“Ah, good. A vacation will do you?—”
“No, not on vacation.” He glanced up, letting the pause linger for dramatic effect. “We’re going to live there. I’ve bought a place in Tuscany. My offer was accepted this morning, so, all being well, we’ll…”
“Hold on… did you just say that you’re moving to Italy? I mean, shouldn’t we have discussed this first?”
Jeremy’s lips drew together in an infuriatinghalf-formed question, which she wasn’t prepared to let him finish.
“Don’t you dare say ‘why’… I’m your bloody business partner. Your decisions impact me too. What about the practice?”
“Yes, I was about to get to that?—”
“I can’t afford to buy you out.” The words rushed out of her in a sudden surge of panic.
Jeremy held up his hands. “Good, because I’m not selling.”
“So what, you expect me to keep running things, while you’re off living your best life in the bloody Italian Riviera?”
Jeremy chuckled, and she had to fight the urge to lunge across the table at him, or douse him with the jug of water, ice cubes and all. He must have sensed her irritation as he held up his hands and squashed the laughter in his voice when he spoke.
“I’m signing my half of the business over to you. It’ll be all yours, so do with it what you will. Run it alone. Bring in another partner. Or sell it if you want…” the words floated between them like dust motes in the afternoon sun, “Go live out your days in a queer hippy commune, foraging wild berries and teaching conflict resolution with crocheted sock puppets.” He pincered his fingers in a goofy demonstration. “I won’t hold you back.”
He poured himself another glass of water from the jug that she somehow hadn’t emptied over his head.
This was a lot. This was too much.Her noisy thoughts swirled along with the rush of the river, the chatter fromthe other tables, and car horns honking at the intersection. Their food arrived before she said another word, and Jeremy sat, waiting patiently. Slow, strong and ever-present, like he’d always been.
“It doesn’t seem fair,” she eventually said.
“It’s more than fair… after everything, you deserve it. Ma and Pa will be delighted!” He gestured to her with a forkful of salad leaves. “They think the world of you, you know?”
And truly, she thought the world of the eccentric pair too. They may not have been blood relatives, but they’d treated her like one of their own from the day they’d met her. Their generosity had seen her through university and established her career. She owed Jane and Jasper a lot.
“Anyway, it’s settled. The paperwork is with the lawyers. We’ll work everything through together, of course, but this is what I want?—”
“You can walk away from it all, just like that?”
“There’s only so many years a chap can sit listening to other people’s problems whilst not dealing with his own.” His mouth stretched into a sardonic grin.
Catherine sipped her wine, trying to hide theyou said itlook no doubt written all over her face.
“The fact is, Francesca needs this. We both need this. I’ve spent my entire career prescribing remedies to other people, and it’s time I wrote my own script — it could be worse than retirement in a Tuscan villa.”
Catherine popped a ravioli parcel into her mouth and considered him as she chewed. Yes, this was a snap decision, but instinct was telling her it was the right one — forhim and for herself. Like Penny had said a few days ago —don’t you think it’s time you broke away from the Daltons and all their nonsense?This was her out.
“You know I think the world of you too, Trusty. I heard what you said about not dredging up the past, but I’m still truly sorry for what happened back then. I wish it hadn’t been like that and things had been easier for us. We always had fun, didn’t we? I mean, at least we did before…”
Before Francesca.Catherine sighed and prodded her tongue at a stray piece of pine nut caught in her teeth.
“Once we’re settled, do you think you’d consider paying us a visit? You might make sure she hasn’t finished me off and stuffed my corpse in a closet, whilst she carries on with the pool girl.”
Catherine snorted out her wine. “Not a chance.”
“That she’ll be carrying on with the pool girl?”
“No, that I’ll ever visit you.”
Jeremy pressed his lips together, but he couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes.
Catherine picked up her wine glass and clinked it to his.
