Page 99 of Endgame

I’m not doing much ‘providing’ here, so I call it a night. By the time I get home, Ariella is sleeping. She has been busy in the kitchen tonight, playing with the recipes she’s going to make for Dominic’s dinner party. I am not happy about this whole dinner party malarkey, but I’m trying to be an adult about it. She seems genuinely excited, so I let it go. I found out the other morning that MsPat shares my Dominic concerns. She stopped short of demanding that she assist when Ariella goes off to cook with the caterers.

Ariella has been chasing the caterers down for her preparation slot at their industrial kitchens, but no one has managed to get back to her. I know exactly what is going on here.There isn’t going to be a slot. At this point I’m not even sure there are caterers or a party, but I keep my mouth shut. MsPat may be tiny, but she is formidable and, as long as she is there with Ariella, everything will be fine. Besides, I’ve got other things on my mind.

I spend the whole of the next day looking at secluded islands for two nearby. Ariella and I haven’t taken a proper holiday since we got here, and now would be the perfect time to do so. I’m deciding whether I should opt for something in the middle of an ocean, a river or bay when Lydia walks past. I solicit her for help.

‘You’re going to propose, aren’t you?’ She grins.

‘Shhhhh!’ I say, looking around.

‘How far do you want to go?’

‘Pluto is too close.’

‘Just you or do you mind having other properties nearby?’ Lydia snickers.

‘Just us.’

‘Have a look at this one,’ she says before taking over my keyboard.

A house in the middle of the ocean appears, surrounded by white sand and crystal-clear blue water. As Lydia zooms in on the details of the four-bedroom villa, I see that it has a plunge and swimming pool, hammocks, beach cabanas, kayaks and an open beach grill. We read more. It comes with the option to have staff present or just daily check-ins for housekeeping and deliveries. It’s exactly what I am looking for.

‘Lydia, you’re a legend,’ I say, squeezing her hand.

‘Don’t thank me yet!’ She scrolls to the bottom of the page.

‘How much?!’ I gasp loudly when I see the figure.

‘And that’s per night, plus service and taxes.’ Lydia tries to keep her voice down.

‘I could buy a house in the north of England for that!’

‘You probably could.’

‘It’s fine.’ I close my laptop. I thought I was doing well until I saw that.

‘It’s not where you are, Caleb, it’s who you’re with.’ Lydia pats me on my shoulder and goes back to what she was doing.

Two hours later, I reopen the tab for the house and fire off an enquiry, praying that they’ll come back and admit the price was in fact a mistake and they added that additional zero accidentally.

When I get home that night after yet another event, Ariella is nowhere to be found. Just as I pull out my phone to send her a text, she comes bustling through the door with MsPat, both laden with groceries. I help them with their bags before I pull her to me and plant a long, loving kiss on her lips. I’ve missed her today.

‘Hello, Mason. What’s all this?’

‘Dominic’s caterers got caught up in Melissa’s crime sweep and he no longer has any catering on Thursday.’

I feel the anger rise, and push it down.

‘So he’s asking you to do it all?’

‘He asked if I didn’t mind stepping in. I think I can do it. We’ll need to expand the menu to have some local dishes, but, as long as we present on platters for people to help themselves, I should be all right.’

‘That’s a lot, Ariella, especially in your…state.’

The giggle-filled kiss she rewards me with takes every negative feeling out of my body.

‘I’m pregnant, Black, not dying, but I am going to need your help. I have a day and a half to get this right and my tastebuds have gone all weird. So I need yours.’

She’s so excited, I can’t take this away from her. Dominic is up to something; but I don’t have any proof, so I keep my opinions to myself and pull up a stool.

---