“I can’t help it.”
“Hey.” He pushes himself away from the sink and takes a step forward. Lifting my chin so my eyes meet his own, he says, “Scott would be proud of you.” He kisses my forehead and I instantly feel a little better.
“All I want is for Josh to have the option to run his dad’s business when he’s older if that’s what he wants, which is why I have to keep going.”
“You shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself,” he half smiles.
But if I don’t?—”
Tommy nods, “Yeah, I know. You’re worried you’ll drop the ball. So, how about a compromise? I’ll get Andrew to take you in for a few hours, just to see how it’s going, but then if you grab your laptop, you can stay here and work from home whenever you want.”
Thank God he understands. “You don’t mind?” I stare at the floor and Tommy crouches a little to catch my eye.
“I’m going to level with you now.”
“Okay,” I say, meeting his gaze.
“I don’t want the paps bugging you when I’m not next door anymore. If you go home, I’ll have a hard time sleeping at night. If you stay here, I know you’re safe.”
“Ahh, the old emotional blackmail.” I giggle.
His hand sweeps around my waist and my body is flush against his. “I have to stop you from running away somehow. Stay with me, Angie.”
My heart is racing with excitement. He has an answer for everything, which pushes us along at just the right speed. “I’d like that.” The thought of going back to an empty house doesn’t exactly thrill me anyway.
“Good.” Our eyes make contact again, but this time, Tommy seems to ask permission, but permission for what? As he comes closer, it all becomes apparent. His gentle lush lips brush like velvet over mine, and I open up to him as if it’s second nature. Tommy Graham kisses like a god.
It’s later in the day when I call into the showroom. Andrew is wearing blue jeans, a navy polo shirt, and tan brogues in the hope his casual look will help him blend in with any customers looking around. However, he still insists on checking outside every hour so he can monitor who is coming in and out of the building.
Chris is happy to see me, which I’m relieved about. It’s our first meeting in the flesh since our argument. The thing that’s bothering me is the few people milling around the showroom who stop to stare. It’s unnerving, and I’m relieved when we go into the back office instead.
I sit down with Chris, and he gives me an update aboutongoing jobs and orders, although there have been several cancellations in the last few days. Big ones.
“Why didn’t you let me know about this before?” I ask him.
“You were stressed the last time you came in and since then, you’ve had a fair amount of media attention. I thought you needed a break, and I didn’t want to worry you. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Still, that’s a lot of labour and materials down the drain.” The factory had assembled orders, and they were ready to install. As our kitchens are bespoke, it’s difficult to sell them on.
“I’m sure it’s just a blip,” Chris reassures. “We’ve got plenty of bookings for quotes in the next week, so it’s not all bad.”
“Okay, well, that’s something.” Still, we can’t afford to write off this kind of business.
“How’s everything else?” I ask while flicking through the orders on my screen.
“It’s okay, but I have to warn you, we’ve had a lot of phone calls, mainly trying to find out more about you. We’ve also had a constant stream of journalists outside the showroom until I warned them off by threatening them with the police.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry. Dealing with my crap is the last thing you need.”
“Don’t worry about it, Angie. It’s all a load of balls as far as I’m concerned.” He smirks while perching himself on the side of my desk. “Why don’t you just carry on working from home for now, or at least until the interest has died down?”
I look up from my screen. “Has someone had a word with you?” Dear God, I hope Tommy hasn’t been on the phone to him already.”
“No, why?” He’s not smirking now. He just seems confused.
“Oh, nothing. Don’t worry. But if you’re sure you’re okay with it.”
“It wouldn’t be forever, and I don’t mind. Please, Angie. Scott would want me to help you out and do what’s best.” He smiles, but it’s a pity smile. Still, he means well, and I owe him an explanation. He was a good friend to Scott.
