Page 78 of The Beauty and the Boxer
He took her hand and promptly escorted herinto the house, through the front door. The foyer was dark, withwood paneling and emerald green wallpaper that seemed to pull oneinto a magical sort of setting, as if it were some cave carved intoa castle, with large, black and white tiled floors stretching outas far as Meredith could see. It was the oddest styled home she hadever seen and yet, as Jack pulled her deeper into its walls, shehad never felt more at peace.
By the time they reached a small sittingroom that overlooked an Italian styled garden at the side of thehouse, Meredith had nearly forgotten what she was doing there.
He rang for some tea as he pulled her overto a chair and gently pushed her down at the shoulders. She inhaledand exhaled deliberately, trying very hard not to focus on hishands.
“Now tell me what’s happened?” he asked.
Meredith almost didn’t speak. She didn’twant to tell him about Clyde. She wanted to handle this on her own.All she needed was her money. Trying her hardest to smile, Meredithbegan to shake her head.
“I don’t know what—”
“Don’t lie to me, damn it.” His handsdropped from her shoulders, landing on the arm rests on either sideof her body, effectively caging her in. “Something happened.”
Meredith bit her lip. She shouldn’t lie, sheacknowledged, but she couldn’t tell him. She knew he would try tohelp her and she couldn’t bear it.
“I need my money,” she said quietly,fidgeting with her hands.
“It’s in investment for another month.”
“I need it now.”
“It’s impossible,” he said, standing up.“It’s not ready. It hasn’t accrued its full potential.”
“I don’t care if it’s ready or not. How muchis there if I pull it now?”
When he didn’t answer right away, she took achance and peeked up at him. His cold eyes were watching her withsuspicion and she felt suddenly exposed beneath his gaze.
“Why do you need it?”
“How much is there? If I pull it now?”
“I told you—it’s tied up.”
“How much?” she said forcefully, hating howdesperate she sounded.
After a long pause, he spoke.
“Two thousand, four hundred and twenty-eightpounds.”
Meredith closed her eyes in agony. It wasn’tenough.
“I need more,” she said, not directly athim, but more into the ether.
“For what?” he asked.
She shook her head as a fresh wave of tearsthreatened to fall down her cheeks. His hands were flexing as if hewanted or needed to do something and she wondered if he had everfelt as powerless as she felt that moment in his entire life.
“Tell me,” he commanded softly.
“I can’t,” she replied with a painedexpression.
For a moment neither moved, neither seemedto breathe. But in the next instance, Jack was walking around theroom, making his way to a desk that had been set up against the farwall.
“How much do you need?”
Her attention snapped to his.
“Excuse me?”
