Page 30 of Love By Sunset

‘I did. Several times. It went to voice mail, and you haven’t returned my calls,’ Gerry said impatiently. ‘So I thought I’d come down, get everything signed, then head back to London. Look, I’m sorry, but how was I to know? Why’s he got so angry?’

Emily raised her eyes and could feel the scalding tears pool on her lower lids. ‘Because I think… something might have been happening, changing with him. He might have been looking at me with a view to something longer term than his usual affairs.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Gerry said again, shaking his head. ‘But, Emily—I’d really appreciate it if we could meet at Seaview later this evening and get this paperwork sorted, okay?’

With that, he turned and walked off, leaving Emily to return to the kitchen.

It was empty, but the office door was closed. She stared at it for a moment before walking towards it. Opening it, she saw Jake, his head pillowed on his arms. He was completely immobile.

‘Jake?’ Her voice was a trembling whisper.

After a long moment, Jake lifted his head. He compressed his lips, and the pupils of his lovely, laughing eyes dilated under brows drawn down in fury. ‘How could you?’ His voice was bitter, like an icy dagger piercing her heart. ‘How could you? Approach Developments wanted the Solhaven Estate. Down you come, with never a word about your fancy job or who you are, and turned on all your sex appeal, and like a mug, I fell for it. But just in case you couldn’t get me to agree to let go of the café through sex,hecame down offering bribes. You both took me for a ride, didn’t you?Fuck, I’ve been a complete idiot, haven’t I?’

‘No, Jake,’ Emily’s voice was steady. ‘You’ve got it all wrong. Let me explain. Yes, I came down here to—’

‘Shut up!’ His voice was ugly, raw with grief and anger. ‘Shut up! I’m sure you can find some slick city excuses, but hey, do you know what? I don’t want to hear them. This morning, I nearly asked you… this whole time together… I thought maybe I’d stopped looking. Have you any idea how that makes me feel now? Hurt beyond words. Stupid and naïve as well. Yes, me,naïve. Deluded. Let’s throw in heartbroken, too, then you can really understand what you’ve done to me. And you come along, wanting toexplain?’ Jake buried his head in his hands, and Emily could see his white-knuckled fingers gripping his hair.

‘You’re wrong. I never even knew who—’

‘No, I haven’t got it all wrong!’ He rose from his chair and smacked his fist down on the desk. ‘Tell me why someone like you would bother with a laid-back surfer like me if you didn’t have an agenda? I wondered, sometimes, why you stayed. It frightened me you might just disappear, more fool me. Even my ma could see you weren’t my type. All this talk of letting go of control, changing your life.Fuckyou, Emily Delamere. Go to the cottage. Now. Get your things together and get out. When I come home, I want to see my key on the table, and I never, ever want to set eyes on you again.’ Jake turned away.

‘Jake! You’rewrong. Let me explain it all, please.’ Her voice was piteous as sobs rose in her throat and threatened to drown her. Never mind what Jake felt, what he said about being heartbroken. She was heartbroken, too. She loved him. Oh, yes, she loved him.

Staring at her, his eyes blazing, Jake repeated his words. ‘When I come home, I want that key on the table and I never, ever want to set eyes on you again. Get out of my sight, Emily. Now.’

Emily had no choice but to turn and leave. At the last moment, her hand on the door, she hesitated and turned back.

‘I tried to tell you, a couple of times, who I was and what was going on, I really did.’ Tears pooled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks, faster and faster as she choked out the words. ‘But then I realised the development was all wrong, for your sake, for the area. I knew I was going to veto the purchase and break up with the company, so I—’

‘Go!’ Jake repeated coldly, his hands raised to cover his ears as he slumped back into the chair. ‘I don’t want to listen to your pathetic excuses. Just fucking go.’

CHAPTER15

Emily droppedinto a chintzy armchair in the slightly shabby lounge of Seaview, which smelt pleasantly of lavender, her bags upstairs in the room she’d occupied before she’d met Jake, and he’d turned her world upside down.

Gerry looked up, sympathy clear on his face. ‘Drink?’

‘Hell, yes. I’ll have a double whisky.’

‘Emily,’ Gerry warned, ‘you rarely drink very much and you’ve eaten nothing yet. Wise move?’

‘Shut up. Get me the whisky.’ Emily was sodden with misery, her eyes red-rimmed, her hands hopeless on her lap.

When Gerry returned, also bringing with him a plate of sandwiches, Emily had more tears trickling down her cheeks and a fresh tissue in one hand.

‘Oh, Em!’ Gerry squeezed her shoulder.

‘I know. I’m a fool,’ Emily spoke bitterly. ‘I knew I’d end up being hurt, but not like this.’

‘Why’s it so bad?’

‘He challenged me to let go of my control. He said it would be no strings, a holiday fling, but he guaranteed I’d enjoy it, and I thought it might be interesting to do what he suggested.’

Gerry proffered a sandwich and Emily took an absent mouthful, not tasting it, uncaring. The shot of whisky she gulped down was a different matter. Its fiery warmth hit her stomach, and she felt the effects roll through her body.

‘Well? Isn’t that what happened?’

‘No. I realised, despite this laid-back surfer image, when it came to the café, he was disciplined and hard-working. I found out he was kind to young kids learning to surf. He loves his mother and sister. He has a wonderful attitude to life which in some ways is precarious, but in other ways immensely liberating. In other words, I fell in love.’

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