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‘Tell her I haven’t got all day.’
Evie could hear Steven’s voice in the background. So that was why Melissa sounded so wound up. She pumped the accelerator as the car slowed. Changing gears, she automatically leaned forward, willing the car to gain speed again.
‘Look, Evie, we need an answer.’
Blinking, she shook her head. She’d just hit a pothole, and she’d told her that, and yet Melissa was still trying to pressurise her.
‘Evie?’
What was she doing? Why was she even contemplating going back? Her work would suffer, and the services she offered her clients would suffer under Steven’s control, too. Her clients didn’t deserve a second-rate service, and she didn’t deserve to be spoken down to all the time. She was a good solicitor and Jack was right, she’d carried that firm. She could set up her own. ‘The answer’s no, Melissa. I’m not coming back.’
As the car slowed to a stop, Evie managed to cruise it towards the grass verge. Putting her hazard warning lights on, she climbed out of the car, walking around and checking for damage.
That was it then. A burst tyre. Leaning her hands on the side of the car, she took a deep breath. She’d made up her mind and there was only one person she wanted to call.
‘Evie?’ He sounded tired. His voice far away. Too far away.
‘Jack. I’m so sorry. Everything was too much, I just couldn’t think properly.’
‘I understand. I’m sorry. I was only trying to help you. I didn’t mean to make things worse.’
‘No, you were right. You believed in me more than I believed in myself. I want to come back to the bay. I don’t want to leave. I want to give it a go.’
‘Give what a go?’
‘All of it. Starting my own firm, living in the bay, you.’ She looked down at the deflated tyre. ‘If you’ll have me that is.’
‘Of course. Can I pop around to the bakery? See you quickly before the wedding?’
‘I’m not at the bakery.’
‘Oh.’ The disappointment in his voice was clear. ‘You’ve gone back to London already?’
‘Not quite.’ Evie stubbed the tyre with the toe of her trainer. ‘I’m stuck on the side of the road with a flat tyre.’
‘Have you rung the breakdown cover? Are you safe where you are?’
‘Not yet. I wanted to ring you first. I will do, though. And, yes, I’m safe. I’m a few metres up from where we first met.’ She glanced towards the spot Jack had crashed his car, the tyre tracks were still etched into the grass and the gap in the hedgerow was evidence enough something had happened there.
‘Give me ten minutes and I’ll be there.’
Looking down at her phone, Evie sank to the grass verge, pulling her knees up to her chest. What had she been thinking? She’d been about to let Melissa bully her into staying at the firm, working beneath Steven. She needed to take a leaf out of Jack’s book and believe in herself a bit more.
