sound filling the room is the noise from the licking, flames that heat the room to just the right temperature.
“That was your ex?”
I nod.
“She wants a divorce?”
Another nod.
“Why do you look shell-shocked? Dad said you were married young and that you split up a few months after you were wed.”
“It’s a shock, that’s all. The past… time… it’s all just slipped through my fingers. I last spoke to her eight years ago, but the last time I saw her was at my son’s funeral.”
“Your son?” Juliet’s voice is a squeak. The couch groans and grunts as she fights free from the cushions and makes her way over to me. She kneels before me, staring up at me with concerned eyes. “I didn’t realize you’d had a son.”
Shaking my head, I confess, “I didn’t really. He died before he’d had a chance to live. That’s why I wished Brook well. She miscarried and with it, we lost all reason to be together. Sad, really. But I refused to be like the other kids on the estate. Getting some girl pregnant and dumping them, or letting the council house us in a flat. That’s why I started working for your dad. I didn’t have any qualifications; flunked my GCSEs. But I had to work to pay for my family. When that family disappeared, I fought for more.”
“You did more than fight. You’re my father’s right hand man.”
“The other night at the party, you made that sound like a dirty thing. Isn’t it anymore?”
“I was wrong to do that. I’m sorry.”
I could have teased her for apologizing; something she rarely did but I don’t. I just shrug. “Thanks.”
“You’re really shook up by all this, aren’t you?” There’s wonder in her voice. A soft glow that doesn’t come from the fire seems to illuminate her from within. “Everyone always says that you’re like the ice man. No one touches you.” She licks her lips and my eyes are caught by the innocent gesture. “I followed your career, you know. Always made sure to ask dad questions about you. And I’m friends with some of the PAs and I always knew when you had a girlfriend and who it was. Although more often than not, you were in the papers with them.” She grimaces at that. “But this has affected you, hasn’t it?”
To say I’m taken aback is a bit like saying jumping off a cliff is a piece of cake. She’s really taken with the idea that I’m hurt. Frowning at the thought, I murmur, “Of course, it has. I loved Brook. I didn’t want to separate. But when she lost the baby, she wouldn’t talk to me and we just fell apart. The time in between has just rushed by. I don’t know where the years have gone.”
“Do you still love her?”
A part of me enjoys the bite of jealousy in her tone, but I chide myself for it. I’m a twenty-first century male; I shouldn’t like being considered a possession. But who am I to kid? If I saw her flirting with any pimple-nosed boy from her class, I’d be the same.
Out of nowhere, a full blown emotional entanglement has appeared. Little by little, the pair of us are gradually being ensnared by it. For me, that’s a good thing. It feels right. Good. Pure. I haven’t felt the like since Brook. Everything in between has been fodder. Ways to burn up sexual frustration; ways to free myself from the tensions of work. This is real and I want it more than I ever wanted things to work out with Brook.
“Did you mean it, when you said I wasn’t your toty? Which is quite derogatory by the way!”
I grin at her, my lips twitching at her outrage. “I didn’t select the word. Brook, a fellow sister of the female sex, did.” Growing more serious, I shrug. “Of course, I did. I thought you’d have realized that by now.”
“How could I, when you were always picking on me?” she grouches, lips pouting.
Unable to help myself, I sit forwards and press a finger to the curve of her mouth. I feel the tell-tale tremor as she quivers and replaces the finger with my own lips. At first, I just rest my
“That was your ex?”
I nod.
“She wants a divorce?”
Another nod.
“Why do you look shell-shocked? Dad said you were married young and that you split up a few months after you were wed.”
“It’s a shock, that’s all. The past… time… it’s all just slipped through my fingers. I last spoke to her eight years ago, but the last time I saw her was at my son’s funeral.”
“Your son?” Juliet’s voice is a squeak. The couch groans and grunts as she fights free from the cushions and makes her way over to me. She kneels before me, staring up at me with concerned eyes. “I didn’t realize you’d had a son.”
Shaking my head, I confess, “I didn’t really. He died before he’d had a chance to live. That’s why I wished Brook well. She miscarried and with it, we lost all reason to be together. Sad, really. But I refused to be like the other kids on the estate. Getting some girl pregnant and dumping them, or letting the council house us in a flat. That’s why I started working for your dad. I didn’t have any qualifications; flunked my GCSEs. But I had to work to pay for my family. When that family disappeared, I fought for more.”
“You did more than fight. You’re my father’s right hand man.”
“The other night at the party, you made that sound like a dirty thing. Isn’t it anymore?”
“I was wrong to do that. I’m sorry.”
I could have teased her for apologizing; something she rarely did but I don’t. I just shrug. “Thanks.”
“You’re really shook up by all this, aren’t you?” There’s wonder in her voice. A soft glow that doesn’t come from the fire seems to illuminate her from within. “Everyone always says that you’re like the ice man. No one touches you.” She licks her lips and my eyes are caught by the innocent gesture. “I followed your career, you know. Always made sure to ask dad questions about you. And I’m friends with some of the PAs and I always knew when you had a girlfriend and who it was. Although more often than not, you were in the papers with them.” She grimaces at that. “But this has affected you, hasn’t it?”
To say I’m taken aback is a bit like saying jumping off a cliff is a piece of cake. She’s really taken with the idea that I’m hurt. Frowning at the thought, I murmur, “Of course, it has. I loved Brook. I didn’t want to separate. But when she lost the baby, she wouldn’t talk to me and we just fell apart. The time in between has just rushed by. I don’t know where the years have gone.”
“Do you still love her?”
A part of me enjoys the bite of jealousy in her tone, but I chide myself for it. I’m a twenty-first century male; I shouldn’t like being considered a possession. But who am I to kid? If I saw her flirting with any pimple-nosed boy from her class, I’d be the same.
Out of nowhere, a full blown emotional entanglement has appeared. Little by little, the pair of us are gradually being ensnared by it. For me, that’s a good thing. It feels right. Good. Pure. I haven’t felt the like since Brook. Everything in between has been fodder. Ways to burn up sexual frustration; ways to free myself from the tensions of work. This is real and I want it more than I ever wanted things to work out with Brook.
“Did you mean it, when you said I wasn’t your toty? Which is quite derogatory by the way!”
I grin at her, my lips twitching at her outrage. “I didn’t select the word. Brook, a fellow sister of the female sex, did.” Growing more serious, I shrug. “Of course, I did. I thought you’d have realized that by now.”
“How could I, when you were always picking on me?” she grouches, lips pouting.
Unable to help myself, I sit forwards and press a finger to the curve of her mouth. I feel the tell-tale tremor as she quivers and replaces the finger with my own lips. At first, I just rest my
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