Page 12 of Pillow Talk
‘I don’t. I always loved the idea of the magnets, so I ordered them online,’ she said casually, as if it was something that everyone did.
Sen then realised why they were in the kitchen.
‘Wow, Sho, this is amazing but it would have been fine to sit in the living room,’ he said.
Shona had set their plates on either side of the centre island. She’d even covered it with a red and white checked tablecloth. And candles.
‘It’s getting cold. Sen, please stop snooping and sit down,’ she said.
Sen obeyed and sat on a bar stool.
Shona dished out the chicken pasta and passed the salad to Sen.
They worked silently until they both sat back and began to eat.
‘Sen, this is amazing. The sauce is to die for. Thank you for supper,’ Shona said.
‘It’s a pleasure.’
They ate in silence until Shona spoke again.
‘How’s work? You haven’t been as busy as you were in the run-up to the wedding,’ she said.
Sen remembered it. He’d been so busy with a trial that he’d almost missed the bachelor party.
‘It’s good. I’ve changed my area of focus,’ he said.
‘How so?’
He put down his fork and looked directly at her as he spoke. It was one the first lessons his father had taught him: always maintain eye contact.
‘You know our family history. Granddad was a cut-throat criminal lawyer, my dad is one, so naturally I assumed I was expected to follow suit. I was good at it, until I became bad at it,’ he said.
Shona’s eyes widened. ‘Bad at it? Sen, you’re one of the most respected criminal lawyers in the region. The newspapers are always going on about your success at such a young age.’
‘I used the wrong word. I wasn’t bad at it. I just wasn’t good at wanting to fight for bad guys…okay, I’m confusing you. Let’s start again. I believe everyone deserves a fair trial – innocent until proven guilty – and most of my clients were found to be not guilty. But I couldn’t help wondering if they really were. A week before the wedding, my client was acquitted of stalking his ex-wife. A couple of days later, he shot her dead and turned the gun on himself.’
Shona gasped.
‘It was just before the wedding and I was rushing around so I didn’t really dwell on it until a new case was assigned to me. My father took one look at me and asked what was going on. I told him,’ Sen explained.
‘Was he furious?’
Sen shook his head.
‘No Sho. My dad is…my dad. He’s a workaholic but he’s a good father. He told me there was never an obligation to follow in his footsteps and he actually thought I would be better at corporate law because of my…’
Sen didn’t finish his sentence.
‘Your what?’ Shona probed.
‘My structured life,’ Sen replied.
Shona shoved a spoonful of pasta into her mouth. She knew Sen’s words were not a dig at her, but it felt like it.
‘And what about you? How’s work?’
Shona stopped eating and cleared her throat. ‘I actually do have some news. Remember that bride I met in Durban a couple of weeks ago?’
