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everything was so simple. Someone knocked at the door, and
you opened it. Someone stepped on your heart, and you
survived.
'Mummy!' Dominic gazed up at her appealingly. 'Mummy,
it's Daddy. Press the button. There it is. There.' He stretched up
a small finger and indicated, and then, when she still did nothing
about it, he managed to depress it himself.
'Oh, Dominic!' Abby came to life then, but it was too late.
Already the security door downstairs would have opened, and,
meeting her son's belatedly anxious eyes, she knew she couldn't
be cross with him. After all, Jake was his father. And what more
natural to him but that she should let him in?
Realising there was no way she could avoid the inevitable
without hurting her son, Abby put her own feelings aside and
unlocked the door. Then, releasing the chain, she allowed
Dominic out into the corridor, hearing the whine of the lift as he
skipped towards the gates.
Surprisingly, it was Sara who emerged first from the lift, but
Dominic barely paused to give her a smile before grabbing his
father's hand. 'I pressed the button to let you in!' he exclaimed
proudly, as Jake stepped into the corridor. 'Mummy forgot
where it was, but I remembered.'
'Did you?'
Jake seemed to speak with an effort, and for a moment Abby
was afraid he was still far from well. But he obviously looked
much better albeit not a lot heavier and she could tell by the
way he moved, and by the clear brilliance of his eyes, that his
hesitation had not been purely physical.
'Abby,' he said now, meeting her anxious gaze with a
guarded appraisal. 'I hope you don't mind my coming here. I
wanted to see you, and it seemed the best way, in the
circumstances.'
'What circumstances?'
Now that she could see that Jake was in perfect control of
his faculties, Abby felt a kindling sense of resentment. What
now? she wondered. What possible reason could he have for
coming here?
'The circumstances that warrant my talking with you
privately,' said Jake now, glancing round at the black girl. 'Sara,
will you take Dominic back to the hotel, please?' And when
Dominic started to protest, 'Do as you're told, son. You'll see
your mummy again tomorrow, I promise. But right now we have
things to say to one another. Things that a little boy like you
wouldn't understand.'
'Do we?' Abby was on the point of arguing with him, but the
realisation that both Sara and Dominic would be a party to her
objections closed her mouth.
'But I want to sleep here tonight,' Dominic insisted, looking
up at his father, and then his mother, with equally indignant
eyes. 'You said I could stay with Mummy,' he finally accused
Jake, with resentment. 'I don't want to go back to the hotel.'
Abby, whose own eyes had widened at this unexpected
announcement, now looked at Jake, too, for an explanation, but
he did not seem disposed to give it.
'Tomorrow,' was all he said, impaling his son with a warning
look and, although he huffed and puffed a little, Dominic knew
the argument was over.
'Say goodnight to your mommy,' Sara advised gently,
pushing him forward, and, unable to offer him any further
reassurance, Abby gave him a hug. 'I'll see you tomorrow,' she
said, unconsciously taking Jake's word for it. 'Be a good boy for
Sara, hmm?'
She waited until Sara and Dominic had gone into the lift and
the gates had closed before turning back into the apartment.
Although she told herself that the anger she had felt earlier was
justifiable, she was confused now, and when Jake asked, 'Can I
come in?' she gave a helpless shrug of her shoulders.
'Can I stop you?' she countered, preceding him into the
apartment, and her nerves tightened when he closed the door
and followed her into the living-room.
The room was just as untidy now as it had been before she'd
answered the door, but somehow it looked worse. She guessed
she was seeing it through Jake's eyes, and she could imagine his
reaction to the mess. But she didn't have a staff of servants
waiting to pick up after her. Just a twice-weekly cleaner, who
was more of a friend than an employee.
'I guess Dominic is responsible for this,' Jake remarked,
surveying the room with a wry smile, and Abby made a careless
gesture.
'We both are,' she replied shortly, suddenly conscious of her
own dishevelled appearance. After Sara had left she had
changed out of the elegant linen suit she had worn to travel in,
into a pair of baggy cotton trousers and a T-shirt. Ideal wear for
playing with a small boy, she had thought; not so ideal for
entertaining the small boy's father.
Jake shrugged now, and glanced around. 'May I sit down?'
Abby's tongue circled her lower lip. 'If you can find
somewhere,' she conceded ungraciously. But Jake, in his glove-
fitting suit of pale grey silk, was making her nervous, and she
wished he would just state his business and go.
Yet she couldn't deny that she did get a certain pleasure out
of just looking at him. His lean face and tautly muscled body
were so painfully familiar, and now that he had recovered his
strength his dark skin did not have the sallowness it had
possessed three months ago. Yet, for all that, there was still a
trace of uneasiness in his manner, and if she hadn't known him
better she would have said that he was nervous, too.
Not knowing what to do whether to stand up or sit down,
tidy the room, or leave it as it was Abby pressed her hands
together and faced him, as he seated himself on the sofa. She [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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everything was so simple. Someone knocked at the door, and
you opened it. Someone stepped on your heart, and you
survived.
'Mummy!' Dominic gazed up at her appealingly. 'Mummy,
it's Daddy. Press the button. There it is. There.' He stretched up
a small finger and indicated, and then, when she still did nothing
about it, he managed to depress it himself.
'Oh, Dominic!' Abby came to life then, but it was too late.
Already the security door downstairs would have opened, and,
meeting her son's belatedly anxious eyes, she knew she couldn't
be cross with him. After all, Jake was his father. And what more
natural to him but that she should let him in?
Realising there was no way she could avoid the inevitable
without hurting her son, Abby put her own feelings aside and
unlocked the door. Then, releasing the chain, she allowed
Dominic out into the corridor, hearing the whine of the lift as he
skipped towards the gates.
Surprisingly, it was Sara who emerged first from the lift, but
Dominic barely paused to give her a smile before grabbing his
father's hand. 'I pressed the button to let you in!' he exclaimed
proudly, as Jake stepped into the corridor. 'Mummy forgot
where it was, but I remembered.'
'Did you?'
Jake seemed to speak with an effort, and for a moment Abby
was afraid he was still far from well. But he obviously looked
much better albeit not a lot heavier and she could tell by the
way he moved, and by the clear brilliance of his eyes, that his
hesitation had not been purely physical.
'Abby,' he said now, meeting her anxious gaze with a
guarded appraisal. 'I hope you don't mind my coming here. I
wanted to see you, and it seemed the best way, in the
circumstances.'
'What circumstances?'
Now that she could see that Jake was in perfect control of
his faculties, Abby felt a kindling sense of resentment. What
now? she wondered. What possible reason could he have for
coming here?
'The circumstances that warrant my talking with you
privately,' said Jake now, glancing round at the black girl. 'Sara,
will you take Dominic back to the hotel, please?' And when
Dominic started to protest, 'Do as you're told, son. You'll see
your mummy again tomorrow, I promise. But right now we have
things to say to one another. Things that a little boy like you
wouldn't understand.'
'Do we?' Abby was on the point of arguing with him, but the
realisation that both Sara and Dominic would be a party to her
objections closed her mouth.
'But I want to sleep here tonight,' Dominic insisted, looking
up at his father, and then his mother, with equally indignant
eyes. 'You said I could stay with Mummy,' he finally accused
Jake, with resentment. 'I don't want to go back to the hotel.'
Abby, whose own eyes had widened at this unexpected
announcement, now looked at Jake, too, for an explanation, but
he did not seem disposed to give it.
'Tomorrow,' was all he said, impaling his son with a warning
look and, although he huffed and puffed a little, Dominic knew
the argument was over.
'Say goodnight to your mommy,' Sara advised gently,
pushing him forward, and, unable to offer him any further
reassurance, Abby gave him a hug. 'I'll see you tomorrow,' she
said, unconsciously taking Jake's word for it. 'Be a good boy for
Sara, hmm?'
She waited until Sara and Dominic had gone into the lift and
the gates had closed before turning back into the apartment.
Although she told herself that the anger she had felt earlier was
justifiable, she was confused now, and when Jake asked, 'Can I
come in?' she gave a helpless shrug of her shoulders.
'Can I stop you?' she countered, preceding him into the
apartment, and her nerves tightened when he closed the door
and followed her into the living-room.
The room was just as untidy now as it had been before she'd
answered the door, but somehow it looked worse. She guessed
she was seeing it through Jake's eyes, and she could imagine his
reaction to the mess. But she didn't have a staff of servants
waiting to pick up after her. Just a twice-weekly cleaner, who
was more of a friend than an employee.
'I guess Dominic is responsible for this,' Jake remarked,
surveying the room with a wry smile, and Abby made a careless
gesture.
'We both are,' she replied shortly, suddenly conscious of her
own dishevelled appearance. After Sara had left she had
changed out of the elegant linen suit she had worn to travel in,
into a pair of baggy cotton trousers and a T-shirt. Ideal wear for
playing with a small boy, she had thought; not so ideal for
entertaining the small boy's father.
Jake shrugged now, and glanced around. 'May I sit down?'
Abby's tongue circled her lower lip. 'If you can find
somewhere,' she conceded ungraciously. But Jake, in his glove-
fitting suit of pale grey silk, was making her nervous, and she
wished he would just state his business and go.
Yet she couldn't deny that she did get a certain pleasure out
of just looking at him. His lean face and tautly muscled body
were so painfully familiar, and now that he had recovered his
strength his dark skin did not have the sallowness it had
possessed three months ago. Yet, for all that, there was still a
trace of uneasiness in his manner, and if she hadn't known him
better she would have said that he was nervous, too.
Not knowing what to do whether to stand up or sit down,
tidy the room, or leave it as it was Abby pressed her hands
together and faced him, as he seated himself on the sofa. She [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]