There’s so much he doesn’t know. Darra wasn’t solely responsible for driving a wedge between us. I single-handedly achieved that through my own sheer stupidity and ego.
“Clearly,” he says drily. “Just like that.”
A shot of adrenalin shoots through my system as he pauses, as if weighing up his next words.
“This isn’t a standard setup, Pen, even for you. I’m not stupid.”
My pounding heartbeat steps up a notch.
“How would you know?”
We stare at each other, our eyes locked, waiting for the other to give.
The gate chimes.
Saved by the buzzer.
I move to the intercom and buzz the delivery driver through.
I grab my purse from the side, but Elijah holds out a wad of cash.
“This far out, I take it you give the driver a generous tip?”
I nod and accept his cash.
Why not? I’m doing him a favour.
I move to the door and open it.
“Hey, Ms P,” Jeremy, the local delivery driver, says.
He unzips his bag and holds out a large paper bag containing our takeaway.
“Evening, Jeremy. Thank you. How are your studies going?”
“Great, especially after you explained that coding tip. I got eighty-nine per cent on my project.”
His smile lights up his face.
“I’m pleased it helped. Remember to send your CV to the office for our summer internship program,” I remind him.
“Already done,” he says, and I make a note to ensure the enrolment team keeps an eye out for it.
I hand him his tip, and his eyes widen.
“That’s too much,” he tells me, shaking his head while trying to hand it back.
“My guest has donated to your college fund,” I tell him with a smile. “And believe me, he can afford it.”
Jeremy smiles and stuffs the money into his pocket.
“Thank you,” he says.
“Keep up the good work,” I say as he climbs onto his motorbike.
“Will do. Take care, Ms P.”
“You too, Jeremy.”
