Lucy Gordon - Bride By Choice

She opened her eyes. ‘What?’

‘You fell asleep standing up.’

She shook her head. ‘I did?’

He grinned. ‘I’m losing my touch. Women don’t usually fall asleep in my arms.’

‘I’m sorry. It’s just that you felt so safe.’

‘Don’t add insult to injury,’ he begged.

‘I’d better get back to work.’ But Helen didn’t move. She felt held in a spell, with no power to break it.

Lorenzo made a sudden, resolute movement, thrusting her away and speaking in a theatrical approximation of ‘macho’.

‘Then do so, at once. That’s an order, woman. This is a man speaking. Obey him.’ She gave an unsteady laugh and he grimaced. ‘Yes, I don’t do it very well, do I?’

‘You’re out of practice.’

‘I’ll bring you some coffee.’

She returned to her books. The coffee duly arrived and she thanked him with a smile. When she next looked up it was to see Lorenzo washing saucepans.

She yawned and rose to stretch herself, still feeling sleepy. She stretched out on the sofa, meaning just to close her eyes for a few moments.

She awoke to find all the lights out except one small table lamp, and the front door opening.

‘Hallo,’ Dilys said, coming in, dressed to kill. ‘I thought you’d have been in bed hours ago.’

‘Why, what time- two o’clock ?’

Lorenzo had left, she realised. Going into the kitchen she found it cleaned to within an inch of its life. Every cup and plate was in place. Every saucepan gleamed.

There was a little note under a fridge magnet shaped like a penguin.

You were sleeping like a baby so I didn’t awaken you. Goodnight. Sleep well.

She smiled, thinking warmly of her friend’s tender care for her. Then the smile faded as she thought of something else, and wondered if it was only her imagination that his lips had lain briefly on hers while she slept.

O N L ORENZO’Slast day in New York Helen dropped into his room and found him deep in the throes of packing.

‘Nearly finished,’ he said. ‘Now I have to see Fives to settle a few final points. Can you come with me?’

‘I don’t know, but I will anyway,’ she said, thinking of the time to come when he wouldn’t be there.

He was at Fives for an hour, spent another hour finalising the lease on extra warehouse space, and then he was finished. There were still three hours to kill before she would drive him to the airport. They had a snack in a burger bar, eating almost in silence. Suddenly there was nothing to say.

Central Park lay on their way back. After the bleak winter the trees were in bloom, glorious white and pink against the blue of the sky. He took her hand and began to walk slowly.

She wondered where they were going, but soon she realised they weren’t going anywhere. For an hour they walked under the trees, hand in hand, and her heart was heavy. It was like the last day of the vacation, when you were still there but it was all over.

‘I guess it’s time to go,’ he said at last.

She drove him to JFK and waited while he checked in for the evening flight from New York to Rome.

‘There’s a few minutes before they call me,’ he said. ‘Let’s have a drink.’

He bought an orange juice for her and a scotch for himself, and they sat smiling, saying the things people say when they don’t know what else to say.

‘Have you got everything?’ she asked.

‘Too late now if I haven’t. I’ve got my passport and tickets, so I won’t go far wrong.’

‘That’s true.’

Silence.

‘You’ve got better weather for going home than you had arriving,’ she said valiantly.

‘Well, it’s spring now. Sicily will be beautiful. All blossoms.’

‘So you’re glad to be going?’

‘I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again. But I’ve had a great time.’

‘So have I.’

‘Will you have problems with your family when I’m gone?’

‘I’ll just say we changed our minds. What can they do? Anyway,’ she added on a teasing note, ‘I promise to reveal nothing until you’re safely out of the way.’

‘Thanks,’ he said with feeling. ‘But seriously, I wouldn’t like to think of you having trouble.’

‘Don’t worry about me.’

‘I just hope Giorgio doesn’t make himself unpleasant.’

‘Giorgio’s always unpleasant about something. If he shouts I’ll shout back. I’m good at letting people know when I’m mad at them.’

‘Yeah, I remember.’

And there they were, back in the first evening, with her saying she was good’n mad, and him not fighting back because that wasn’t his way, and anyway he didn’t have a leg to stand on. And they’d both known that the problem was the kiss he’d stolen, which was unlike any other kiss. And they’d also both known that the problem wasn’t going to go away.

‘Maybe they’ll get to like Erik,’ Lorenzo suggested. ‘When they’ve forgiven you for preferring him to me.’

Preferring him to you? she thought. Oh, you shouldn’t have said that.

‘I’ll be working with Erik from now on. In fact, I’ll be joining him tonight at some hotel function.’

‘Beware hotel functions,’ he said with a grin. ‘You meet some weird characters there.’

‘I shall be quite safe with Erik,’ she said primly. ‘He’s always the perfect gentleman.’

‘Nobody ever accused me of being a perfect gentleman.’

He grinned again, and she wished he hadn’t, because it made her realise how much she was going to miss his sweet temper and the sunshine he carried with him. This was really it. He was going away and she might never see him again.

‘If they do, I’ll put them straight,’ she assured him.

Ten minutes to go.

‘The important thing is that you’re running your own life, not letting your parents run it for you,’ he reminded her.

‘With your help. We really outflanked them, didn’t we?’

‘We certainly did.’

Silence.

‘Can I get you another drink?’ he asked desperately.

‘Just an orange juice, please.’

‘Sure. I don’t want to get you in trouble with Elroys. If you’re meeting Erik I expect you need to hurry back.’

‘I’ll see you into the departure lounge, but I won’t wait for take off.’

‘No, no, of course not. I wouldn’t expect-I mean, I know you’re busy.’

‘Yes, fine.’

‘Fine.’

Silence.

‘How is Erik about everything?’ he asked

‘Everything?’

‘You and me-I mean, seeing so much of each other this last week?’

‘He mentioned you when he called last night and said he was glad I was keeping a close eye on the hotel’s interests.’

‘That’s all he said?’ Lorenzo was outraged.

‘Yes. Which is lucky.’

‘Well, OK, but if I’d heard-I mean if the girl that I-if she-you’re right. It’s good that he’s so reasonable. Sure. Right. Fine.’

Five minutes to go. Their drinks arrived. Four minutes. Time was slipping past and there was something she ought to say, but she didn’t know what and soon it would be too late.

‘I’ve got your email address, haven’t I?’ he asked for the tenth time.

‘Yes, and I’ve got yours.’

‘Stay in touch. Like we said-best friends.’

‘ You stay in touch. Let me know you arrived safely.’

‘Will passengers for flight-?’

They got to their feet and walked the short distance. At the barrier they faced each other, smiling.

‘Well, this is it. Goodbye-’ he added provocatively, ‘Elena.’

She made a fist and aimed it gently at his nose. He laughed and took hold of her hand, straightening out the fingers and dropping a light kiss onto them. Then his laughter faded and something seemed to have taken him by surprise.