Page 24 of So That Happened
‘Yeah?’ He turned round to face her. She’d wrapped a thick towelling robe around herself. She looked younger and oddly vulnerable. An uncomfortable pressure squeezed his abdomen and there was a strange buzzing in his head.
‘Thank you.’
He shook his head, trying to clear it. ‘It’s okay, really. It could have happened to anyone.’ He smiled, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.
‘I’m not thinking straight at the moment.’
‘Because of the thing at work?’
He didn’t know what had made him ask that right then, but he found he really wanted to hear the answer. All this overreactive behaviour had to be linked to something. She was clearly a clever woman who was having a hard time dealing with whatever had brought her here to the farmhouse.
She laughed quietly. ‘You’re determined to get a straight answer out of me, aren’t you?’
He shrugged. ‘I’m a nosy bastard.’
She sat carefully on the edge of the bath and stared down at the floor, her hair falling across her face. ‘It’s a tough marketplace and we’re fighting every day to keep and win new business.’ Her voice was steady, but emotionless. ‘There aren’t a lot of contracts up for grabs in this climate. It’s harsh out there. Eat or be eaten.’
An image of his sister as a young, determined girl flashed into his mind. He could see why she’d chosen Josie as a business partner. He crossed his arms and looked out of the window, trying to eradicate the feeling of unease this train of thought triggered.
‘You don’t really want to hear all this crap,’ Josie said, breaking into his thoughts.
‘It’s okay.’ He shrugged. ‘I’ve been told I’m a good listener.’ He refused to give any more brain space to his sister. That particular direction in the maze of his life was a dead end now.
‘You are.’
She was smiling at him when he looked back.
‘But I need to sleep and I should let you have a shower.’
‘I smell that bad, huh?’ He raised an eyebrow, hoping humour would drag him out of his funk.
‘Of course not… that’s not what I meant.’ Her cheeks were adorably flushed.
He swiped a hand in the air to show he was only joking. ‘Okay, get some rest.’ He backed towards the door. ‘Bang on the floor if you want anything, okay?’
‘Okay,’ she said as he turned and walked out into the safety of the hallway. ‘Thanks for looking after me, Connor.’
The words rang in the air behind him.
6
It was six o’clock in the evening before Josie woke up. Rolling onto her side, she sat up tentatively and waited for her headache to catch up with the movement. It appeared to be much reduced.
Thank God for that.
She could hear Connor banging about in the kitchen below and a delicious smell wafted up the stairs, making her stomach rumble with hunger.
Dressing quickly, she pulled a brush through her hair and checked her appearance in the mirror. She looked tired and beaten. So much for this holiday doing her some good.
The room was much more of a mess than she remembered leaving it. All the drawers of the vanity were open and clothes spilled out of them. How embarrassing. Connor must think she was really slovenly. She pushed the clothes back in and tidied up a bit. Looking around, she realised her laptop was no longer sitting on the window ledge. Strange. Perhaps Connor had moved it for some reason? Worry pinched at her chest and she rubbed her hand across her ribs to try and relieve it.
After taking three slow breaths, in and out, she straightened her spine, pushed back her shoulders and tipped up her chin. Better.
Okay, time to face the music.
She went downstairs and found him washing up at the sink.
‘That’s what I like to see – a man hard at work,’ she joked, hoping to start things off on a light note after the edginess of their last interaction.
