Page 30 of My Destiny
I watch as his eyes travel the length of my body before finally meeting mine. By the time they do, he’s beaming. “Hey.”
“You found the place all right?”
“My driver dropped me off,” he answers.Of course he has a driver.He probably lives in a historic mansion and has a butler too. Whose name is probably Jeeves. And has a British accent. I’m suddenly regretting inviting him here. His servants probably live better than I do.
“Come in,” I say, sounding a little more deflated than I did when I first greeted him.
“These are for you.” He hands me a long white box, and through the clear window of the lid I can see long stem yellow roses inside. Again, with the yellow roses. I feel a lump form in the back of my throat.Is this another omen?
“They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“They don’t hold a candle to you.”
I smile at his compliment as I take a step back, allowing him to enter.
“I brought a bottle of champagne as well.”
“How nice.” I’ve never had champagne before, but I don’t tell him that. He only has to look around to see that our lives are worlds apart.
He follows me through the main room towards the dining table. I was so proud of how nice the table was set before the realisation that he’s mega rich set in. I have to suppress my smile when I imagine him sitting down to dinner at a table fit for royalty with the finest china and twenty-four carat gold cutlery. Tonight, he’ll be dining at a tiny, second-hand table and eating off dishes I purchased from Kmart. I hope he’s not allergic to stainless steel cutlery because that’s all I have.
“Your house is lovely,” he says, when I gesture for him to take a seat. “Have you been living here long?”
“About eight months.”
He nods, and although I was expecting to see judgment in his eyes, I don’t. He looks completely at home. “Do you have any glasses?” he asks, lifting the champagne bottle.
“I’ll grab some, and put these in water.” I hold up my beautiful flowers before disappearing into the kitchen.
Placing the flowers on the bench, I take a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. I turn the oven down to low so I don’t burn the savoury tarts and search under the sink for a vase. I know I have one here somewhere.
Once the flowers are sorted, I admire them briefly before grabbing two wine glasses. Again, they’re from Kmart, and not champagne flutes made from fine crystal.He’s really slumming it tonight.That thought makes me giggle. I may not have much, but I’m proud of what I have nevertheless.
I hold the glasses up to the light to make sure they’re clean before dashing back out to where he’s waiting.
“Perfect,” he says, when I place them on the table.
I admire his masculine hands as he effortlessly pops the cork and pours us both a drink. There’s no ring on his finger, or a mark from one, and although I have no intentions of taking tonight beyond dinner, I find myself praying he’s not married and bears no resemblance to my cad of a father. He may get the wrong idea if I ask him. I’m sure if there was a Mrs. Cavanagh, she’d be less than thrilled about him being here tonight. And she’d have every right to feel that way. I get a pang in my heart thinking back to how I felt the night I saw Jake with his mistress. I’d never want to be the cause of making someone feel so worthless.
I take a seat opposite him and notice his watch as he passes me a glass—a gold Rolex, a very expensive gold Rolex. I’m again reminded of how different our worlds are. His watch is worth ten times more than I am. Pushing that thought out of my mind, I take a huge gulp, followed closely by another, almost emptying the contents of the wineglass.
“Thirsty?” he asks with humour in his voice.
“Just nervous,” I admit.
“Makes two of us.” That surprises me. He exudes confidence. “It’s just dinner, Brooke. Two old friends sharing a meal.”
His words put me at ease. “Speaking of food, are you ready to eat?”
“Yes. I’m starved.”
“Give me a few minutes and I’ll get the first course ready.”
“We’re doing courses?” His eyebrows rise as he speaks. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”
“I wanted to.” I look down at the table before speaking again. “I appreciate everything you did for me that day…” My words drift off. I’ve tried to push those memories from my mind; it’s just easier that way.
My eyes move back to him when he places his hand on top of mine. “I’ve thought of you often since then, and wondered how you were. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see you’re doing well.”
