Page 31 of Captive Hearts
‘You’re an arsehole,’ Gina said. She was shovelling olives into her mouth and chewing them angrily.
As Ashley watched her, her pleasure started to fade. She began to feel slightly remorseful. She’d crossed the line, like she always did. She got up and casually grabbed the bag of chocolate chips. She put as many as she could get into her mouth comfortably, and once her mouth was full, she mumbled, ‘Shorry.’
Gina looked up. ‘What?’
Ashley kept chewing; the chocolate still thick in her mouth. ‘IshedI’mshorry. I might have gone a bit far,’ she said, eyes fixed firmly on her snack.
Gina stood. ‘You did, yeah.’
Ashley looked away from the chocolate, chancing direct eye contact with Gina. ‘But thisiswhat you wanted. To get to know me. This is what it is. I piss people off.’
Gina shrugged. ‘I can’t say I wasn’t warned.’
‘By Bernie.’
‘Yes.’
Ashley kept chewing miserably. ‘I knew it. I don’t know what’s stopping him from sacking me.’
Gina sighed through her nose. ‘I do. He said you had potential, you just needed someone to balance you out.’
Ashley was stunned, more pleased than she wanted to be. She’d always thought Bernie didn’t like her. ‘He said that?’
Gina nodded, admitting, ‘He thought I might be the answer.’
‘Because you don’t care?’ Ashley said without thinking.
‘What do you mean I don’t care?’ Gina asked.
Ashley felt like she’d said yet another wrong thing. ‘I just mean, you’re pretty… detached.’
Gina shrugged. ‘I just don’t sweat most stuff. Especially if it doesn’t concern me.’
‘Whatdoesconcern you?’ Ashley asked, interested.
Gina thought. ‘My work, I guess. I like to do a good job.’
‘Well, we’ve got that in common,’ Ashley noted.
‘Common ground, eh? Who’d have thought,’ Gina said, eating another olive.
There was a silence then. But it wasn’t that awkward; it was actually quite comfortable.
It was broken a few minutes later by Gina. ‘You know, you might have a point about my stepmum. Sheisa bit of a MILF, if I’m honest.’
Ashley was shocked into a big laugh.
The door of the cupboard suddenly swung open. ‘What’s so fucking funny?’ Rick demanded, gun in his hand as if he was going to try and shoot the laughter.
‘Nothing,’ Ashley and Gina said together.
‘Right, good. There’s nothing to be laughing about. Now come out, I’ve got the telly set up for the news.’
