‘Shall we order starters?’ asked Zara.
‘No,’ he replied flatly, ‘or at least I’m not.’ He was only going to order a main course. The less time this took, the better.
‘Oh,’ she sounded somewhat deflated. She’d envisaged them having a long, leisurely meal, basking in each other’s company.
‘I’ll have the grilled salmon with clams and spiced butter,’ Jasper told the waiter and snapped his menu shut. ‘And a bottle of the house white wine,’ he added, not bothering to consult Zara. She chose the same.
‘It’s my favourite.’ She gave another smile and once more flicked her hair back. Jasper gritted his teeth.
A little later, as they sipped their wine, Zara attempted conversation which might encourage him to relax and open up. She noticed he looked tense and arrogantly thought it could be nerves. ‘So, Jasper, what are your plans for the future, once you’ve left the company?’ She looked playfully at him, rubbing her finger round the rim of her wine glass.
‘I thought it was obvious. I’m going home,’ he replied dully.
‘Yes… I mean, what will you do?’
He looked at her with a frown. ‘I’ll manage my family’s estate, why?’
Zara was taken aback by his briskness. ‘I just… wondered. Won’t you miss Dubai?’ she asked optimistically.
‘No.’
The food came after a short while, which filled the silence that had once again started to grow. Jasper checked his inside jacket pocket again. Once they were almost finished eating, he decided to make his move.
‘Zara, why did you break into my apartment?’ he asked directly.
Her eyes widened and she spluttered on her food.
‘I didn’t break into your apartment,’ she managed to squeak.
‘No, you took my key and helped yourself in, didn’t you?’ He reached into his pocket and threw down a disc. ‘CCTV footage,’ he explained, ‘of you entering my apartment.’ He stared at her with a raised eyebrow. ‘You then went into each room, including my bedroom and bathroom, and took a good look round, didn’t you?’ His eyes bored into her.
Zara sat frozen still. She looked at the disc. How could she not have considered the security cameras in the apartment block? She was speechless. Humiliated, she gulped back the tears. ‘What are you going to do?’ her voice cracked in shame.
‘You mean, besides telling your father?’
‘No! Please,’ she hissed, sharply looking round for eavesdroppers.
Jasper glared coolly at her. ‘You should lose your job over this. It was a total breach of confidence.’
‘I’m sorry… please don’t tell my father,’ she pleaded. ‘I’ll do anything, anything.’ Her eyes searched his face.
‘Oh please, spare me,’ Jasper threw back in disgust.
‘All finished here, sir?’ the waiter, totally oblivious to the scene, smoothly asked.
‘Yes, I’m finished.’ Jasper took out his credit card to pay. ‘This lady needs a taxi,’ he instructed. He then got up, tossed his napkin on the table and stormed out.
Chapter 35
Lilly was stood at the bottom of the stairs.
‘Fletcher! Are you up?’ He was due his first visit from the physiotherapist. The surgery had contacted him and arranged a morning appointment, much to Fletcher’s disgruntlement. A nine a.m. start was hardly his daily routine, usually only rising around ten-ish.
‘Yes, I’m up,’ he moaned, slamming the bathroom door behind him.
Moments later, he sloped, bleary-eyed, into the kitchen. He looked witheringly at the clock.
‘Good God, it’s only half eight.’
