Hopelessly Devoted by Margaret Blake

Author:Margaret Blake [Blake, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

BRON awoke. There was a noise and it was more than the wind whispering through the trees. A thin pencil of light showed under her door. She listened. There was a murmur. As quiet as possible, she slid from the bed. Her heart was beating madly but she could not stop herself from crossing the room. She part opened the door. It was Job, with his back to her, and he was talking into a Blackberry.

He was speaking too low for her to catch his words but she coughed delicately and stepped fully into the room. He turned, held up a hand and with a forefinger beckoned her.

She looked at her watch: it was only 1 a.m. She thought she had been asleep for hours and was surprised that it had been less than an hour. He ended the conversation, putting down the phone, but he did it leisurely and not as if he had anything to hide. He said, Ruthie. I thought I'd let her know how things were.'

She nodded. Of course, it would be afternoon in New Zealand. 'I'm sorry if I disturbed you,' he said. 'I haven't got into a sleep pattern yet. I was having some coffee, do you want some?'

`If you want to sleep you're better staying off the coffee,' she said. ‘But I wouldn't mind a cup of hot milk.'

She went to the fridge and took out the milk, setting the pan on the stove and then, suddenly conscious of what she was wearing, she froze to the spot. 'Watch the milk, please,' she said to Job, before scurrying back to her room and slipping a robe over her thin silk nightdress.

The milk had boiled and he had put it in the cup by the time she returned. He thankfully made no comment about her exit.

`Apparently Marged's been around asking where I am," he said.

`Really? And does she have the right to make those kinds of enquiries?'

`What do you mean?'

`Well, is there something between you two? I rather had the impression she wouldn't be adverse if you were interested.'

Clang! She heard the sound in her head, what a stupid thing to say. It sounded spiteful and jealous and she was neither of these... or was she? Job was not her personal property and he was single as was Marged. It was nothing to do with her.

`I'm not having an affair with Marged,' he said, but only after leaving her words hanging in the air for some time.

`I didn't mean that exactly. I mean, I thought you might be dating or something.'

`That's an old-fashioned concept.' Now he was teasing her. She could hear it in his voice.

`This is going nowhere.'

`That's the same as Marged and me. Marged has no reason to ask questions about my whereabouts. Ruthie accused me of the same thing. I wonder what it is about me that make people think I can't resist women.'

`I think you give that impression. You can be very charming when you want to be. Anyway, what did you tell Ruthie to tell her?'

`That it's none of her business but she'd done that already.

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