Page 14 of Losing Control
“Save it,” I say as I hold my hands up in response to her. “I’m going for a walk. The least you can do is cover for me if Mr Collinson comes in here and asks where I am.”
I take my jacket off of the back of the chair and turn on my heel, marching for the exit, keeping my head down as I do.
Chapter Eleven
The start of the breakdown
I’m sat in the park, which is a five-minute walk from the office. I have been gone for half an hour, trying to calm myself down, but I don’t feel any better.
I watch as kids run around, screaming and laughing without a care in the world. Parents are sat on the benches, chatting amongst themselves, enjoying the adult conversation. I close my eyes and wish that I could rewind the last hour. Kim had no right to act the way she did. I know that she is just looking out for me, but she hasn’t even taken the time to get to know Michael. If she did, then maybe she would see that he is a sweet, caring guy. I’m still not bothered by what Nancy has said, what bothers me is that it is affecting Kim’s view of things.
“Hey,” I hear Michael’s voice say.
I open my eyes and turn my head to look at him. He has a soft smile on his face and his hands are in his trouser pockets. He looks so handsome, but even that can’t distract me from the anger that I am feeling.
“Mind if I sit?” he asks, nodding to the empty bench beside me.
“Sure.”
He sits down and takes my hands in both of his. “I didn’t mean to sound disappointed by your job offer.”
“You have nothing to apologise for. Kim is the one who should be apologising.”
“She’s your friend and she expected me to react differently,” he says sounding so bloody reasonable about her behaviour.
“That’s no excuse.”
I’m not having him sticking up for her. She was totally out of order.
“I guess I was just a little shocked that she was the one that told me,” he admits.
“I didn’t want her to. She blurted it out before I had a chance to.”
“I know.”
“I wanted to tell you tonight, over dinner.”
“Dinner?” he asks, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Yeah. I was going to suggest going out after work, but she ruined it.”
“She’s just excited for you.”
“I know that,” I say with a sigh. “But it was still inappropriate.”
“Does she have a problem with me?” he asks, and I immediately tense up. He sees the change in my body language before I can hide it. “She does.”
“It’s not you,” I say sounding like a fucking cliché. I was hoping to keep this from him, but I may as well be honest now. “It’s Nancy.”
“Nancy?” His eyebrows knit together, and I know that what I am about to say is going to annoy him. Hell, it would annoy me if it were the other way around.
“Kim and Nancy were talking the other day and Nancy told her a load of bullshit.”
“Like what?” I grimace at his question. “It’s okay, Luce, you can tell me.” I love that he uses my nickname now. It makes me feel like this is familiar, comfortable, and for keeps.
“Nancy told Kim that things didn’t work out between the two of you because you started to become possessive.” His eyes widen but I continue to speak before he can say anything. “I told Kim it was all rubbish and that Nancy was the one who ruined things between the both of you, but she clearly still has reservations.”
“Do you believe what Nancy says?”
