Page 27 of Hidden Gem
“That’s good,” Marnie replied, keeping her tone calm. “Then why did you call me?”
The line went quiet for a moment. Marnie checked to make sure the call hadn’t ended.
“Marnie? Is this Marnie Browne?”
“Yes, it’s still Marnie Browne.” Had Kathleen forgotten the previous two minutes?
“Yes, of course it is!” Kathleen spat back. “I called to warn you about Jason. You should know who you’re dealing with. What his motives might be.”
“That’s okay. I’m not worried. Is that all, or...”
“Well, obviously, I want to make sure I can trust your discretion, Marnie. Especially around people like Jason. Even the most innocuous conversation might reveal far more than you intended. What exactly did you talk about with him?”
Marnie’s stomach tensed. “Oh... election issues. I think he just wanted my vote.” As the lie left her lips, the knot in her stomach tightened. Jason had promised not to drag her in the middle of this. She had to trust him, even if he didn’t want to see her again. It had only been a week. Politicians were busy people. Maybe he’d still call. Even if he didn’t, telling Kathleen about the night she’d spent with Jason would hurt them both.
“Wonderful, Marnie. My assistant will send you something nice as a little thank you. Do you enjoy spas?”
“No, no! There’s absolutely no need—”
“You don’t like spas? How about artisan chocolate? I know a lovely chocolatier.”
Marnie shuffled her feet. If she fought too hard, Kathleen would get suspicious. “Yes, chocolate sounds great, thank you!”
“Very well, I’ll make sure that gets to you. Must run now, thank you for your time.”
She ended the call, leaving Marnie squeezing the phone. Kathleen hadn’t even asked for her address, but Marnie had no doubt she’d find it as easily as she’d found her phone number. Marnie rarely picked up a call from an unknown number, scared of scam artists, but this time she’d taken the risk, desperate to hear from Jason. And now she was terrified of a chocolate delivery.
Marnie sat on the pile of clothes, hoping to settle her pulse before joining Shasa in the lounge. Was Jason as ruthless as Kathleen made out? Was his interest in her only for her help in bringing down Kathleen? Why had he invited her back to his place, then? Why had he slept with her? As much as her gut twisted at the thought, she still felt the powerful pull for him. She wanted to talk to him, now more than ever. She wanted to ask him what he thought of all this.
Kathleen had seen her sitting with Jason at the end of the gala, but she didn’t seem to know about the night they’d spent together. Nothing about her health issues had reached the news – Marnie had checked regularly, wondering if Jason would go to the media. Now, she could only hope things stayed that way. Or maybe she could get in touch with him? She wanted to see him again, desperately. Could she use her anxiety over Kathleen’s phone call as an excuse? Could she stomach the regret on his face if it turned out he really didn’t want to see her again? If he wasn’t just busy, but had decided to blow her off? The thought made her shiver.
Marnie gathered her wits. She had to tell Shasa. Maybe she couldn’t talk about Kathleen, but she could tell her friend about Jason. Given she could think about nothing else, it seemed the only way forward.
She found Shasa on the couch, dodging Lilla’s acrobatics as she tried to somersault across the length of the seat. “Who was that? Are you okay?”
Marnie caught Lilla in mid-jump and secured the child in her lap. She squirmed and giggled, but finally settled.
“I want to tell you about something else. Something that happened in Wellington. I just need to think of a kid-friendly way to word it.” Marnie gave her friend a meaningful look.
Despite the icy aftertaste of Kathleen’s phone call, the corners of her mouth tugged upwards. Thinking about Jason did that to her, every time. Momentarily, the aches disappeared, and her chest filled with warmth. In her mind, those moments she’d spent with him were coated in fairy dust. Even if she never saw him again, which was probably safest, he’d given her the greatest gift – an escape from reality.
Shasa’s eyebrows sailed up in surprise. “Oh, seriously? Spill!”
