In the Market for Love - By Nina Blake Page 0,49
she took drew more oxygen than she could breathe in. Her chest became a vacuum, her ribs barely able to resist the force of the outside world pressing upon her.
“Do you really want him after all this?” Bianca asked. “Are you really that desperate that you’d break up a family, ruin the life of a small child? Because I’m telling you, stay away from my family.”
Rachel couldn’t do this to the little boy in racing car pyjamas. Jake wouldn’t do it to him either. That was the one issue on which he wouldn’t compromise. Nothing she could say would change that.
Glass in hand, Bianca leaned back. “Face it, honey. It’s over. Believe me, you don’t want to take me on. You don’t stand a chance.”
Her legs trembling, Rachel stood. She placed her hands on the edge of the table for balance. There was nothing left.
She’d been alone before.
But not like this.
* * *
The ring of Rachel’s mobile phone was like an alarm clock waking her from a dream. But it wasn’t a dream. She was walking along George Street away the restaurant, away from Bianca and away from Jake.
She blinked against the sunshine, raised her eyes, and noticed how bright it was. Strange, she hadn’t noticed before but now it was very clear.
Rachel dug her phone out of her bag as she’d done countless times before, only to see Jake’s name flashing on it.
How dare he? She held the phone as it rang two more times, then stopped as the call was forwarded to message bank. Let him leave a message. It was the least she expected of him.
She shoved her phone back into her bag and headed for the office.
There was nothing left for him to say.
* * *
Later that day, Marcus phoned Rachel’s office.
“Is Samantha really at meetings for the rest of the day?” he asked. “Or does she just not want to talk to me?”
“The reason I picked up her phone is because she’s away from her desk,” Rachel said into the receiver. “She’s not here.”
“Can you tell her I called?”
She pursed her lips to stop herself from saying something she’d regret. Marcus had slept with Samantha, then refused her phone calls, yet now he wanted to contact her. This didn’t make sense. It also wasn’t her problem.
“She told you what happened, didn’t she?” he asked.
Rachel rolled her eyes. “It’s really none of my business.”
What was it with these men that they treated the women in their lives so badly only to decide later to make amends?
“I may have upset her,” Marcus said.
Rachel felt increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation. “I’m not the person you should be talking to.”
“I don’t think Samantha wants to talk to me after what I did. I was horrible to her.”
“That’s between the two of you.”
“I need to make it up to her.”
“Well, you’d better make it good.” The words shot from her mouth before she could stop herself.
“That’s it. You’re right. Also, did you know Jake’s been trying to reach you?”
Of course she knew.
The prospect of seeing him again filled her with dread but she wouldn’t back down from their business meetings.
She’d show him she was better than him. Stronger. More determined.
He didn’t have her backbone. His life was built on a bed of lies but she wouldn’t stoop to his level to exact some petty revenge.
It was her campaign and she was not going to let him ruin two years of work when the project was on the verge of coming to fruition.
She’d speak to Jake when she was ready. When they needed to discuss the campaign. Other than that, there was nothing left to talk about. She didn’t owe him an explanation and he didn’t deserve one.
Rachel had been through far worse than this and had the strength to get through this current ordeal. Compared with the past tragedies of her life, in the long run, this one was barely going to rate a mention.
And after the campaign was finalised, she’d never have to see him again.
* * *
Rachel closed the boardroom door behind her. “What do you think you’re doing here? You can’t come barging into my workplace. Haven’t you heard of telephoning?”
Jake leaned against the table, arms folded. “Don’t give me that. I didn’t bother trying to phone you again. There’s not much point when you won’t take my calls.”
“If you call me at work about the campaign, I’ll speak to you. As long as we stick to business, we’ll get along fine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I told