“There isn’t anything going on, George. We fell asleep by the pool after talking all night, and I walked her back to her room. It’s been a pleasant weekend catching up, but I don’t think we will see each other again soon.”
The words cut into her as she realised they were true. The friendship that she craved had been cut down with her rash and drunken action yesterday afternoon. Rory sighed.
“But you like each other,” George countered. “Couldn’t you, you know, give her a try and see how things go? I will be retiring soon and looking for a successor in the business.” He tapped a hand on the table. “She’s not been very good at relationships, you know. Typical of her, she can’t seem to commit to anyone. I think you might be the exception.”
Anything else he was about to say died on his lips as therest of the group arrived, followed by a pale-looking Gemma a few minutes later.
Rory made polite conversation and tried to put George’s words into context. It very much felt like he was offering his daughter’s hand in exchange for a slice of his business. She knew that wouldn’t sit well with Gemma and remembered what Gemma had told her about her parents interfering with her life.
“What time are you two heading off?” Her mother’s words cut into her thoughts, and Rory was confused.
“Huh?” was the only intelligible thing she could come up with. Had her mind drifted so much that she’d lost track of the conversation?
“You and Gemma.” Her mother clarified. “I thought you were giving her a lift home as the trains aren’t running.”
Rory saw Gemma stiffen in her chair.
“There’s really no need for that.” Gemma’s words were clipped. “I’m sure there’s a replacement bus running, and I don’t want to put Rory out.”
“Nonsense,” Phyllis interjected. “We've arranged for Rory to drive you, and she would be happy to, wouldn’t you Rory?”
Rory quickly nodded her agreement, slight amusement tickling the back of her mind that she could face down any opponent in court or across the negotiating table but immediately crumpled in front of her grandmother.
As Gemma protested again, Rory cut in and assured her it wouldn’t be a problem. As they spoke, she realised she wanted to drive Gemma home. Not only because it would give them time to talk and hopefully for Rory to explain what happened. But also to make sure she got home safely and with no interruptions to her journey. The protectiveness she’d had of Gemma as a teenager seeminglyhad developed into a longing to look after her as an adult. If this had been any other woman and she was feeling like this after only a few days, Rory would have said she was crackers. But these feelings towards Gemma seemed perfectly natural.
“Gemma.” Rory looked her in the eyes and for a moment saw a flash of pain cross her face before an impassive and neutral expression settled on her features. “It’s really no bother, and I’d like to share the journey with you.”
Before Gemma had time to agree or otherwise, Mary clapped her hands and declared the matter settled before asking Rory about her week coming up. Rory babbled on about her upcoming cases, but her mind was occupied with thoughts of Gemma and how she could explain things to her.
Less than an hour later, Gemma and Rory were settled into Rory’s Porsche and driving out of the hotel. It was another glorious English summer day, and Rory was grateful for the air conditioning that kept the car’s interior cool. They had said farewell to the families, bundled their overnight bags into her impossibly small boot, and set off down the driveway. Like many country house hotels, the driveway was long, and Rory drove slowly along it in case she met another car coming towards her on the single-track piece of tarmac. She deftly turned out onto the country road from the hotel and pressed her foot to the pedal. For a moment, she relished the roar of the engine and the solid way the momentum of the car pressed her into her seat. She deftly negotiated the winding country roads until she finally turned onto the motorway. With another determined press of her foot, she urged the car forward. This time it could fully open up, andshe sped along the motorway. Another gasp from Gemma had Rory glancing at the speedometer. With a wince, she lifted her foot slightly and settled the car back at the speed limit before activating the cruise control. The last thing she needed right now was a speeding ticket, which would need to be declared at work.
The radio station played in the background, and for a few moments she let the car gobble up the miles. The tension was palpable in the car, and Rory searched her brain for the right words to start the conversation. For someone who was so effective in court and persuasive in the boardroom, she was now drawing a blank with the woman who used to be her best friend. She drummed her fingers in tune with the radio and then took a big breath.
“It wasn’t just kids that we broke up over.” She knew it was a statement completely out of left field, but she had to start the conversation somewhere.
“What?” Gemma turned her head and looked at Rory. For a moment, Rory stared at her face. Gemma drew her brows together, and her eyes were cold. Rory turned her concentration back to the road. Even though her car could avoid a crash on its own, she found the need to look ahead at the road in front of her rather than into Gemma’s eyes made the conversation easier.
“Darcy and me. We didn’t break up over just having kids or the wedding.” She let out a sound that was half cough and half sigh. “Although I should have realised when she persuaded me to buy this sports car rather than a sensible SUV that kids were not part of her plan, but I was trying toconvince myself that I was in love with her and couldn’t see the cracks in the relationship.”
“Weren’t you in love with her?” Gemma’s voice was quiet, but Rory could hear some genuine interest and concern, so carried on.
“Not really. At work, someone pointed out that I should consider marriage if I wanted to become a partner. Also, there was no one else I was interested in, and I thought I could grow to love her.”
“Did she love you?”
“No, Darcy only loved herself.” Rory sighed, “and my bank account,” she added quickly. “Don’t feel bad for her, though. Despite what my grandmother says about her, I really wasn’t as good a girlfriend as I could have been. I asked her to marry me because it would have been good for my career, and I spent too long at the office to be fully committed to her. But that wasn’t the reason we broke up.” She took a long breath to study herself.
“The thing is…” She gripped the steering wheel tighter and swallowed several times before she could get the words out. This was harder than she had thought it would be. It hadn’t been this hard when she’d told Darcy. Perhaps that was an indication of how wrong they were for each other, because Gemma’s opinion mattered so much more to her than Darcy’s ever did.
“The thing is…” she said again, willing herself to say the phrase that had been bouncing around her head all weekend.
“I’m not sure I want to be a girl anymore.”
11
GEMMA
Gemma sat back in her seat and looked at Rory.
