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“Good luck with that.” I clink my glass against his and as I sip the potent mix of berries, alcohol and spice, we hold each other’s gaze for a little longer than is polite and for some reason I can’t tear my eyes away. It’s as if the mood has shifted a little and the cosy atmosphere and warmth from the roaring fire nearby is lulling me into a false sense of happiness. I am sipping good quality wine with a billionaire that makes Richard Gere in Pretty Woman look like a tramp and I’m guessing things don’t get much better than this. I could almost believe we’re on a date because the scorching gaze he is throwing me is melting the ice in my heart and so I reluctantly tear my attention away and say in a voice that is a little higher than usual, “You never answered my question. How did you make your money?”
He sets the glass down and appears a little angry and I wonder if I’m prying unnecessarily.
“The internet.”
“That’s a sweeping statement. You will have to be a little more precise.”
“Will I? I doubt it.”
For some reason, he seems cagey and the detective in me sits up and takes notice.
“I’m sensing a story here. What happened? Did it all go wrong?”
“And leave me a billionaire.” He laughs, but it seems hollow now, unlike before.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“What are you, a therapist now?”
The mood has soured, and I wonder why and just sip the wine and stare at him, willing him to speak on his own terms. It’s a little trick I learned on the job that sometimes it’s better to say nothing at all, causing the person opposite you to fill in the awkward silence and once again it works in my favour as he huffs.
“If you must know, I made billions but lost my best friend in the process.”
The tormented gleam in his eyes makes my breath hitch and as his mask slips, I see a damaged, broken man behind it trying desperately to hold it together and I wonder if the reason I’m here now has nothing to do with the store at all and has a lot to do with what happened in his past.
Robert appears to be fighting off demons and as we both sit quietly sipping our wine, I wait patiently for the flood gates to open and let me into a world he appears desperate to hide
CHAPTER12
ROBERT
I’m not sure why I suddenly feel so angry. I try not to think about my money and how I got it. It’s a memory I have fought hard to keep hidden in a box in my mind that would blow up in my face if I ever let it out. As Jessica’s words linger on the binding that keeps it hidden, I try desperately to focus on something else. It was a simple question, but one that reminded me why I don’t have friends or share my life with anyone. I suppose it’s because I don’t want to open this box and allow it to blow my world apart.
Luckily, the food arrives to distract her from the question, and I find it almost impossible to concentrate as a small moan wafts from across the table. “Hm, this is delicious.”
I stare at her, my mind dazzled by the beauty she radiates despite how much she tries to disguise it. I’m not sure why she is so defensive all the time and decide to delve a little deeper into her life while her defences are distracted by the food.
“Tell me about yourself. Are you close to your family?”
“God no.” she laughs out loud. “They are very different from me.”
“In what way?” I’m curious and she shrugs, heaping more pasta onto her fork and taking a big bite.
As she chews, she appears to be considering her response and I like that about her. Jessica doesn’t speak without every word being appraised before spoken and I understand a lot about that.
“My parents had no ambition.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“If you say so.” She rolls her eyes. “My sister Sally takes after them. All she wanted in life was the standard husband and two kids. A house in suburbia, working a part-time job while the kids are at school.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes, it is, actually.” Her eyes flash as she leans forward, and I am momentarily distracted by how much I crave this wild beauty.
“They have nothing. A stale marriage and a couple of kids who are out of control. Money is tight and they load more debt onto credit cards that they can only afford to pay off the interest every month. Subsequently, they gamble on the lottery in the hope all their prayers will be answered, and they will become millionaires overnight. They never will.”
“How can you be so sure? It happens.”
