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I remembered when I first visited the penthouse office, my heels had clicked on the polished floor and the vast openness of the premium office space, along with the pristine furnishings and décor, had overwhelmed. Today, I trotted up to Carla’s desk with my sister-in-law peeping behind me like a dormouse. So unlike her, but my husband’s dominion had that effect on some people. The double oak door to Jason’s office was shut.
“Mrs Lucas.” Carla rose from her seat. “He’s been told you are coming and said he would be available if you waited. He has phone calls to make, you see.”
Carla spoke with an awkward shrug of her shoulders. Five years ago, when I had worked for the company as a lowly intern, she would have snapped her responses, making me shrivel.
“We’ll wait. Please would you bring some coffee for my sister Gillian and myself.” I pursed my lips with frustration at the delay. However, I could do little until Jason emerged.
We sat in the waiting area and watched Jason’s trio of personal assistants beaver away. The skinny Melissa kept dashing back and forth to the photocopier, chewing gum incessantly, and she gave us little smiles of acknowledgement each time. Oliver, Jason’s researcher, was reading off the screen with a glum look. Carla brought over two small coffees with a jug of cream on a tray and placed it on the low glass-topped table. I had sent a text to Clara, explaining the delay.
Minutes ticked by before it dawned on me Jason didn’t know I was outside his office with his sister-in-law. He would be expecting me and to keep me waiting would be acceptable in his mind. However, he wouldn’t have kept Gillian sitting outside his office. I should have been more precise with Melissa when I made the appointment. Whoops.
“Your kids, how will they be getting home from school?” I hadn’t thought about Gillian’s schedule either.
“Not a problem today. They go to the childminder. I took a flexi day.” Gillian worked for a publishing agency part-time as a copy proofer, a job offering the advantage of being able to do much of her work from home.
Clara’s phone buzzed. “Yes, will do.” She turned to me. “You can go in, Mrs Lucas.”
A quarter past three, and Jason was scheduled for another appointment in fifteen minutes leaving a frugal amount of time to deal with Anthony’s collapsing business.
Jason wasn’t at his desk. He sat by the large meeting table with the cordless telephone headset glued to one ear and his feet resting on another chair. With his jacket and tie discarded, the top button of his shirt undone, and sleeves rolled up, he had an air of a man who wanted to be by himself and undisturbed. To me, he was the sexiest man alive, with or without his formal trappings. The beginnings of a frown dissolved when he saw Gillian behind me. Rising gracefully, he came over to greet his sister-in-law with a charming face of welcome and a kiss on the cheek.
“Gillian, what a pleasant surprise.” He turned to look over his shoulder at me and flashed me the I’m-pissed-with-you glare for a fleeting second.
I hunched my shoulders, making myself smaller. “Sor-ry,” I sang. “I should have mentioned to Melissa about Gillian being with me. It’s Gillian who needs to talk to you.”
He indicated to the chairs around the table. “I apologise, Gillian,” he said, sitting back down, “for keeping you waiting.”
He addressed his apology to my sister-in-law. I presumed my inability to communicate effectively would be readdressed later in the day.
Gillian had all the appearance of somebody who wanted to be miles away from the intimidating office of a chief executive. Her usual confident manner had faded into nonexistence. The room, with its vast dimensions and modern furnishings gave no comfort to a woman who wanted to tell her brother-in-law her world collapsed in on itself. She opened her mouth and nothing came out, while her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
Jason drew in a deep breath. “Let me make a guess. Anthony’s company is about to go tits up and you’re here because I’m your last resort?”
She nodded a fraction.
“I take it he doesn’t know you’re here?”
A shake this time. “You knew?”
“About his finances, the problems with suppliers? Yes, I knew. Dad told me a while back.”
“You’ve done nothing to help him!”
“He hasn’t asked me to, Gillian. You know our history. I can’t foist myself on him and in any case, he won’t let me. Dad tried speaking to him about seeing me, but he resisted. I assume things have reached a tipping point.”
“You could say so. The house, everything is at risk. He’ll never come and knock on this door. Never.” The sharpness in her voice stunned me. What caused the bad blood between Anthony and Jason? It had to be something more than Jason’s kinky lifestyle choices.
“Never is a big word.” My husband’s shrug seemed to lack any sympathy, almost dismissing Gillian’s concerns. My stupid tendency to weigh in and add my own pleas hovered, and I focused my attention on my hands and sealed my lips tight. Couldn’t he give Gillian money, make the loan out to her?
“What about Audrey? Can’t she persuade him?” Gillian mentioned Jason’s mother with unbridled exasperation.
“Anthony’s attitude to Mum is similar to the one he holds for me. He thinks we’re conjoined and set against him.”
“Won’t you help us, Jason?” Her voice broke, and tears tipped over her long lashes, dribbling down cheeks. She wasn’t a woman who cried easily, I suspected, not like me who blubbered at the drop of a hat. With a sigh, Jason rose and returned to his desk. He hit a button on his intercom.
“Mr Lucas?” Carla’s voice boomed across the room.
“Cancel my next meeting.”
