Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
‘I know you, Annie. I know when something is on your mind, and I know that it isn’t work.’ He shakes his head, dismayed. ‘Why didn’t you take that?’ he asks, pointing at my phone. ‘If it’s purely business, why?’
‘Because I’m having coffee with you.’
‘He’s married,’ he says simply, twisting the knife in further. ‘You don’t go there, Annie. You don’t even think there!’
‘I’m not.’ I grit my teeth harshly. ‘It’s work. Nothing more.’
His face softens as he reaches over and takes my hand. ‘You deserve more. Don’t get yourself caught up in that shit. It won’t end well.’
I drop my head, even more exhausted than when I arrived here. ‘I called you for coffee and a catch-up. Not an earache.’ I force a smile and shift my hand so I’m holding his, nodding my assurance. ‘It caught me off guard. The whole situation. But I’m fine, honestly. You know me.’ I look up when the waiter slides a coffee towards me. ‘Thank you.’
‘Should I have ordered something stronger?’ Micky asks seriously.
I snort, thinking that he most definitely should have. ‘Probably. How’s work?’ I ask. ‘Specifically, the new client?’ I waggle a cheeky eyebrow.
My lifelong friend sniffs in the most blasé way possible, toying with the napkin at his place casually. But just like Micky knows me, I know him, and this new client has clearly got under his skin. ‘All right.’
‘That’s it? All right?’
‘I suggested she might need an extra session per week.’
I laugh and take a needed hit of caffeine. ‘Of course she does.’
Micky grins around the rim of his cup. ‘Hey, I saw Jason yesterday.’
‘That’s nice. Did you tell him you’d screwed his ex?’
‘No.’ Micky rolls exasperated eyes. ‘Lizzy and I were a drunken mistake.’
‘Yeah, yeah. So what did he want?’
‘He wants to start training.’
I laugh sarcastically. ‘What, to get himself in better shape for the twenty-one-year-old he cheated on Lizzy with?’
Micky shrugs. ‘Not my business.’
I’m laughing again, but this time on the inside. I wish he’d adopt the same approach to me and my fuck-up. I look down at my phone and sigh. ‘How’d it get to four o’clock?’ I ask the screen, bracing myself to get my arse back to my studio so I can agonise over my problem some more. And I mean the roof problem. I’m going to have to admit defeat soon and revise all my plans, and then break the bad news to Colin.
‘Four? Shit!’ Micky jumps up from his chair and throws a tenner on the table. ‘I have a session with Charlie.’ He rushes around the table and smacks a kiss on my cheek. ‘See ya later.’
‘Have fun!’ I call, gathering up my things and getting on my way. My phone rings three more times before I make it to the Tube – all Jack – and I reject every single call. After last night, avoiding Jack is top of my priority list.
I look up from the pavement as I near my house, my feet slowing to a stop when I see a silver Audi parked up over the road. What the hell?
The driver’s door opens, and Jack gets out of his car, his tall body straightening to full height slowly. I spend a few too many seconds taking him in, as if I need to remind myself of his sheer magnificence. The sleeves of his pale blue shirt are rolled up, his hard forearms on full display, as well as his throat from his open collar.
I ignore him, pretend he isn’t there, and focus on putting my front door between us.
‘Hey.’ Jack’s soft voice blazes a trail up my back, igniting panic as I get closer. I start frantically searching for my keys in my bag.
‘Annie?’
Where the hell are my keys? Suddenly his hand is on my back, and I whirl around clumsily, pressing my body into the wood of my door. ‘What do you want?’ I blurt, sounding as scared as I feel.
Jack’s head tilts, and he shakes it as if trying to gather some patience. ‘Why haven’t you answered my calls? Or replied to my voicemail?’
‘I think it’s best I deal with Richard in future.’
His face takes on an angry edge, his nostrils flaring. ‘Why’s that?’
‘Because . . .’ I don’t want to say it out loud. I don’t want to admit that whatever this is between us is slowly breaking me down, and if I don’t remedy it soon, I might go where no woman should go. ‘I just think it’s for the best.’
‘I don’t,’ he replies shortly.
I look at him in shock. ‘What you think doesn’t matter.’
His grey eyes narrow to slits. ‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you because I thought of something.’
‘What?’ I ask warily.
‘A solution to your problem.’
‘Which problem?’ I blurt out without thought, making him recoil a little. Shit! I seriously need to fix that filter.