G RACE flew back to London the following day. She desperately needed to get her feelings about Oliver into perspective and she didn’t trust herself to keep him at arm’s length when he was only next door. She didn’t trust him either, but that was another story.
As far as she knew, Sophie was still staying with the Ferreiras, and that was another reason for getting away. She had been downright rude when she’d come looking for Oliver the day before, leaving Grace in no doubt that she blamed her for delaying him.
If she only knew, Grace mused a little bitterly as she waited for her luggage to appear on the carousel. Goodness knew what might have happened if Sophie hadn’t interrupted them. Which was why she’d wasted no time before packing her cases and ringing the airport.
After collecting her bags, Grace waited another twenty minutes for a taxi and then gave the driver her parents’ address in Croydon. She’d decided to spend a couple of days with them before returning to Northumberland. And if that meant she was a scaredy-cat, then so be it. She needed to get her head together, and she wasn’t going to do that if Tom decided he’d waited long enough to make his intentions known.
Of course, it meant delaying finding a place of her own, but that couldn’t be helped. She just wished Tom could get his financial problems solved so that she wasn’t made to feel she was deserting a sinking ship.
And she wasn’t deserting him, she assured herself. And nor was the ship sinking, whatever Sophie said. She was simply moving out of Tom’s house. So no one should be under any illusions as to why she’d been staying there.
Only her mother was at home when she reached the house in Maple Terrace. The narrow Victorian townhouse looked exactly the same as always, and she was relieved to know that some things never changed.
Her mother wasn’t expecting her and she looked very surprised when her daughter hauled her suitcases into the hall. ‘I thought you were supposed to be in Spain, darling,’ she said, viewing Grace’s pale face with some misgivings. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘No.’ Grace knew she sounded defensive, but she couldn’t help it. ‘I just thought I’d spend a few days with my family before going back to work. That’s all right, isn’t it?’
‘Of course.’ Mrs Lovell’s response was reassuringly swift. ‘I just can’t imagine anyone preferring grey old London to sunny San Luis.’ She paused. ‘Was Tom with you?’
‘Tom!’ Grace’s ejaculation was terse. ‘No! No, Tom wasn’t with me. Why would you think he was?’
‘Oh…’ Mrs Lovell looked a little discomfited. ‘I just thought he might be. I—er—I was speaking to Nancy on the phone a couple of days ago and she said her son was staying with them at the moment. I naturally assumed she meant Tom.’
‘Well, she didn’t,’ said Grace, dumping her backpack on top of the cases. ‘Look, can I have a cup of tea? I didn’t have anything on the plane.’
‘Sorry, darling.’ Her mother pulled a wry face. ‘Here am I prattling on about the Ferreiras, and you’re dying of thirst. Come along. Come into the kitchen. I’ll make you some lunch.’
‘A cup of tea will do,’ said Grace, following her along the hall. ‘Then I’ll get unpacked.’
‘As you wish.’
Mrs Lovell led the way into a pleasant kitchen-cum-breakfast room that looked out onto the pretty walled garden at the back of the house. Gesturing Grace towards a chair, she went to fill the kettle, and after it was plugged in she gave her daughter a bright smile.
‘So,’ she said, ‘did you enjoy your holiday?’
Grace expelled a slow breath. ‘I—very much,’ she said. ‘Um—how’s Dad?’
‘He’s okay.’ But it was obvious Mrs Lovell wasn’t interested in discussing her own affairs. ‘So—what did you do?’
‘Not a lot.’ Grace sighed, and then, realising that wasn’t going to satisfy her mother, she added, ‘I swam and sunbathed. Did a little walking. It was too hot to do much else.’
‘And did you see the Ferreiras?’
‘I had supper with them one evening.’
‘And how are they?’
Grace felt like saying ‘Don’t you know?’ as her mother had recently spoken to Mrs Ferreira, but she didn’t want to create any animosity between them.
‘They’re fine,’ she said instead. ‘Looking good.’
Mrs Lovell nodded. ‘So it was Oliver who was staying with them?’
‘Yes,’ said Grace tightly, remembering why she had moved out of her parents’ house in the first place. Her mother always insisted on knowing the far end of everything.
‘So how was he?’ Mrs Lovell paused. ‘I don’t suppose Sophie was with him?’
‘They’re divorced, Mum,’ exclaimed Grace shortly, realising as she said that it was important for her to believe it, too. ‘Oh, good. The kettle’s boiling.’
Mrs Lovell went to make the tea, but when she turned back again, Grace could tell from her expression that she wasn’t deceived by her daughter’s rather inept attempt to change the subject. ‘There is something wrong, isn’t there?’ she said, taking a jug of milk out of the fridge and setting it on the pine table. ‘I suppose it’s Tom. I knew it as soon as Nancy told me that Sophie had moved out of the house.’
‘What? What did you know?’ Grace felt helpless in the face of her mother’s certainty. ‘I’m not involved with Tom, if that’s what you’re implying. I’ve never been involved with him and I have no intention of getting involved with him. Is that clear enough for you?’
‘There’s no need to take that tone with me, Grace.’ Her mother was looking offended now. ‘Just because Tom doesn’t return your feelings—’
‘Tom’s a jerk!’ Grace interrupted her hotly. ‘Sometimes I don’t even like him very much.’
‘You say that now,’ declared Mrs Lovell placidly, pushing the cup of tea she’d just poured towards her daughter. ‘But I know you, darling. You wouldn’t have gone dashing off to Spain like that, with no warning, if you hadn’t been upset about something.’
Grace stared at her disbelievingly. ‘You really think I’m interested in Tom?’
‘Well, you have to admit, you got along with him very well last summer. After all, if you hadn’t, he wouldn’t have offered you a job and—’
‘The job has nothing to do with it,’ exclaimed Grace incredulously. Then, deciding she was going to get no peace until she came clean about Tom’s intentions, she heaved a sigh. ‘All right. If you must know Tom is the reason I went out to Spain.’
‘I thought so.’ Her mother looked smug.
‘But it’s not how you think,’ Grace insisted grimly. ‘Since Sophie left, things have been—difficult. I don’t like living in the house alone with him. I don’t trust him. He seems to think it’s only a matter of time before we become—well, an item, if you know what I mean. And that’s not going to happen.’
Mrs Lovell frowned now. ‘He hasn’t threatened you, has he?’
‘Of course not.’ Grace gave a weary shake of her head. ‘But he is intent on giving people the impression that I’m his girlfriend. And I’m not. That’s why I’ve decided to get a place of my own.’
‘You’re leaving the garden centre?’
‘Not the job, no. Not unless he fires me, that is.’ She grimaced, considering the thought. ‘I suppose he might. If he thought he could get away with it.’
‘Oh, dear me!’ Her mother shook her head. ‘I had no idea Tom was like that.’
‘Didn’t you?’ Grace’s tone was dry. ‘You haven’t forgotten Sophie was married to Oliver when Tom started seeing her, have you?’
‘Well, no.’ The older woman chewed on her lower lip. ‘But he’s always maintained that she and Oliver were having problems before he got involved.’
Grace shrugged, wishing she could believe that. ‘Perhaps they were,’ she said, sipping her tea. ‘Anyway, it’s no concern of ours, is it?’
‘I suppose not.’ Mrs Lovell took a deep breath. ‘So—what are you going to do? Find somewhere else to stay before you return to work?’
Grace wished she could, but that didn’t seem likely. ‘I—probably not,’ she said at last. ‘I’ll think about it.’ She paused. ‘But for now, can I stay here? For a couple of days, I mean?’
‘As if you need to ask,’ declared her mother reprovingly. ‘You’re always welcome here. You know that. Your father will be delighted to have his little girl back again.’
‘Not so little,’ murmured Grace drily, finishing her tea. ‘Thanks, Mum. I knew I could count on you.’
Oliver discovered Grace had gone that evening. He hadn’t seen her about but he’d assumed she was keeping out of his way. It wasn’t until he’d driven Sophie to the airport late in the afternoon that he’d called at the villa next door and discovered the place was locked and empty.
Frustration ate at him as he realised that Grace had gone without even telling him what she planned to do. She’d returned to England—and Tom—leaving him feeling like a fool.
All the same, he made an immediate decision to follow her example. Even though he’d given Sophie a message to deliver to his brother in the hope of buying the time to prolong his holiday, that was no longer an option. With Grace gone, he was unsettled and angry, and one way or another he determined to settle this once and for all.
His parents were sorry he wasn’t staying on. ‘There’s no reason for you to get back,’ George Ferreira protested. ‘So long as Sophie gets her money, she’ll be happy, and Tom ought to consider himself very lucky that he’s got a brother who’s prepared to forgive and forget and save his miserable neck! I know I am. Staying on here means everything to me, son. I won’t forget this.’
Oliver shook his head. ‘I’ve done little enough for you in the past, Dad,’ he said firmly. ‘And you’ve done a lot for me. I’m only happy to have a chance to repay you.’
‘Even so…’
‘Look, I think I’d better get back,’ said Oliver gently. ‘I’ve been away long enough. Andy’s going to think I’ve taken early retirement.’
‘And there’s Miranda to think of,’ put in his mother slyly. ‘I expect she’s missed you.’
‘Yeah.’
Oliver managed a faint self-deprecatory smile, but in all honesty Miranda’s needs were not high on his list of priorities. He would have to see her. He owed it to her to explain in person why their affair was over. Whatever happened with Grace—and he wasn’t entirely convinced that he was doing the right thing in pursuing a woman who might still be his brother’s mistress—his association with Miranda couldn’t go on.
He blew out a rueful breath. He had the suspicion he was kidding himself by implying that he had any choice where Grace was concerned. When he was with her, there was no denying the hold she had on his emotions. No matter what happened, she’d proved to him that what he’d had with both Sophie and Miranda was just a pale shadow of how things could be. But whether that was enough, for either of them, he had yet to find out.
One thing was sure, he had no intention of sharing her with his brother. If she was still involved with Tom, then that would be his cue to back off. It would be painful. There was no doubt about that. But he’d survive it, he assured himself. He’d survived other disasters in his life and he was older and wiser now than he’d been four years ago.
Another alternative occurred to him during the flight back to England. He could sever any connection with Grace and save himself any more soul-searching. Which sounded all very well in theory, but would be harder to achieve in practice. He’d have to think about that.
It was late afternoon when he arrived back at his apartment. He’d phoned Mrs Jackson before he left San Luis to warn her of his return and she’d kindly stocked the fridge for him. He was able to make himself a sandwich before phoning Andy, and then after assuring his partner that he’d be back in the office the next morning, he went to unpack.
The phone rang as he was considering what to do about dinner. There was steak in the fridge, but he wasn’t in the mood for cooking it himself. Conversely, he had little enthusiasm about going out for a meal. He could always phone for a take-away, of course, but he couldn’t decide what he wanted to eat.
He answered the phone with some reluctance. He doubted Grace would be phoning him—he hadn’t given her his number—and there was no one else he wanted to speak to tonight. But on the off chance that it might be his mother, phoning to assure herself that he was home safely, he picked up the handset.
‘Ferreira.’
‘So you’re back!’
It was Tom and Oliver’s stomach hollowed. What now? But, ‘Yeah,’ he answered civilly. ‘Have you been trying to reach me?’
‘Only for the last week.’ Tom was aggressive. ‘I gather you’ve been on holiday.’
‘Is that a crime?’ Oliver refused to let him rile him. ‘I’ve been staying with Mum and Dad, actually. But, of course, you’ll know that.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ But Tom didn’t sound any the less aggrieved. ‘Sophie gave me your message.’
‘Good.’ Oliver nodded to himself before adding evenly, ‘I’ll have George sort out all the details, but basically all I’m doing is securing your loan. You don’t owe me anything.’
‘Don’t I?’ There was still that militant note in his brother’s voice. ‘Do you think because you’ve got me out of some deep crap that I don’t have any feelings?’
Oliver blew out a breath. ‘Look, Tom, I don’t expect any gratitude. But, yeah, I did think you might be pleased.’
‘What about?’ Tom snorted. ‘The fact that you’ve been seeing Grace behind my back?’
‘Ah.’ Oliver was beginning to understand his brother’s attitude now and he didn’t like it one little bit. ‘Did she tell you that?’
‘Yeah.’ Tom paused as if considering the alternative. ‘Isn’t it true?’
But Oliver had no intention of discussing anything Grace had said with him. The very fact that she’d told Tom about them seeing one another proved that she was still very much involved with the other man, and right now what he really wanted to do was ram the phone down his brother’s throat.
‘Why don’t you ask her?’ he demanded harshly, and before Tom could say anything else he slammed the handset back onto its cradle.
The phone rang again almost immediately, but Oliver didn’t answer it. The day had started out badly and had just got worse—much worse—and, abandoning any thought of food, he collected a bottle of single malt from the cabinet and retired to his bedroom.
But the idea of drinking himself into a stupor had no appeal. It wasn’t going to solve anything, he realised bitterly as the phone rang yet again. However reluctant he was to see Grace again, he was going to have to bite the bullet and do it. Until then, he’d have no peace, and that was a fact.