I shook my head. "Nothing that Alice isn't chomping at the bit to do. She's asked that if – when – I buy Richard out she could invest. I've no reason to say no. She's excellent; her creativity, especially with the events, is better than anyone I've worked with and she's good with the clients."
"It's better than going it alone," Sophie said, and I knew she wasn't just referring to Cole Henderson. "You need to be more of a team player."
"Do you think that's where it went wrong with Richard?" I asked, desperately needing to know.
"No, I think it went wrong with Richard because he was a dick," Sophie said. "Move on. You're almost at the end of it now that Jackson and Seph are dealing with the legal bit and yes, Richard is going to be obnoxious about it so make yourself scarce."
My phone started to ring in my handbag. "You're right. I hope to God this isn't him. After spending a night in the cells he'll be looking for someone to blame."
It wasn't Richard, but Jackson. I smiled as I saw his name, relief escaping as part of me was worried that last night had scared him off.
"Hey," I said. Sophie smiled knowingly. "What are you up to?"
"Just finished at the gym. Do you want me to come to the police station with you?" he said. I could hear traffic in the background.
"Sophie dragged me there about an hour ago. I've lodged a complaint against him. Do you still want to grab breakfast?" I said, Sophie, giving me the thumbs up, then checking her own phone.
"If you're free. What are you doing for the rest of the weekend?"
"I have no plans. Other than what you suggested the other day, if they still stand?" I still had reservations, but the greatest part of me was pushing to see where it went with this man and if I got a little burned, then it still put me another step away from the non-relationship I'd had with Richard.
"They still stand with a difference. How do you feel about a night away?" he said, the background noise fading. I wondered if he'd just got back home.
"Weirdly, Sophie's suggested I get away for the weekend as Richard is more than likely going to contact me." There was a dramatic hand gesture from Sophie and I realized I'd said the wrong thing. "But, I was hoping you'd still want to do something after last night."
There was a laugh, probably at me, I realized. "Can you pack a bag for the weekend?" he said. "If you do want to get away that is."
"Do I get to know where?"
"No, but bring something smart casual for a meal and normal stuff for the day. And maybe something to stay at mine Sunday night, just in case. But we can talk more about that later." He was direct and I found it a relief after so long of it being just me to make decisions or arrangements.
"What time?"
"How soon can you be ready?"
We had nearly finished our coffee. "Forty-five minutes?"
"See you then. We'll skip breakfast though."
"Looking forward to it."
Sophie looked up from her phone. "You need to take decent underwear. And that baby doll nighty you bought in the sale. You know, the one that doesn't hide anything."
"Let's go pack."
I was ready in less than forty-five minutes, a small bag stuffed. Sophie sent me out of the door before I had a chance to question if I needed to pack anything else, reassuring me that I wasn't likely to need much underwear at least.
Jackson was waiting outside the apartments in an SUV. He got out as soon as he saw me and grabbed my bag, then leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Is this it?"
"Sophie wouldn't let me pack anymore, otherwise I'd have looked like I was taking enough for a week," I confessed. "Where are we going?"
"Out of the city," he said, putting my bag in the boot then opening the door for me. "I'll tell you more as we drive there. It's only around an hour and a half away but we'll be out in the country."
He started the car and London fell away as we talked about the week at work, mercifully staying away from the subject of Richard the dick. It was an easy conversation and I felt as relaxed as I ever had in recent memory. There was no need to try and impress or having to keep up the conversation to suitable topics.
"I need to tell you about Kirsty," Jackson said as we hit the motorway. "She caught herself out on Friday." He explained how she'd tried to pass off the idea about the children attending the retirement ball at the start. I laughed at how she'd come unstuck and figured it was a better reaction than being annoyed.
"In all honesty, Jackson, she's out of her depth," I said, trying not to feel mean. I didn't want to put the girl out of a job but she wasn't doing herself any favors. "I'm not sure what she had on her resume but she's not up to speed for someone who claims to have worked fairly extensively in marketing. I'm not saying she couldn't learn, but..."
