Page 54 of Fighting for the Forbidden
Chapter Fifteen
Ben
The tensionin Lauren’s body increases the closer we get to London. I know she doesn’t want to go home and deal with everything, but I’m not letting her run away any longer. As much as I’d love to keep her all to myself, we’ve both got things that need to be done. I’ve got a business that really needs my attention, and she’s got two friends to speak to and decisions to make about her future. I haven’t said any more about her coming back to work since we were on the plane. As much as I’d love for her to come back and work beside me, I’m not about to force her. She had enough of that from her dad over the years. If she feels that now’s the time for a fresh start, then so be it.
“This is you then,” she says, pulling up in front of the house. Her voice is full of sadness and I’d do almost anything to help get rid of it, but she really needs to go home and get everything out in the open.
“Thank you for everything. Can I call you later?”
“Do you really need to ask that?”
“I guess not.”
“If you need me, I’ll be here, but no running away. You’ll feel better once you’ve talked through everything.”
Leaning over, I give her a quick kiss. It’s nothing like what my body’s craving, but it’s all I can get away with right now. The memory of how her curves felt pressed up against my body last night is still at the forefront of my mind. I’ve no doubt that if I hadn’t stopped her, I’d have ended up in her bed, but I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. I’d agreed to give her time to figure shit out, and I was determined to do the right thing…this time, at least.
“I’ll see you soon.” I try to sound positive as I get out of the car and grab my bag from the boot. I watch as she lets out a huge sigh before backing off the drive. She asked me to go with her, but I stand by my decision that she needs to do this alone. Me being there will only get Joe’s back up.
“Hey, I’m home,” I call once I’m in the house, hoping that it will stop a repeat of the last time I turned up unannounced.
“In the kitchen.”
“Fully dressed?”
“It’s safe,” Mum shouts with a laugh. When I round the corner, I find Mum and Chris aren’t alone—there’s another man sitting with them, drinking coffee. “Hey, sweetheart, did you have a good time? Where’s Lauren?” she asks peering around my shoulder, expecting her to appear.
“Gone home to deal with Joe.”
“Oh…okay. Well, this is Trey, the man Chris suggested might be a good fit for us.” It takes me a few seconds to catch up with what she’s talking about. My drug-hazed brain had mostly forgotten the conversation I’d had with her when we got back from Rome about employees handing their notice in and finding someone new for the office.
“Hi. Your mum was just telling me all about you.” Trey says, holding his hand out towards me. He’s older than me, probably mid to late thirties, but he’s a similar build, and I can see that we share a love of ink from the black intricate patterns poking out from his sleeves. His face is hard, his lips set in a slight scowl, and I can’t help thinking he must be an arsehole of a boss. I’m not sure I’d want to be on the wrong side of his temper.
“All good I hope.”
“Of course.” I join them at the table while Mum faffs around getting more drinks. “So, I was just telling your mum a little about me…” he continues on to tell me his employment history within the building industry. I can’t help find it odd that this man, who clearly looks capable, and I have every confidence that he is if Chris is vouching for him, is selling himself to me; the guy who’s not held down a proper job since he walked out of this house over six years ago but suddenly finds himself in charge of a failing company. Everything sounds perfect; his experience is second to none, and I think he’s got the attitude and determination it’ll take to help me drag this company back from the dead.
“Sounds perfect. When can you start?” I ask with a laugh, but in reality I couldn’t be any more serious. The prospect of being the boss is more daunting than I’m allowing anyone to see, but with the knowledge I have someone who knows what they’re doing by my side with regards to running jobs and dealing with employees, the challenge suddenly seems a little more manageable.
Trey looks a little sceptical but eventually says, “Tomorrow?”
I’m too stunned to respond but Mum does it for me. “Done. Now, shall we have something a little more appropriate to celebrate? I feel like this could be the start of a new chapter for all of us.”
When I fall into bed later that night, it’s with hope filling my veins. Lauren seems to be softening to the idea of an ‘us’ again, and we’ve got some solid plans for how to save the business. I believe what Mum said earlier is true. This really is a turning point, and we’re all about to find out if we’re going to sink or swim.
