could laugh. This is hilarious. Okay, so I’m evil for playing with a man’s mental issues. Who cares?
“Why do we need to go to the city?” I ask as we pull out of the long driveway, shocked that he hasn’t chastised me for my earlier antics.
“I need to go into the office to deal with a few things. You can keep my father’s secretary company.”
“You’re dragging me out of the house just so your father’s secretary can babysit me? That seems a bit extreme. I haven’t been that bad.”
He doesn’t respond, which makes me huff.
“I really don’t fancy meeting your parents,” I admit after a few minutes of silence. “I mean… your mum blames me and your dad hung up on me.”
“What?” He seems to be astonished by my revelation. “When?”
“I called them, asking them for financial support from Caleb’s trust fund. They refused. Your mum specifically told me it was all my fault. She called me back just to tell me.”
“That…” His hands twist on the steering wheel. He does that a lot. “Don’t worry, my parents aren’t here this week. They’re abroad.”
“Abroad?” I gasp in horror. “How can they be abroad?”
Nathan shrugs. “My parents aren’t good people, Gwen. I would never introduce them to you.”
Caleb said the same thing.
It takes almost two hours to get to the city, due to traffic being horrendous and the distance we live from it. When we make it to the office building where he works, I’m relieved to see he has a designated parking space. The parking situation is worse than the traffic around here.
I’m guided in through an entrance at the back of the building and straight into an elevator. We get off at the fifth floor.
“Come on,” he says and pulls me toward a large round desk. I instantly spot a young woman, not too far from my age, with huge brown eyes and short brown hair. “This is… umm…”
“Sophie,” she sighs with a roll of her eyes, but I can see her heart has been crushed.
“Great.” Nathan pushes me into a chair and walks through a door across from us.
“How many times have you told him your name now?” I ask, noticing Sophie’s lingering look.
She purses her lips and sighs heavily. “About a million and one.”
“That sucks.”
“He will never notice me,” she whines and taps away at her computer. “You’re Gwen, right? The pregnant heathen who stole Mr Weston’s son away?”
“That’s me, although I prefer the term ‘slut’, if you wouldn’t mind.”
She laughs loudly and her sparkling brown eyes come to mine. “Ignore them, they were very protective of…”
“Sammy!” Nathan shouts from the doorway. I didn’t notice him come back out.
“It’s Sophie,” she bites out.
“Know your place!” He snaps and slams the door. I see her face pale and wonder what the hell that was all about.
“Coffee?” She asks and stands abruptly.
“No thank you. I’m not allowed caffeine.” I clear my throat and watch her smooth down her skirt. “What were you going to say?”
“I’ll get you a tea.” She doesn’t meet my eyes as she scarpers through the door to my left. What on earth was that all about?
She brings me my tea, which tastes foul but I sip it anyway. She clicks away on her computer and answers the phone on occasion, all the while chatting animatedly to me about the baby and how her sister was when she was in labour. I listen politely but otherwise lose myself in my own world.
More time passes and I become more bored by the second. A few people come and go, requesting to speak to Mr Weston. All of them are denied. There’s still no sign of Nathan. Now I’m just irritated.
I’ve been sat here for two hours and the company I’m in isn’t great. She reminds me too much of Sasha and that hurts.
Before Caleb died I had lots of friends, but none of them have called or texted since I left. Now I’m wondering if they were ever friends at all.
“Nathan wants you to go to him,” Sophie says, breaking me from my thoughts.
I sigh and head towards the door he vanished behind two hours ago. Giving it a tap, I push it open and blink when I see him sat at the desk with his head cradled in his hands.
“What is it?” I ask and walk over to him.
He looks up at me, his eyes tired. “Keep me company.”
“W… what?”
He pulls the closest chair next to his and pats the seat. I sit, wondering what’s going