She spoke quietly to Dermot behind the bar. ‘Is Daniel here?’
‘In the dining room, sat in the far settle,’ he replied in the same quiet tone. It had been agreed that sitting Daniel there would be the best place. The high-backed settle facing the window meant that he’d be hidden from the table in the alcove where Christie planned to sit with Stephen, yet he would still be able to hear everything. There had been no bookings till later in the evening so it would be quiet. Dermot, in his wisdom, had discreetly placed “reserved” signs on the tables until then, ensuring maximum privacy.
Christie looked at the clock – it was 6.30pm – then her eyes darted to the window and saw Stephen’s Mercedes pull into the car park.
‘He’s here,’ she urgently whispered to Dermot.
‘You go and meet him. I’ll let Daniel know.’
As Stephen entered the bar, Christie approached him with a cool expression. ‘Hello, Stephen.’
He gave her an equally cool nod. ‘Christie.’ He followed her into the dining room. She made her way to sit at the table in the alcove. Glancing quickly at the settle knowing Daniel was there, she took a deep breath.
‘You’re right. We do need to reach an agreement,’ she said clearly, looking Stephen in the eye.
‘We do,’ he butted in unnecessarily.
‘I can offer you three hundred thousand pounds,’ she stated flatly. Stephen paused. He appeared to be a touch taken aback. ‘Technically, I know you think you deserve more.’ This made him give a quick bark of a laugh. ‘But I don’t. And it’s all I have to offer.’
‘Where’s the money coming from?’
‘Does it matter?’
‘Well perhaps it does, if this source can actually give a more realistic sum.’ Daniel had heard enough. He rose from the settle, making Stephen jump slightly. With a foreboding look he moved towards them.
Stephen’s eyes flew to Christie, then back to Daniel.
‘It’s coming from me.’ He towered over Stephen, staring him out. ‘And it’s the final offer. Failing that, you’ll have a long wait getting your greedy hands on any money.’
Stephen was secretly pleased to have hadanoffer, and yes, it was his greed that was chancing his arm. So, Christie had a new man in her life. It hadn’t occurred to him that she would have found someone else. He’d assumed she’d still be missing him. On the face of it, three hundred thousand pounds was a decent sum of money, enough to certainly make things a whole lot easier at home with Sophie and a new baby. The thought of having to wait months and months to reach a final settlement was a daunting one.
He turned to face Christie. ‘Yes. I’ll agree to it.’
‘Then I suggest you email your solicitor immediately.’ Daniel spoke calmly and folded his arms. All the time he never took his gaze off Stephen.
Christie felt like punching the air, but forced herself to remain silent. Stephen looked at her. Was there sadness behind those eyes? She refused to be moved, even though her heart was pounding.
‘I’ll contact them tomorrow.’ He scraped his chair back. Taking one last look at her he swallowed. ‘Goodbye, Christie.’
‘Goodbye, Stephen.’
Then he was gone. She would never set eyes on him again. The relief was unimaginable.
