‘But if we do get the theatre revamped ready for a show, where will I get all the actors to stage a play?’
Hannah leaned forward and squeezed her hand. ‘First things first. Call Jack back.’
Bridie looked at Hannah. ‘All right.’ Besides, she had no choice really. She was thinking that she could hardly offer to sell the theatre to Jack when it was possible he’d gifted it to her in the first place. Bridie smiled at the thought. Perhaps she should have shared her thoughts with Oliver. Then he wouldn’t be so quick to judge or to try to persuade her that Jack had a motive other than simply putting the past behind them and wanting to help her out.
Bridie was so pleased that Hannah had talked her out of giving up on the theatre. She rang Jack’s number.Disappointingly, his phone went to voicemail. She left a message.
Chapter 35
Jack bounded down the stairs on hearing his mobile phone, hoping it was Bridie returning his call.
In hindsight, he shouldn’t have called her several times. It would make him appear desperate to continue with the plan to restore the theatre. When she hadn’t answered on the third call, he’d started to think that Oliver had got to her, convincing her that it was a bad idea to let him get involved in the theatre.
He darted into his study to find Jade standing there, holding his mobile phone, eyes narrowed, looking at him suspiciously. He came to a halt when she said, ‘What’s going on?’
‘What do you mean?’ He tried to sound casual. ‘Did you answer my phone?’
‘No. What if I had? I’ve answered your work phone and taken messages before.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘What’s changed?’
‘Nothing,’ Jack replied, avoiding eye contact. He smiled and casually walked over, trying not to make anything of it, although he was desperate to know if Bridie had called him back.
‘What’s this phone number?’
‘What phone number?’
‘The one you kept calling this morning?’ Jade stood there scrolling through his work phone. He felt irritated, but he reminded himself not to make a thing of it.
‘Since when have you been so interested in my work?’ What always interested Jade was how much money he was earning. She liked the finer things in life – designer clothes, expensive makeup, and trips to a London salon for her hair and nails. Her long, glossy, wavy blonde hair and nail extensions cost a small fortune. And then there were all the latest gadgets for her son. Jack spoiled his stepson rotten too. Sometimes he did wonder if he’d turned him into an entitled little so-and-so, like his mother.
Jade was still holding his phone.
Jack walked over and took the phone out of her hands. ‘It’s just a new business venture.’
‘With the person you said you were meeting this morning?’
He nodded, glancing at his phone.
‘You weren’t gone long.’
‘Yeah. Something cropped up and we couldn’t finish the meeting, so I said I’d call back and rearrange.’ He couldn’t resist a smile when he saw the number and confirmed she had called back. ‘I was hoping they called me back.’
‘They – orshe?’
Jack wasn’t listening as he lowered himself into the office chair behind his desk, relieved Bridie had seen sense and decided to call back. Then he had a sudden thought – he was getting ahead of himself. What if she was phoning him back to tell him he needn’t bother returning to the theatre? He’d overheard Oliver’s offer to invest in the theatre with his savings. He’d thought Bridie had turned him down. But what if she’d had a change of heart?
‘Look, I’ve got to call them back, find out if they still want to meet.’
‘Yeah –theydo. Bridie left a voicemail.’
Jack looked up sharply. ‘What did you say?’
‘You heard.’
‘You listened to my voicemail?’
‘Yes.’ She folded her arms. ‘I thought you said it was a business venture?’
‘It is!’
