"HR is checking her outextensivelynext week," he said. "We had references, obviously, but we should've double checked those as I now have my doubts about the validity. I think she may have been trying to hijack me onto a date as well."
Now that I didn't like. "Pardon?"
"She was desperate that we go for drinks on Friday after work so she could talk me through her ideas about the rebrand. Maxwell thinks she's interested in me as something other than just her boss." He didn't look embarrassed and I suspected it was somewhat normal for him to be crushed on.
I laughed.
"What? You think it's ridiculous that someone like Kirsty would be interested?" I could see by the enormous grin on his face that he was enjoying himself.
"Well, you're so old in comparison. Maybe she has a thing for older men."
"You're calling me old? Why am I taking you away for the night again?"
"Erm, maybe to prove you're not past it yet and that you're not in need of any, let's say, additional medication to help you perform." I couldn't resist, especially while he was driving and powerless to retaliate with anything other than words.
He clenched the steering wheel and his jaw at the same time. "I'll change my plans for this evening then, shall I? Make sure you know that I'm more thanupfor it." He glanced at me and I creased laughing.
"Jackson, you should see yourself now. You look more determined than a child wanting the last games console in a shop. After last weekend, you have nothing to prove, but I'm happy for you to try," I said, moving my hand to his thigh. The contact sent a shiver through me, thrilling and scaring me simultaneously.
He put his hand over mine. "I've always got something to prove," he said, intertwining our fingers. "At the moment I want to prove to you that life after your fuckwit of an ex is going to be exceptionally good, professionally and personally."
I smiled and watched the scenery go by, content with the warmth I felt from him. My phone began to vibrate in my bag. "Shit, I forgot to turn it off."
"Don't worry. Mine's on too. Work doesn't understand the concept of weekends," he said as I let go of his hand to get my phone.
"It's Richard," I said, my hands shook slightly and my stomach turned.
"Answer it and put it on speakerphone. Tell him you've applied for an injunction. Be as calm as you were last night because there's no need for anything else. Treat it like a business."
I answered, heeding his advice.
"Vanessa," Richard said, his voice smooth, like too sweet chocolate. "Thank you for answering; I thought you were going to play games."
"I'm not sure what we have to discuss, Richard," I said, digging my nails into my hand.
"These charges you've brought – I understand I may have upset you by becoming involved with Charlotte but you need to realize the damage you're doing to your own reputation and that of our business," Richard said. I recognized the tone; he was trying to patronize me into complying with him.
"You should be aware, Richard, that I've filed for an injunction against you so I'd appreciate it if any further correspondence can go through our lawyers. As our relationship has been over for more than a year and you have not been involved in Cole Henderson for a similar period of time, there isn't any need for you to contact me whilst the courts settled ownership of the business and the sale of the apartment," I said, surprised at my level of formality and the resoluteness I felt. I could do this; I knew I could.
There was a deep sign on the other end of the phone. "This is all very unnecessary, Vanessa. Maybe we should meet and discuss this as I tried to last night..."
"I'm sorry, Richard, but I'd appreciate it if all communication can go through my lawyer. It isn't appropriate or needful for us to be talking. I hope you have a good weekend." I terminated the call and then took several deep, cleansing breaths. "Fuck."
"You haven't done anything wrong," Jackson said. "And you don't need me to tell you that you handled that really well. Disengage with the situation because worrying about it won't get you anywhere."
I nodded. "I know. But I was in a relationship with him for more than six years, Jackson..."
"Were you?"
I sat up in my chair as we came off the motorway. "What do you mean?"
"What sort of relationship were you in then?"
His question was a good one and one I had dwelled on since I'd moved out of our shared apartment. "Not a healthy one. We stopped socializing together unless it was necessary, such as dinners with his parents or extended family, basically to keep up appearances. I could go a week without seeing him as he'd be away to meet clients, or so he said. And before you ask, we stopped having regular sex almost a year before I moved out."
"And you didn't end it sooner because of the complexity," Jackson said. "And you probably weren't ready. I'm no relationship expert but I know when I have been in a relationship and it's ended I've felt like I've failed at something."
"That's what Sophie said. She was married for a few years; her ex-invested heavily in her spa business initially and they're still really good friends. When they split she wasn't devastated like I thought she would be; she said the relationship had run its course for both of them. I asked her if she felt like it had failed and she was, well, just Sophie," I said, laughing at the memory. "She said she was being led by Henry VIII; the sex just didn't cut it anymore and there was more to life than the missionary position once a fortnight. No one had failed and the biggest failure would be trying to resuscitate something that had less life in it than a corpse."
