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‘No idea. She left shortly after you.’
She looks relieved.
‘Hungry?’ That’s all she says. I’d personally be all over the juicy, gossipy details.
‘Ooooh, yes! I’ll make us some tea.’
I pull out a couple of mugs and pop the different tea bags in, then fill them with hot water.
‘Eggs okay? I’m thinking scrambled, with smoked salmon, on some avocado, and sesame spinach?’
‘Sounds perfect. So how was Zambia?’ I sip my tea and sit at the island.
‘It was busy, but so, so beautiful.’
‘Sounds like you had a challenging time with the guys.’
‘Oh, that. They seemed to talk to Harrison, or they talked to me through Harrison. He may not be the best at operations, but is an exceptional communicator,’ she adds.
I watch her move around the kitchen gracefully. I’ve missed this. I notice she has come back with a lovely golden glow.
‘You caught the sun,’ I observe. What did I say that for?
‘Hard not to, there.’
‘Did you manage to get a break?’
‘I had a couple of quiet evenings, when Harrison was entertaining. I had a lot on my mind going out and I got time to declutter it a little.’
She places two plates down in front of me before sitting next to me. I take a bite. Heavenly, as usual.
‘What was cluttering up your mind?’
‘Lots of things, but mostly discovering that I’ve treated people badly.’ Her mouth turns down slightly at the edges.
‘Rubbish. You disappear into yourself when you feel threatened, that’s all. There are worse ways to handle it.’
‘I treated Jasper badly,’ she admits sorrowfully.
Why are we still talking about Jasper? I bet he stalked her while she was away.
‘I think he was reacting to my behaviour. I didn’t share my feelings, so he wasn’t responding, and we eventually stopped talking.’
‘Maybe reach out to him. Have a chat.’
That’s the last thing I want her to do. I want Ariella to be happy, but getting back in touch with Jasper isn’t a good idea. The guy controlled her every move in their relationship, embarrassed her in public when they were over, and left her alone on the streets of London in the middle of a panic attack.
‘I was thinking of giving us another shot and maybe trying to do things differently this time.’ She looks at me, embarrassed and unsure. ‘We spoke a little while I was away…he’s not a bad person.’
My appetite disappears.
‘I’m down for a Jasper and Ariella reunion if that makes you happy…’ I so amnot. ‘But aren’t you jumping into this? Have you come to terms with why you left? You weren’t happy, Ariella. It sounds like you went away, blamed yourself for everything, and decided you’re the bad guy.’
‘What if Iamthe bad guy?’ She looks at me, distressed, like it is actually a possibility.
‘Ariella Mason, you’re not, and never could be, the bad guy. Jasper can wait a bit, you just started talking again. Give yourself time to feel things out.’
She nods. Phew. She is not going back to Jasper. Not on my watch.
