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“I can complete most tasks. It just takes me a little longer.” My teeth bite together as I prepare for battle. There is no way I’m admitting my brother filled out the application form for me. “And for your information, there was no prerequisite for disclosure of any learning difficulties on your application form,” I quickly add. I think I’ve overstepped the mark, but he doesn’t seem goaded, merely puzzled by my comment.
“How did you check the invoice?” His tone is still sharp, but it is softer like intrigue is taking over. This alone is confusing.
“I used the product codes,” I answer. He nods, bowing his head slightly as his lips turn down at the corners. Numbers don’t seem to baffle me as much, so after my initial panic, I used the coded numbers to match the products to their names on the list.
“Will this learning difficulty be a problem in any other part of your role?” The sneer is back, the look of contempt in his eyes.
“No, I’ve managed so far.”
“Because if it is—” he begins, but I interrupt, my patience wearing thin on a subject he knows nothing about.
“If it does, I’ll let you know and send you a copy of theEquality Act.”
I fold my arms, readying myself for his comeback. His eyes flicker with a glimmer I’ve not seen before. He swaps his arms over, refolding them around his waist as he shifts his feet. Have I rattled him? I’m about to ask to leave when he glances at me, his hand still wavering over his chin, then I see the moment I’ve been bracing myself for. But instead of sending me a snide comeback, he smiles. My knees buckle, and the turmoil of desire and hatred clashes in my stomach as I make sure he doesn’t pick up on my reaction. It isn’t a happy smile, not even nearly. It is a clever smile, a smile that signals Gianni is amused by my petty attempt at fighting back. Nonetheless, it lights his face, accentuating his dashing features and leaves me completely breathless.
“Okay, Miss Daniels.” He seems unnaturally calm as I steady myself.
“Will that be all?”
“That will be all… for now.” I cast my eyes down as I prepare to leave the office, trying desperately to suppress the yearning that has worked its way from my stomach up to my neck. My head is in a daze, and my skin is flushed with the heat. I’m furious at my reaction. My head tells me I hate this man, he is dangerous and inhuman, yet my body seems to defy this.
I leave the office, Gianni remaining behind to plot his revenge. Lewis is by the cash register, and Casey stares vacantly at the door, oblivious to us both.
“Thanks for the backup in there.” Lewis almost flinches as my words reach his shoulder. He turns to face me, ready to explain.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell him about your learning thing. I was put on the spot, and you said yourself, there’s something about the guy that sets you on edge.” He keeps his voice low, still aware Gianni is on the premises. I want to be cross with him, throwing me into the firing line to save his own skin, but he is right. Gianni is the kind of guy who makes you say things you didn’t even know were in your head until he’s extracted them with his stare.
“Maybe he was some sort of interrogator in a past life,” I tut in the small hope Lewis will realize I’m not angry with him. Lewis glances over his shoulder toward the office door.
“Yeah, like the Spanish Inquisition. That accent of his is enough to make you admit to anything.” Lewis laughs. I’m about to point out Gianni is Italian, not Spanish, but I keep quiet. I don’t think Lewis will appreciate the comment. As far as he is concerned, if you weren’t born within a three-mile radius, you’re a foreigner. “What did he say to you after I left?”
“Not much,” I reply. “I didn’t give him the opportunity. I mentioned theEquality Act,and he clammed up.” I raise my eyebrows, still impressed at my quick thinking but shuddering at his reaction. What have I done? Gianni will not let my minor triumph stand. He will want to regain his upper hand and still has his little hidden agenda for my demise.
“Wow, you’re brave.” Lewis smirks. “I hope I never have to discipline you.”
The remark is said as a joke, but the tone of his voice suggests something else. A reminder he is in charge, and I shouldn’t forget it.
I turn my back on Lewis, not wanting him to see my irritation. Why am I surrounded by men who all need to feel important? I move over to the far side of the counter, my hands reaching out to tidy some pre-wrapped shortbread that doesn’t need tidying. I try to stem the annoyance that’s slowly running through me. Gianni and Lewis both riled me in the space of five minutes. My last job had ended at the hands of a woman, but a man had been the crux of my demise.
It hits me like a gust of wind.
Richard.
Richard is back—taller, leaner, older but back.
Had he known I worked in his wife’s café? I refuse to believe it was planned. It is too clever, too extreme. It has to be a coincidence, one of those unbelievable moments where you realize how small a world we live in.
I had known this day would come, but I’d imagined it differently. A fleeting glance in a busy shopping center, a figment of my imagination behind a blurred window.
But he is real. And he knows where I work.
It was bad.
I’d tried to convince myself it wouldn’t be a problem. Richard wouldn’t show up again. He would stay away.
If only he had.
But here I am again, in a new job, with a fresh start, where things are supposed to be different.
