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Chapter 27
Leyna
The incessant whirringof the photocopy machine stops and the room is silent once again.
‘Okay. You need to gonow,’ I whisper. I hand Jack the papers and push him out the door.
He’s caught me again. This is getting dangerous—especially since neither one of us seems able to exhibit any sort of self-control.
‘Meet me at my place tomorrow morning, nine a.m. I’m driving.’
Jack leaves the photocopy room, walking back towards his office, and I walk back down the corridor and to my desk. Lorna is there giving me a suspicious look, like she always does.
I smile back.Bitch, you have no idea—I’m going on holiday.
The email from HR came through and, to be honest, I probably would have gone regardless. Being near to Jack is like a compulsion—I can’t stop it. The more I taste of him, the more I want. But it’s not just that. I can feel myself changing, opening up more. I feel more like myself than I’ve felt in years. I’m letting those walls come down that I had built up, too, walls that had protected me from my own darkest thoughts—and from what others might think and say. From my failures, perceived or otherwise.
I notice that I’m starting to take pride in that which I once thought held me back for so long. I haddaredto go to Oxford, the northern lass from a coal-mining village. I’d gotten a scholarship. I’d studied something everyone around me thought was completely useless. I was constantly reminded of where I came from and that girls like me didn’t take art history, let alone go to Oxford. I had ignored it all. I had pressed on with my dreams and aspirations.
But then there had always been that niggling voice that asked,And then what?I had gotten my degree but no job at the end of it. A degree and a bunch of paintings I’d collected from artists that would remain obscure—just like me.
I brush away my negative thoughts. I’m going on amid-weekholiday. Not even Lorna with her dirty looks and death stares is going to stop me. When had I ever taken time off just for me? The answer was never and that meant no negative thinking allowed.
Jack wouldn’t say where we were going exactly other than the Lake District, which didn’t narrow it down since that encompassed a huge national park on the west coast, directly across the country from where we lived in Castle Eden.
That evening I spend ages picking out what to pack for this touristy mini-break. Dressy? Casual? I overcompensate and pack multiple outfits for every possible permutation of events. Casual for trips around the towns, looking through shops. Dressier for evenings at restaurants. And some sexy lingerie and bodysuits for our nights together. A few days ago, in a moment of frustration, I’d bought a few items online, when I’d been daydreaming about Jack. I hold them up against my body and look in the mirror.I think he’ll enjoy them, I grin cheekily at my reflection.
The next morning, Candace drops me off in front of Jack’s house and grins at me while giving me two thumbs up. I shake my head, laughing. I know she’s going to want to hear every little detail when I get back. I wave goodbye and walk up the front steps and knock on the red timbre door.
‘Good timing. I’m all set. Do you need anything before we head off? Did you want a cup of coffee?’
‘I’m fine. We can stop at a Costa’s at a service station once we’re on the motorway.’
‘Music to my ears! Right, let’s get this—’
He goes to take the suitcase and just looks at me. ‘Why is this so heavy? How much have you packed in here?’
I had known he wouldn’t understand. When you have to pack multiple outfits, you also need to pack lots of shoes. I walk very slowly up to him, look him in the eyes, and say, ‘Lube. So, so much lube.’
His eyes get huge. ‘Really?’
‘Fuck, no. It’s shoes! Come on, let’s go. The sooner we find a Costa the better.’
‘You’re telling me!’ he shakes his head, putting the suitcase into the boot of the Range Rover.
