Page 38 of The Importance of Being Emma
Emma blushed. ‘No, feel free.’
She avoided my eye and almost ran out of the house. I made to go after her, but checked myself. Tamara stood watching me, her face taut with anger. Then a car door slammed, shattering the silence, and we heard Emma start the engine and drive off.
Immediately, Tamara threw her bags down on the floor and stormed into the family room. I followed, determined to clear the air. She switched on the PC and waited for it to boot up, scowling and drumming her long red fingernails on the desk.
I folded my arms and leaned against the door. ‘What was all that about?’
‘You tell me.’
‘How can I, when I don’t know what you’re getting at?’
‘I walk in on you and her, and your hands are all over her, and you’re doing that thing with her hair that you always do to me when you’re feeling horny — and you say you don’t know what I’m getting at?’ She gave a scornful laugh.
Were my hands all over her? Was I doing that thing with her hair? I felt the blood drain from my face. ‘You’re reading toomuch into this. She was upset about a problem at work and I was giving her a hug, nothing more.’ I went towards the desk. ‘There was absolutely no need to embarrass her like that.’
‘She wouldn’t have been embarrassed if she had nothing to hide.’
‘Don’t be so ridiculous! She thinks of me as an old friend, that’s all.’
‘Maybe it’s you who has something to hide, then.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’
She slid open the drawer beside her, took out a page torn from a magazine and held it up, just out of reach, as if to taunt me.
‘Found this when I was looking for some printer paper this morning. Recognise it?’
‘Of course I do. So?’
‘So why’s it here?’
I heard myself blustering, ‘For God’s sake, I’m mentoring her. That photo tells me a lot about her public image, something she clearly needs to work on.’
‘And your mentoring file is — where?’
I paused. ‘In the office.’
‘Ah. But you keep this charming photo at home. Presumably it’s normally at your bedside, nicely to hand, but not required while I’m here.’
‘If you’re insinuating what I think you are, then you’re—’
‘And the way you were eyeing her up on Saturday night, was that in the name of mentoring too?’
‘I wasn’t eyeing her up.’ Was I?
‘Every time I looked at you, you were staring at her.’
I shrugged. ‘If I was looking at her more than usual, it was because I thought Elton was eyeing her up.’
‘Funny, you didn’t look athimvery much, which makes it a bit difficult to know what he’s doing, doesn’t it? You see, Mark,I’m putting two and two together. Ever since I arrived, you’ve been — different. As if your mind’s on something, or someone, else. And now I know who.’
I took a deep breath. ‘Let’s go into the drawing room and discuss this in comfort.’
In one fluid movement, she pressed herself against me, her voice a husky whisper. ‘Mmmm, that depends, darling. If it’s in front of the fire, with no clothes on — you know I’m up for that sort of discussion. Talking’s such a waste of your gorgeous mouth, I always say.’
I shook her off, took a step back. ‘No, for once let’s talk properly. About us. About whether there’s any future in our relationship.’
Shit, wasn’t that the phrase Emma had used in that heartless little note to Rob?
