“For her, my friend. Look you’re clearly suspicious of my motives but I love Liv, she’s my best friend. We met when she was dating my brother about six years ago and we just clicked. Her relationship with my brother didn’t last but our friendship did. I am not going to tell you about her beyond what I have already and the fact that she deserves a chance at being happy and for some reason you seem to like her.”
I interrupt with a scowling frown now making Sarah laugh.
“For some reason?” I ask furiously. “Why wouldn’t I like her? And you’re her friend?”
“Calm down, that’s not how I meant it. You seem to like her, and she seems far too upset about your marital status not to like you. I really need to get back to her and Jed, but I can get her to Dazzler if you want me to so long as you’re sure that you’re not going to mess her around.”
“I won’t mess her around, that’s not my style. It was only because she brought me back here as soon as we’d met that I made assumptions. I’ll square work with Christian so you’ll just need to keep her at home, and I will see you at the club. I’ll be there from about half nine.”
She nods. “Is your security guy alright? Olivia feels really guilty about hitting him,” Sarah says with a grin that suggests that she is amused by this new, violent streak her friend has developed since meeting me.
“More than he should be,” I snap, feeling furious again at the thought of him laying a finger on Olivia. “He shouldn’t have touched her. I asked him to ensure that she didn’t leave, but that was never intended to be an excuse for him to physically restrain her, so he got what he deserved. Thank you, Sarah, until Friday.” As I get to my feet, I have a sudden urge to take in every last detail of my surroundings just in case I never get the chance to return here. “Take my card.” I hold out an identical card to the one I gave Olivia. “I don’t expect you to give me yours or for you to contact me unless you need to.”
“Okay,” Sarah agrees accepting my card with a smile.
“Your brother, did he treat Olivia badly or hurt her?” I ask with anxiety in my voice as I remember her reaction to me calling her darling.
“Ridley? No, never, why?” Sarah asks with a flatness that unnerves me for some reason.
“Something she said earlier about someone who hadn’t treated her well,” I surmise discreetly.
“Not Ridley. They were only about seventeen, eighteen and he treated her well if a little immaturely, but he cared for her and things fizzled out. They’re still friends and I would have intervened if he had done anything untoward.”
I smile across at Sarah for no reason beyond gratitude for her help and total belief in her reassurances.
When I arrive home I head straight to my bedroom and strip out of my work clothes before jumping into a hot shower, very hot, hoping the heat might burn away the day’s stress and when that fails I try freezing it away with an icy temperature change, still to no avail.
I redress in black, jersey track bottoms and a plain white t-shirt before I find something for dinner, a risotto thing that I pick at as I watch some documentary on stalking and I actually begin to think that stalking someone may not always be wrong. Once that thought and the ridiculousness of it registers in my mind, I turn the TV off and grab my phone to call Christian in a bid to ensure he doesn’t give Olivia a hard time if she phones in sick. I find I am on the bed by the time he answers.
“Christian, sorry to disturb you at home,” I begin, knowing that my call is business and should really be conducted as such. “Have you spoken to Sean?” I resent the sound of the other man’s name leaving my lips.
“Late afternoon, but not since, why?”
I can hear in his voice that he already knows something about Olivia if not me and her.
“Did he tell you I’d given Olivia some responsibility on the design?”
“Yes, he did mention it. I was rather surprised about that.”
I have an urge to tell him to mind his own bloody business, but I am the one disturbing his evening and I need him to be okay if Olivia phones in sick so bite my tongue.
“I like her style and thought she could have my office as a blank canvas.” Even I’m beginning to be convinced by my words.
“I’m not sure it’s her style you admire.” Christian laughs, unlike me as he continues, “It’s your office, but I was more concerned to hear how much time she spent in your flat.”
Fucking Sean and his big mouth. I scowl as I consider my next words carefully.
“She was unwell, Christian, really unwell, which I am sure Sean must have also told you. She’d hurt her hand falling,” I lie and hope that Olivia doesn’t tell him something else that contradicts my account of things. I should have had Sarah’s number to let her know anything like this, not that she offered it.
“Calm down, yes, I know about her hand. Sean said it was a right mess and she was in a lot of pain, he also said he doubted she’d be in work tomorrow.”
I breathe a sigh of relief that he will be fine if she decides not to go into work.
“Sean will be with you in the morning to finish off and then he should be out of your hair while he completes a first draft of his plan here.”
“I can give him a working space here,” I offer knowing that what I am really aiming for is a working space for Olivia in my building, near me.
“If that’s what you want.” Christian sighs while one of his children calls to him.
