“Yes. I might be able to stay over longer.” I’d rearrange whatever I needed so I could. “You’ll be in the England squad for the qualifier.”
“Look at you, using all the right terminology.” His smile was genuine, enough so that I sat up a little straighter. “Probably. I fly in that day. I’ll come straight to London.”
“Won’t the club want you back for training?”
“No. They’ll give us rest days. It’s getting to the part of the season where we all should be fit enough to not have to train intensively. It’s more about not getting injured. I can be in London at the end of February.”
“I would really like that.”
His smile was genuine, relaxed. “So would I.”
CHAPTER21
Ryan
“How is Elin doing?”
“Great. She’s amazing, Ryan. Her brain’s like a computer itself and she just gets what I’m talking about, far quicker than you ever did.”
I smiled and breathed out all the air I’d accumulated in my lungs while I’d asked the question.
It’d taken three weeks and twenty hours of interviews to appoint someone to assist Lotte with the company. We’d managed to find a woman who’d graduated from Harvard six years ago and had spent the last five years developing her own company. She applied, not looking for a job, but a merger.
The merger was still going through, but that wasn’t my problem. Seph Callaghan had recommended his family’s firm that was based in the US to oversee it, and I had nothing to do with it any longer. Lotte owned my shares, and nothing else.
“Are you still taking the holiday?” I’d ended up forcing her to book a beach holiday in Hawaii, else I was letting her parents know she was on the verge of a breakdown, which she was. She’d agreed to take the holiday. Her second-in-command had stepped up – she was efficient anyway and keen for promotion. Lotte had doubts, but then Lotte had doubts about everyone at the moment because her head wasn’t in the right place.
I wasn’t the right place for that head to be either, which I had to explain to her in blunt terms that made me feel like an absolute bastard afterwards.
“I fly out the day after tomorrow. Trina’s meeting me there, so I won’t be on my own.”
“Good. Just don’t start working while you’re there.” Trina was her assistant and somehow could keep up with Lotte’s pace. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“You know there’s something you can do…”
“Apart from that. That’s not an option.” She hadn’t let the idea of a sperm donation go.
“But…”
“Ask me or try to persuade me one more time, and I’ll block your number. That isn’t an empty threat.” She hadn’t let it go. I’d ignored it at first, the hints and comments, and then when she hadn’t understood my not addressing it as my way of moving on without embarrassing her, I’d gotten blunt.
“But I’m doing everything you’ve said, Ryan. I’ve appointed someone to help, I’ve promoted Trina, I’m taking a break. I just don’t know who I’m doing all this for! You don’t have to have anything…”
“Please stop.”
She did. The silence was soothing. Needed.
“I’m not being the father of your child, Lotte. If you want a baby, that’s your prerogative. I haven’t being helping you so we could get to the point where I could agree. I don’t want a family with you. Date people, ask your friends to fix you up, or look at alternatives – whatever you want to do, it’s none of my business. It won’t be any of my business.” I couldn’t say it any other way. I’d tried, I’d said it kindly, but I had to end this for good now.
“Okay.”
“Good. Have a good holiday and good luck with the business going forward.” My line was drawn.
“You too. I’ll call you if I need you.” She hung up, the final word barely said.
Nate raised an eyebrow. “Block her fucking number.”
I nodded, finding it in my contacts and blocking it.
