One Last Gift: The BIGGEST love story of 2022: romantic, addictive and swoonworthy by Emily Stone

Author:Emily Stone [Stone, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2022-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Sam couldn’t believe how cold New York stayed, all through April. He was sat hunched on a bench, a grey sky threatening rain overhead, staring at his phone as he waited for Toby, who was meeting him at the youth centre, and then they were going from there to explore the wonders of Brooklyn. Toby had an apartment this way as well – rented, not owned, but still, so the plan was to stay for a few days. Toby had been staying with a friend on Long Island last night, so Sam had made his own way here and now he was early, having overestimated the time it would take from the Hamptons house.

He reread the message from Cassie as he waited – yet again. He’d sent her a message last night, unnerved by the lack of updates – what if there were some problems that end?

We’re waiting on a solicitors’ meeting on Monday. I’ll let you know how it goes though!

He should tell her it was him. He was still feeling guilty about explicitly lying about the fact he knew Linda, but he’d panicked and hadn’t known what to say – because if he’d said ‘yes’, things would have got trickier, wouldn’t they?

He was going to do it. Going to tell her it was him, so he could stop feeling like he was deceiving her. He actually brought up her number, dialled.

‘Hello?’ Her voice was a little cold, distant. Of course it would be. She would have seen his name flash up on the screen, and she’d made it perfectly clear how she felt about him. He felt his throat close. He couldn’t do it.

He hung up instead, feeling like a total coward. But he couldn’t just turn around and explain. It would sound too weird, and she’d want to know why he hadn’t told her in the first place. Besides, he wanted to keep the door open, to be able to help her with the pub again if need be. And ok, he was unlikely to be able to help on the financial front again, but he didn’t want her to throw it back in his face, if she found out the money was his. He didn’t think she’d actually do that – she wasn’t that petty – but best not to risk it.

His phone flashed with an incoming message and he jolted. But it wasn’t Cassie.

Can we talk?

Jessica. Shit. Heat trickled down the back of his neck, despite the cool day.

‘Alright, Mr Malone?’ A hand clapped his back and Sam nearly dropped his phone. He looked up to see Toby standing there in his Burberry coat. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting, been here long?’

‘Nah, it’s alright,’ Sam said, as a way of non-answer. He got to his feet, followed Toby to a slightly run-down-looking building – red bricked and almost prisonesque in feel, with the smell of weed lingering in the air. ‘You sure they won’t mind me coming in? I can just wait out here.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, it’s freezing.

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