Page 25 of Enchanted

I wasn’t ready to return to accountancy just yet though. My luck had changed in one way…maybe it was a sign that it would in others too.

And, what did you know, my logic was sound. Less than forty-eight hours after my website went live, I had a job offer.

Karma did owe me a break. Not sure how I’d been lucky enough to have my terminal illness cured and land this job, but here I was.

I still hadn’t wrapped my head around it. Any of it. A few weeks ago, I was sat on a ward, having chemo. Now, I was somehow walking through a pair of massive fucking gates to the highest paying job I’d ever had, which had seemingly fallen right into my lap.

Anyway, back to the bus. Being Saturday, Dave had initially offered to take me. But just this morning, he’d announced he had other plans. Plans to golf with his new work friends.

It had pissed me the fuck off. I wouldn’t have minded if he hadn’t already agreed to take me today. But he’d, somehow, conveniently forgotten about it. Probably around the time he’d forgotten to tell me he’d taken up golf of all things. There was nothing wrong with the sport, but the only clubs and shots Dave usually associated with were of the drinking variety.

Dave letting me down once again was the tip of the iceberg at this point. Ever since I’d returned from the hospital that day, he’d been distant. Absent, almost. I saw him less now than ever. Which was weird, given the news I’d received.

That’s not how you’d be behaving if the shoe was on the other foot.

No, I’d be fucking delighted that my partner had been given the all-clear. I’d be spending every second with him, revelling in the second chance we’d been gifted, both in bed and out.

But there was none of that with Dave. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d been intimate or even had a date. When I’d been sick, it just hadn’t occurred to me. The state of our relationship had been the last thing on my mind.

Now that I wasn’t, the distance between us was glaringly obvious. We were barely partners, more roommates who happened to sleep in the same bed.

How long had it been like this?

It made me wonder if this version of Dave, of us, had been present for a while now.

The drive stretched out before me, curving and disappearing into the distance. Fuck me, who owned this place? And just how much was this author prepared to spend if this was the location they’d hired for the shoot?

A small whimper escaped me, my feet and shoulders already aching. I should’ve booked an Uber. Or worn comfier trainers.

Suddenly, a small red car rounded the corner. There was a brisk toot toot on the horn, followed by the man behind the wheel waving enthusiastically.

Thank fuck.

I pasted on my professional smile as the car came to a halt beside me. The window lowered to reveal a pair of green eyes coupled with curls that rivalled my own. “Ethan?”

“Yep.” I lamely raised my camera. “At your service.”

“I’m Sam. Saw on the CCTV that you were here and thought you might not appreciate the walk,” he said, popping the boot and jumping out to help. “Wish you’d let us arrange a car for you.”

Us? I’d been under the impression that Sam was a contractor, but maybe I was mistaken. “It’s fine. Thank you, though.”

I settled into the front seat as Sam executed a neat three-point turn. The fact that the drive was wide enough for him to do that without his wheels touching the grass emphasised just how massive it was. If the drive was this impressive, I couldn’t wait to see the house. “This is a great location.”

“It is.” Sam beamed at me. Crikey, this was one happy guy. Wished some of that sunshine would rub off on me. I never used to be this grumpy, but the years hadn’t been kind to me. “I’m really lucky to live here.”

My brows hit my hairline. “Oh, I thought the author hired this place for the shoot.”

Sam cleared his throat, focusing on something in the distance. “She did, but she knew about it because it’s where I live with my partner. Here, you should see it appear any second now.”

God, I was glad he’d come to pick me up. The walk from the bus stop had been bad enough, but this would’ve broken me. I really ought to think about getting some cardio in now that I wasn’t…

Dying?

I shook my head slowly. Nope, definitely wasn’t used to it. Externally, I might be moving on with my life. But internally?

That was a different story.

My eyes almost popped out of my skull as a white building suddenly appeared on the horizon. It wasn’t a house, it was a mansion. There was no other word for it. How was there even room for somewhere like this in London? It must’ve been here since before the city sprang up around it; one of those fancy estates that got passed down the generations.