Mike was waiting for them and as soon as the car door closed behind them she text James.
It was cryptic, but it was short and quick as was his reply.
She wondered how long the kiss would stay on his messages once she explained, but truthfully she thought it might be easier to explain face to face and was already regretting beginning this conversation via text.
Another almost instant reply appeared and her stomach dropped to her feet.
The kiss was still there for now. She was in no doubt it was definitely James replying, not Jim. She took a deep breath and smiled at Lizzie as she replied with a direct and concise response.
Still a kiss. She smiled again, although she was unsure how the meeting in the restaurant was in any way her fault. She replied hoped for concise and direct again.
The kissed remained, but felt she was hanging onto it by the skin of her teeth and her next message could cost her the kiss. She was in too deep to back out now and she was a rubbish liar anyway. She allowed herself another deep breath as she replied and hoped for the best.
And there it was, the x, conspicuous by its absence.
She pressed send before rereading it and suddenly realised she may have intimated that hisjacking offinstinct was also true, which Howser had confirmed for her. Add the fact Lizzie was there… ‘Fuck’, she muttered internally. This was going to be bad, had to be.
As the car door sprung open with Mike holding it, she jumped. “Home sweet home, ladies.”
Tasha managed a small smile as she climbed out and thought this place may not be sweet for much longer and it was not her home.
Lizzie was answering a call on her phone. “No way! No way! Oh my God! No way!”
Tasha looked at her and began to laugh in spite of the situation with Jim.
“Hold on a minute. Tasha, if I get Mike to take me, can I go to the mall and meet my friends and go home to Mom’s from there?”
Tasha felt seriously out of her depth now. How the fuck did she know? She couldn’t make these decisions. “I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “Let me call your dad.”
She selected Jim’s phone. It went straight to voice mail. He was avoiding her, she could feel it. Shit, this had to be bad. She selected the entry for his office and took a deep breath as it rang.
“Good afternoon, Mr Maybury’s office.”
“Can I speak to Mr Maybury, please?”
“He’s in a meeting at the moment, may I take a message?”
