Page 25 of Barging In
“How would that help exactly?” Victoria barked, suddenly unable to contain her rising anger.
It did help, but she wasn’t about to reveal that her husband’s secretary, Hannah, had a pixie cut. It was noneof Clem’s business anyway, and it had been some time since Victoria cared what Drew got up to.
Clem stared blankly at her, making Victoria bite her lip. This wasn’t Clem’s fault; she was doing what she thought was right, even if it did leave Victoria feeling naked, shaky, and nauseous.
“Believe me or don’t.” Clem shrugged. “It’s no skin off my nose. I don’t like seeing other women get shat on, that’s all. I should have made an exception… for you.”
Victoria groaned internally at the fact that once again their conversation was spiralling.
“I came to apologise, which I’ve done,” Clem continued, her voice clipped, previous agitation gone. “I’ll leave you to mull it over. But I know what I saw,” she added, heading towards the door.
Anger surged through Victoria, more at herself than anyone else. “You can tell those builders to keep the noise down,” she snapped, her words sharper than she’d intended.
Clem opened the door and turned back. “Suck it up. My great-aunt put up with your renovations for a year.”
Jasper appeared, fist ready to knock when Clem swept past him. She looked back and winked at him.
“Everything okay? You two aren’t off for another swim, are you?” he asked Victoria, his mouth quirking as though the idea amused him more than it should.
A mixture of embarrassment and uncertainty kept her from speaking the truth. She’d never told anyone about her marital arrangements before, and she wasn’t about to start now — not even with Jasper.
“No,” she said, forcing a smile. “Everything is fine. She returned my jumper. Why did she wink at you?”
“She must have recognised me from the other day.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow. “She recognised you from one visit?”
Jasper squirmed. “Perhaps she has an amazing memory?”
She pressed onwards. “Jasper?”
He let out a long breath as his shoulders slumped. “Okay. I’ve been over there a few times. Her cakes aresomuch better than ours. I can’t help it. I’m an addict; I freely admit it.”
Victoria glared at him. “If we can’t even get loyalty from the staff, we’re fucked!”
Jasper drew back and winced. “Sorry.”
“It at least explains your eagerness to get over there and sample her cake. You sat there eating it like it was your first time. You’d make a great actor, you know.”
“I would.” He grinned.
Victoria sighed and spun her chair around to the window. “I can’t stop thinking about her lemon drizzle either.”
“Ha! See?”
She levelled a sceptical brow at him. “Not enough to go over every day. I have some restraint, even if others don’t.”
Jasper bit his lip and joined her by the window. Clem was crossing the bridge, and Victoria’s eyes tracked her automatically.
“I like her,” Jasper said, his eyes following her, too, “even if she is causing us grief.”
“There’s something about her,” Victoria murmured.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing,” she replied, realising she’d spoken the words aloud.
“We should get her to bake for us. Stop Christine buying that rubbery, plastic shit.”
