Page 37 of The Beekeeper's Cottage
‘Which would have been my first thought,’ admitted Dominic. ‘And I went into that meeting expecting just that but, as things progressed, I saw what I honestly do believe were the defences coming down. We had a far more honest conversation than I thought possible and I don’t think Paul realised how unhappy you were. A sad testament to the shallowness of his character, but there you are. Sure, he was aware you knew about his affairs, and his other… misdemeanours, but I think he thought, or rather he assumed, that you were happy in your own life and had accepted that his actions didn’t really affect you.’
Grace couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘That’s absolute rubbish, Dominic. Paul doesn’t like being rejected, that’s all. He wasn’t surprised by my asking for a divorce, he was just furious because he didn’t get there first.’ She took a deep breath to calm herself. ‘How can anyone think that what we had was an acceptable basis for a marriage, I—’
‘Grace,’ said Dominic gently, holding a hand out towards her. ‘I didn’t say I agree with him. I don’t, on any level. Why on earth would I want to see the two of you reconciled? I hate the way you’ve been treated and, as far as I’m concerned, Paul is a spineless, shallow, thoughtless and incredibly stupid excuse for a man in doing that to you, but…’ He winced. ‘But, he is still the guy who pulls in our highest viewing figures. And for that reason, and that reason only, I listen to what he has to say. Otherwise I would have punched his lights out years ago.’
Dominic’s voice had risen as he spoke, falling abruptly at his final words. And now he sat quietly, looking at his hands in his lap. There were implications contained in what he had just said that Grace probably needed time to think about but, for now, she was only interested in one thing.
‘So, is Paul going to let me keep the house, or not? That’s what this all boils down to. I’ve been to see my solicitor this morning, Dominic. I’ve renounced my claim on everything else I’m entitled to, save for the house.’
‘He’s not in as good a position as you think, Grace,’ replied Dominic.
‘Oh, my heart bleeds for him.’ Grace picked up her cup and finally took a drink of her coffee, pinning Dominic with her stare.
He dipped his head in acknowledgement. ‘Financially, there are no worries, and obviously, as you know, there are other properties that he has acquired over the years and so accommodation is not a problem either, but emotionally… Stupid as it may sound, I don’t think Paul ever thought you would ask him for a divorce. And now that you have, it’s genuinely hurt him and selling this place is his reaction to that. A spoilt child throwing his toys out of the pram perhaps, but there you have it.’
Grace opened her mouth in stunned disbelief. ‘Then he should have thought about that before he… did all those things he did.’ She couldn’t bring herself to say the words. ‘That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.’
‘I know. I’m not excusing him, Grace, far from it. I’m just telling you what I understand from what he told me.’
‘So Iamgoing to lose the house then?’
Dominic exhaled a slow breath. ‘I tried my best to persuade him to let you keep it, Grace. Pointed out the way he’d behaved, what you’ve done for him, all of that, but all I could do was leave it with him and hope that he would see sense, or be man enough to do the right thing.’
Grace nodded. Dominic had done what she had asked of him and perhaps it wasn’t fair of her to ask him to do any more, or worse take advantage of the way that he felt about her for her own gain. That would make her almost as bad as Paul. But then something else occurred to her. Her eyes narrowed.
‘Wait a minute… You said before that there had been some further developments and thatyouwanted to be the one to tell me about them. What’s happened, Dominic?’
He gestured at the coffee pot. ‘May I?’ he asked.
She nodded as he refilled his cup, aware that her heart was beginning to beat slightly faster. Dominic was used to having difficult conversations, it was part of his job. The fact that he was stalling for time now was worrying.
He waited until he had taken a sip before continuing. ‘We’ve been courting a certain production company for months. I can’t give you the details because it’s all incredibly hush-hush, but they have a series they’re launching next year which is going to blow everything else off the top spot. Everyone’s talking about it. And everyone is vying for the contract. I don’t need to tell you how much these things are worth, Grace.’
He offered a sheepish smile and she braced herself.
‘Yesterday, I had an incredible meeting with them, and we’re almost there,’ he went on. ‘We’re so close. They love Paul and the rest of the team, and next month the main man is coming over from the States. One final push and we should have a deal, but you know how it is, nothing’s ever over until it’s over. We’re not the only network in the running and, although I think we’re a nose ahead, we need everything to be perfect. In short, we need you, Grace, one last time.’
She stared at him, a surge of heat rising rapidly up her neck. Whatever she’d thought he was going to say, it wasn’t this.
‘You need me?’ she clarified, shaking her head. ‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this… From Paul, maybe, but not you, Dominic. I actually thought you were better than that…’ She stopped, thinking. ‘No, wait, you even told me, didn’t you? How you were going to break the news to me rather than my husband because you thought you’d do a better job of it, because you didn’t want to make this any harder for me than it already is. A commendable sentiment, Dominic, but not really true, is it? It’s not about that at all, it’s about making sure that you succeed in your mission to get your glittering contract.’
She broke off, glaring at him. ‘Go on,’ she added. ‘Admit it. Was there anything about what I’ve just said that isn’t true…?’
Dominic hung his head.
‘I should throw you out.’ She got up from her chair. ‘How dare you?’ She towered over him, collecting the coffee pot from the table and placing it by the sink. Then she doubled back and snatched the cup from Dominic’s hand and moved that too. ‘And you even had the audacity to sit in my kitchen a couple of days ago and tell me you were sorry for what happened that last time, and now you want me to do itagain?’
‘Grace, please… just listen a minute. I know it sounds dreadful, and I’m not going to insult your intelligence and deny this contract isn’t important to me. I’m Head of Programming, it’s my job, for God’s sake, what do you expect me to do?’
‘Oh, I don’t know, act like a decent human being?’ She marched back over to the table. ‘I’d like you to leave now, please,’ she said, hating herself for even being polite.
Reluctantly he got to his feet. ‘This is a shock, I know. It wasn’t what you wanted to hear. And I wasn’t expecting this either, Grace, you have to believe me. I had left things for Paul to mull over. I had made it quite clear what I thought he should do about the house. I even made one or two veiled threats about his position at the network, but then this meeting yesterday hurled everything forward at a rapid rate. I had no idea they were so close to making a decision, and…’ He made a low groaning noise, before inhaling sharply and reaching out to touch her arm. ‘Grace, if you do this, Paul will give you the house.’
His statement hovered in the air like a fat balloon waiting to be popped.
Seconds clicked by.
‘It’s one weekend, Grace. Just like the old times. One weekend, three guests, your amazing hospitality and you get to keep the house. It’s as simple as that.’
