned, and she tried to cover her embarrassment by hitching her chair next to his, and sliding her arms around his neck. “Can you be patient for a few weeks? Once we get past this current issue at work, I should be able to get some time off. Maybe we could go away together.”
He closed his arms around her in a gentle embrace. “Yeah, that’d be good.” His voice was soft and soothing. “There’s still so much about you I don’t know, Maz. I’ve no idea what you do every day.”
“It’s just work. When are you planning to leave?”
“As soon as I can get a hire car sorted. I’m gonna drive back.” He pressed a kiss onto the side of her neck, and she felt herself relax.
She hadn’t fucked things up after all.
“Maz, do you think you’ll be able to come up this weekend? To Rhosneigr?”
To the land of mud and rain, where Jordan would be close by and Louisa might attack her again. Not her preferred choice. “Why don’t we go somewhere more exotic? A city break in Paris or Rome?”
“Nah. Another time, maybe. There’s stuff I want to do in my studio this weekend.” The implication was clear. She either traipsed up to the back of beyond again or spent the weekend alone.
* * * *
Marcus spent an hour trying to call Louisa, with her phone going to voicemail every time, so he tried Kate instead. In an apologetic voice, Kate passed on a message from Louisa.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Lou said she doesn’t want to talk to you yet, and you can wait until she’s ready.”
He heard whispering in the background, and then Kate cleared her throat.
“I’m para-phrasing now. She doesn’t have a high opinion of you at the moment. She said don’t bother coming up this weekend, because if you do, she’ll take Ted to visit friends and you won’t get to see him.”
Marcus closed his eyes and swallowed his frustration. He’d agreed that Jordan and Alex would explain about the need for a security presence at Rhosneigr, and once the guards were established, it was the safest place for Louisa and Ted to be. He couldn’t take the risk of them heading out somewhere.
“Will you please ask my wife when she will see me? I need to talk to her, Kate. You know that.”
There was more whispering, and then Kate returned. “She’ll let you know.”
It would have to do.
* * * *
It was with a strange sense of relief that Alex loaded his gear into the hired BMW and set off for North Wales. It was fully dark, but if the traffic was light, he’d get home by ten that night.
He hadn’t had a car for years, and when the band travelled together, it was usually in a limo. To have a set of wheels at his disposal was a novelty he intended to enjoy. He took his time at first, getting used to the feel of it, then relaxed into the journey once he got out of London. It was cathartic. He listened to Sylvie’s playlist on his iPod, singing along to most of the tracks, and stopped around Oxford for coffee and a sandwich. Already he felt more optimistic about music. He heard snippets of new riffs in his head. There was something about London that made it difficult to focus on anything.
The business with the photos on the beach niggled at him. What the hell was going on at TM-Tech? He knew about Sylvie being in danger, but had that extended to Louisa and Kate? And could Alex do anything to help?
As for the tatters of his friendship with Sylvie... He felt better after speaking to Rico, who’d greeted him with a smile and a handshake and thanked him profusely for putting them up at his house. Maybe Sylvie didn’t tell Rico about the argument on the beach. Alex asked Rico if she was okay, but they didn’t get a chance to continue the conversation. After the meeting in Marcus’s office, Rico dashed off with Aiden.
Alex pondered what he’d seen of Marcus. The guy was handsome, with kind blue eyes, but he was clearly horrified to meet Alex. They were rivals for Maz’s heart, and Alex wondered if Marcus was still in love with her.
That led to the hard question. Was she still in love with Marcus?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alex knew where he wanted to go, as he drove along the quiet roads back to Rhosneigr. Was it too late in the day, though? He pulled into Jordan’s driveway and gazed up at the house. Light gleamed behind the curtains upstairs. There was one way to find out. He sent a text to Kate.
Are you still up?
Her reply came seconds later.
Yep. What’s up? Can’t sleep?
He smiled as he tapped out his reply.
You know you said I could knock on your door anytime? Is it too late now?
This time she replied instantly.
Of course not. Where are you?
He stuffed the phone in his pocket, climbed out of the car, and went to her front door, to rap on the wood with his knuckles.
Kate opened the door, a beaming grin across her face. “Hello, stranger.” She threw her arms around him.
Laughing, he squeezed her. “I was driving by and wondered if I could see you.”
“Have you come up from London? You must be starving. Come on in.” She shooed him into the kitchen, chattering as they went. “The children are in bed, but Lou and I are still up. You caught me at the end of a baking marathon.”
That explained the amazing smells that drifted past him. He wanted to stick his nose in the air and inhale like a hunting dog. A mountain of floury scones sat on a cooling tray, next to a wire rack of cookies. His mouth watered at the sight. “Christ, Kate. I could live in your kitchen. Jordan is a lucky man.”
“It’s how I de-stress,” she said. “Baking cheers me up. Come sit with us.”
Louisa sat at the table, a magazine and a half-empty glass of wine in front of her. Her eyes were red rimmed and her face was puffy. Even her hair looked tired and limp. She wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“How about some soup?” asked Kate. “And I’ve got freshly-made chocolate cake, too.”
“Perfect. Thank you. Any chance of a coffee to go with it?” He switched his attention to Louisa. “Hey, how are you?”
She played with the corners of the magazine, riffling the pages through her fingers. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice croaky.
He’d never been good with high emotions and struggled to respond. “I’m sorry, Louisa. This is a bloody situation; I know. I had no idea that my Maz, was... well, your Marianne. What are the odds of that happening?”
“I have to know,” she said. “Are you in love with her? Knowing what she’s done to me?”
Technically Marcus was equally—if not more—at f
ault, but Alex didn’t think it a good time to point this out. “Straight in with the tough questions, huh? I was, at one time. Right now, I don’t know, and that’s the truth.”
“Is Marcus still seeing her?”
He wished he knew the answer to that one. He was putting a lot of effort into making things with Maz work and hoped it wasn’t for nothing. “I don’t know. I hope not.” He wanted to trust her, but the long working days and late nights nagged at him. Alex looked at the ceiling, as though the words he needed might be floating in the air. “Louisa, you, Kate, and Jordan have been such amazing friends. Please don’t let this come between us.”
She nodded, and then looked at her magazine again. He got the impression she wasn’t seeing it. His heart twisted at her pain.
“Here you are.” Kate slid a bowl of fragrant soup in front of him and fetched a plate with several thick slabs of homemade bread.
“Thank you.” It smelled amazing. He preferred Kate’s cooking to the Ritz any day. He devoured the food and a giant slice of cake, and eventually sat back, full and happy for the first time in days. He couldn’t hold back a smile.
Kate noticed. “You look pleased with yourself. What are you up to?”
“I don’t think you’d believe me, if I told you.”
“Go on, then.”
He looked around the untidy kitchen, warm and bright, Oasis playing softly in the background. Then he met Kate’s gaze. “It feels as though I’ve come home.”
Louisa made a choked noise, and then turned to face him. She held out a hand, which he took, and squeezed. “Welcome home, Alex. It’s good to see you again. But please promise me you won’t bring her back here.” Tears shone in her eyes, and he wondered again if he was right to want a relationship with Maz.
He’d think about that later. “Come here,” he said softly and opened his arms to Louisa.
She hugged him, her tears soaking his shirt, and his heart shredded a little more.
After another coffee and more of the chocolate cake, he knuckled down to the reason he was there, and the story he agreed on with Jordan. He hated lying to his friends, but he couldn’t put it off any longer.
