The Girl Next Door (28 page)

‘Prickly. Frosty. Remote. To name but a few characteristics. Words I may or may not have heard bandied about…’

‘That’s nonsense. She’s one of the kindest, sweetest, most interesting women I’ve ever met…’

‘Which brings me back to my question. What did you do? That softened her up?’

A guy in a suit appeared at the door. For a moment she thought it was Ed, began to smile in his direction, but this guy was shorter, and slighter. She didn’t recognize him.

For a moment, Emily didn’t either. She did a double take when she realized it was Jackson. He was carrying a small wrought‐iron table with a tiled top. He walked over to Violet, and put it down in front of her. Violet and Todd stopped talking and smiled at him. Jackson spread his hands, gesturing at the table.

‘Something for your garden. There are chairs, too – four of them. They’re downstairs. I couldn’t carry them.’

‘Jackson – that’s beautiful!’ Violet stood up and kissed him on both cheeks. ‘What a sweet boy you are! How thoughtful!’

Greg and Todd exchanged a raised eyebrow. Violet glared at them. ‘Isn’t it, boys?’ They nodded.

‘It’s the least I could do, really. I haven’t exactly been the most civic‐minded resident…’

Emily watched the exchange from the other side of the roof. Charlotte nudged her.

‘I’m going.’

‘Don’t do that. Stay. Please.’

‘I can’t, Charlotte. I don’t want to be here if he’s here… I feel, I feel humiliated. I’ll see you later…’

‘You should at least find out what he’s got to say about it. You haven’t given him a chance to explain. That’s not fair. To either of you – you wouldn’t be so upset if you didn’t care…’

Emily kissed Charlotte quiet. Charlotte tugged at her hand, but Emily pulled it away, shaking her head. ‘I’m done. Bye bye.’

The elevator took ages. She pressed the button again and again, as though that might speed it up. Downstairs, Hunter Stern was unloading a week’s worth of Fairway groceries, and he wasn’t in any hurry.

Jackson had seen Emily the moment he’d stepped on to the terrace. Just like at the triathlon. She was a magnet for his eyes. He believed, after the race, after finding her in that crowd, that he could spot her anywhere. She looked gorgeous tonight. But when didn’t she? She had her hair down. He hadn’t seen it that way before. She was wearing a cotton sundress in a pale turquoise, and her shoulders gleamed golden in the early evening light. He saw her leave. He’d only come to see her. It was clumsy, he knew, and the table might have been over the top, but when he’d seen the notice in the foyer, announcing the opening garden party, he’d known she’d be there. She’d been avoiding him since the power out. Madison Cavanagh, however, he couldn’t seem to evade. Every time the damn elevator doors opened, there she was, alternately glowering at him, and affecting not to notice him at all, even when there were just two of them in the small space. He hadn’t seen her here tonight, thank God.

He’d left Emily messages, but silence. He desperately wanted to explain. If he was resorting to the grand gesture, it was because he had no choice. Except to walk away, and that he couldn’t do. Instead, he followed her.

He ran his finger around his collar. It was too hot for this get‐up. But he’d wanted Emily to see it.

To begin with, his father had been cynical, as Jackson had known he would be. That’s why he’d gone to his mother first. By the time the two men had sat down across from each other in his father’s study a couple of weeks ago, his mother had cajoled, petitioned, and eventually ordered that his father give him a fair hearing. You could tell he was really trying.

‘So what’s brought on this change of heart?’

‘It isn’t so much a change of heart, Dad. More a kind of distilling down of what I want into something I actually can have.’

‘I haven’t a clue what you just said. That what they’re teaching at Duke these days – psycho nonsense?’

Jackson bit his tongue. This sparring was nothing new.

‘So Dad,’ he’d said, keeping his voice low‐pitched and calm, ‘the question is, are you planning on keeping me here so that you can point out a few more of my failings, or are you going to do what you’ve been trying to do to me for years – find me a job?’

‘Of course I’m going to help you, Trip. I’m your father. I’m merely trying to find out what your motive is. You’ve never shown so much as a flicker of interest up until this point. What is it? Afraid the cash cow is going to be withdrawn?’

Jackson stood up angrily. ‘Jesus,’ he whispered, alarmed by the room’s acoustics. ‘That’s a really shitty thing to say. Keep your stinking job. I don’t need this…’

His father stood up, and came around to his son’s side of the desk. ‘No, no – I’m sorry.’ His father remained standing, one hand on Trip’s arm. ‘I shouldn’t have questioned your motives so closely. Sit, please. Sit down and let’s talk…’

‘About the future, and not the past. That’s my deal?’

His father nodded silently.

And, so, Trip had a job. Of sorts. His father had found him something, shadowing at his law firm. He said he’d move him every few months, so he could learn another part of his father’s business. The stupid thing was, he liked it.

‘You’ll take over one day. You know that?’

Of course Trip knew. Hadn’t he heard it for years? But it was pointless if he couldn’t get Emily to notice him again, to like him again. It was for her, all of this.

She was standing by the elevator, pushing the button furiously, and she didn’t look at him at first.

‘Let me talk to you?’

The elevator was at 2.

‘There’s no need.’

‘There’s every need. I want to explain. You haven’t let me. Nothing happened that night.’

3

‘It doesn’t matter to me whether it did or not.’

‘I think it does.’

‘Don’t flatter yourself, Jackson.’

‘Look – you’d come looking for me. Don’t lie to yourself, Emily, even if you’re lying to me. I know you had.’

4

‘So?’

‘So you saw something, and I know what it looked like. But that wasn’t how it was. Madison showed up, and she threw herself at me, and once, I’ll admit, I’d have gone for it. But not any more. I didn’t want Madison. I don’t want anyone else. It’s only you, Emily. I’ve been gone since the moment I saw you in the lift all those months ago. Totally gone.’

5

Emily was staring at the floor.

6

‘I told her I wasn’t interested. She was leaving, wasn’t she, when you saw her?’

7

‘You’ve got to believe me, and you’ve got to give me a chance. You think you know me, you think you know who I am, but I don’t know how you can. I don’t even know myself any more. Since I met you.’

8

The elevator was almost here. Jackson was desperate. He wanted to stand in front of the doors. She had to listen to him. She had to.

The doors of the elevator opened, and a tall man stepped out. Jackson thought he was the English guy. Ed something.

‘Good evening.’

‘Hi.’

Emily stepped into the elevator. Jackson didn’t know whether to walk in and stand beside her. He didn’t know what was in her infuriating, gorgeous, maddening head.

‘You’d better come in here.’

She knew it hadn’t. Really. She’d known very quickly. All those messages. His face. She didn’t know what had happened that night, between them, but she knew, with a certainty that took her by surprise, that it wasn’t what she had initially suspected.

As the doors closed, she turned to him. The smallest smile played about her lips. She leant forward, her hands on his chest, and kissed him lightly on the lips. Then stood straight again, watching him.

This girl doesn’t know what she wants, Jackson thought. For a second, he hesitated.

And then he kissed her back. Once, twice, his lips dry and soft on hers. She brought one hand up to the back of his neck, and held him there for just a second. That was all he needed. He began to kiss her in earnest, pushing her back against the panels of the elevator.

He couldn’t believe she was letting him kiss her. After all these months. He was almost afraid to touch her. Afraid to make a move, in case it woke her up, and she changed her mind. She was here, with him.

He was touching the skin on her arms and shoulders, the skin he’d wanted to touch for so long. It was as soft as he’d known it would be. The muscles beneath the surface were hard and defined. She smelt like baby powder and ozone and sunshine.

She had her eyes closed. He wished she’d open them – he wanted to see their extraordinary colour looking back at him, giving him permission. He held her face in his hands, his fingers in her silky hair.

Someone – was it him? – had pushed the button for Emily’s floor. The doors opened and they fell into the foyer, and then through Emily’s door. He almost pushed the bike off its wall hook trying to push the door closed behind them.

God, he wanted her. But it had to be her decision. He had to wait.

She stopped. Not like when he’d stopped, with Madison. He knew she didn’t want to. She made herself stop. A couple of times she pulled back, then grabbed him again, her mouth hungry against his, every inch of herself pressed against him. Eventually she got serious about stopping, and took two or three real steps back from him, her arms out in front of her to keep him away.

They were both out of breath and panting.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t want to go too fast.’

‘That’s fine, Emily. That’s fine.’ He held up his hands in surrender. ‘Whatever you want.’

‘I mean, I want to. It’s not that. I
really
want to. But it’s too soon, you know? I have to know I can trust you. I have to know you a little better all round. I mean, I don’t know what you’re like – not really. Like this – you’re probably used to doing this. I’m not. I haven’t had a lot of boyfriends. Honestly. And I’ve never been the kind of girl who just jumps into bed with someone. I sound old‐fashioned, probably. Maybe I am. But I just don’t.’

‘I don’t want you to be.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. I want it to happen. God, yes. You may never know how much, Emily. But I want it to mean something when it does. I mean,
if
it does. I don’t want to assume…’

She was smiling at him now. ‘You’re nervous.’

‘Hell, yes.’ He rubbed his hair ruefully. ‘I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life, for God’s sake. Do you believe me now – what I said upstairs? This is new for me, Emily. Really new.’

She did believe him. She believed him about Madison and she believed him now. At least, she really wanted to, and that was a big step for her. She smoothed her dress, and pushed her hair back behind her ears.

‘Look. It’s early. Do you want to go out, do something? We could take a walk. See a movie. Get some dinner. Whatever you want. Let’s do this the right way round, hey?’

She smiled gratefully. ‘That sounds good.’

Out on the street, Emily slipped her hand into his. It felt like the most natural and wonderful thing in the world to him in that moment. Two people watched them as they walked to the corner and then disappeared. Jesus, the doorman, who congratulated himself on being the person whose sage advice had brought these two beautiful young people together. And Madison, who had climbed out of a taxi in front of the building just as they were leaving.

They didn’t see her, but she saw them.

Eve

Upstairs, Eve slammed her front door, and went straight to the bathroom, slamming that door, too, for good measure. She put the plug in and began running a bath, pouring a big dollop of the bath stuff that smelt of lavender and was supposed to help you go to sleep. It would take more than lavender this evening. She was too cross to sleep.

Ed made a mug of tea, and knocked tentatively on the door. She hadn’t locked it.

‘Can I come in?’

‘I don’t want to talk to you.’

‘Fine. I’m just bringing you tea.’

He put the mug down on the side of the bath. Eve was lying back with her eyes closed. He looked at her body. Her breasts were bigger, and the nipples had darkened. Her stomach was swollen, rising above the bubbles, and her belly button was stretching out a bit. She was, now, obviously pregnant.

And he was obviously a shit. At least, as far as she was concerned.

‘I’m sorry, Eve.’

‘What for? For not bothering to show up at my party until it was almost over, or just for being in the doghouse now?’

‘Both?’

She opened her eyes, and looked at his face.

He smiled his winning smile. ‘Can I come in?’

‘Fuck off. I’m cross.’

‘I’m coming in.’

He pulled off the trousers from his suit, and un‐buttoned his shirt.

‘There isn’t room.’

‘There is.’

He dipped one foot into the hot water, and splashed her a little. ‘Are you sure this isn’t too hot? The baby isn’t supposed to take baths too hot.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘Been reading my books.’

She didn’t know that. He must read them while she slept.

He sat on the end, facing her. She looked at him expectantly.

He shrugged, his arms wide. ‘What? Whatever I say won’t help, will it? You’re not interested in the crucial call they called me back from the elevator to take, are you?’

‘Is that true?’ She narrowed her eyes at him.

‘I swear.’

He leant over and kissed her knee. ‘I wanted to be there, Eve. I promise I did. I’m sorry. I am.’

She didn’t say anything.

‘And I want to be forgiven.’

She sighed. He dropped to his knees in the water, and moved up until their faces were level. Water splashed out of the tub on to the floor. He nuzzled her damp neck, and she brought one hand up to the back of his head. His stomach grazed hers, though he kept all his weight on his hands and knees, careful not to lie on her.

‘I never told you you could get in this bath.’

‘And you never told me I couldn’t.’

She didn’t have the energy to be mad any more. He’d been late to the party, and he shouldn’t have been.

But she was tired of rowing. And he was here now…

Rachael