“No, quite the opposite. He told me all about the new girl he is seeing then told me it’s difficult for men to deal with girlfriends who keep ex-boyfriends as friends.” She hoped Jim wouldn’t miss the irony.
“That’s true. I still think you should have accepted that I might sext you while you were out. I wouldn’t have expected you to have answered while you were eating, I know it’s one of your rules. I will text or sext you whenever I please, as you do, but if it’s not appropriate to answer, then so be it,” he said indignantly.
“So long as you don’t get all arsy and shouty in an ‘answer your messages, I am pissed at you’ way,” she said, mimicking him.
“I will try, but don’t simply ignore my messages indefinitely. Now, tell me why I have had eight missed calls from your friend Mr Stewart whilst you’ve been modelling for me?”
“Don’t introduce him to Lizzie. They are both blabber mouths,” she pouted.
“Don’t pout. Just tell me or I will phone him back.”
“That won’t be necessary. I called him because after I text you to say I would be ten minutes my dad appeared.” She sounded far calmer than she still felt.
“What? What did he want? Did he touch you?” Jim asked with an external calmness, but was obviously seething.
“He apologised and asked for money, a final payment.” She raised her eyebrows at the same time as Jim.
“Please tell me you didn’t pay him, Tasha,” he asked nervously, clearly thinking she probably had.
“No.”
“Were you tempted to?”
“I considered it and thought nobody would ever know as you have more money than sense and insist on putting it into my account.”
“I would never have known because I can only put cash in, not access your account without passwords,” he said. “What have the police said?”
“I didn’t call them, but Jero—Mr Stewart said he will contact them then I’ll need to make another statement,” she explained.
“This is what I mean, Natasha. You say you’ll do one thing and then you don’t. You agreed; police, Mr Stewart, then me and you only did one out of the three of those things. Do you see why I get so mad? Infuriated, you might say.”
“Sorry. I do get what you mean, and I will try,” she replied and really meant it.
“He didn’t touch you though?” Jim asked again.
She shook her head and hoped she was masking the truth with her expression.
“What did he say to you?”
“Just the usual vile stuff.” She tried to sound unaffected by it, although the complete opposite was true.
“Tell me.”
“James, I will tell you, but I don’t want to do it like this or via text. I prefer serious conversations to be in person. Like when you took me to the vineyard. We talked properly, didn’t we? Or at least I did.” She smiled.
“You’re not trying to keep things from me are you?” He searched her eyes through the screen.
“No, really, but I would rather talk face to face,” quickly, she added, “but you don’t need to change your travel plans. Send me your flight details or ask Amanda to.”
“I’ll send them in the morning. What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“I don’t have any. I have to give my statement to the police, but Mr Stewart is setting it up and calling me with details. So, I may stay in bed for the rest of the day,” she joked.
“We could set up a date with your present. I don’t have anything scheduled at the office until noon.” He grinned.
“I could text you when I wake up,” she smiled far too much, the aching tingle in her face confirmed that.
“That’s a date.” He returned her smiled with a genuinely happy one of his own. “I do love you and I know I can be a head case with the control, but you will have to learn to live with it.”
