Page 50 of Her Diamond Deal with the CEO

After the first match, there was an interlude when all the spectators walked onto the pitch and trod the ‘divots’. Around them people were consciously not looking over in that way they did when you knew they wanted to just stop and stare, and it was a relief to return to the relative privacy of the box.

‘Excuse me, Mr Walcott.’ A steward wearing one of the club’s branded royal-blue polo shirts stepped forward, blushing as both Jack and his grandfather nodded. ‘I meant you, Mr Walcott,’ she said, smiling at the older man. ‘Mr Wood wondered if he could have a word.’

‘Of course. Would you excuse me, Ondine? I’ll be right back.’

Jack watched his grandfather make his way towards the clubhouse. ‘Come on.’ Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to her feet. ‘Let’s go.’

‘Where are we going?’ She was having to run almost to keep up with his purposeful strides. ‘Jack, can you slow down—?’

‘Sorry,’ he said automatically. He turned, his face taut and unreachable as it had been in the bathroom all those weeks ago. ‘I just want to get out of here before my grandfather comes back.’

‘What?’ She frowned up at him in shock. ‘We can’t leave.’

‘We can. And we are.’ He started to pull her forward, but she jerked her hand free.

‘We can’t just leave, Jack. You’re going to present the cup, remember?’

‘No, I’m not. Look, I’ll just tell Grandpa that you were feeling sick.’ His eyes were unreadable behind his sunglasses but the tendons in his jaw were pulled tight. ‘He won’t mind.’

‘But I do. I’m not lying to your grandfather.’

‘Seriously? You want to take the moral high ground on this one?’ His lip curled dismissively. ‘I think it’s a bit late to worry about that.’

Her stomach twisted in shock, and she clutched at the front of her dress to steady herself. The truth hurt. What hurt more was Jack throwing it in her face. But what hurt the most was the ache in his voice.

It wrenched at something inside her so that instead of turning and walking away, she stepped forward and pulled off his sunglasses. ‘Yes, it is. And it’s hypocritical too, and I’m going to have to find a way to live with that. But we came here today to show your grandfather that you’re a different man from the one he sent away and if we leave now, then it’s going to make it look as if nothing’s changed.’

She saw a flicker of pain in his eyes, and a kind of angry bewilderment. ‘Nothing has.’

‘That’s not true.’ Her eyes locked with his. ‘I see you, Jack. I know who you are and you’re not the same man I pulled out of the water. But you have to believe that. Otherwise no one else will.’

‘I don’t know if I can do this—’ He was shaking his head; his voice sounded strained. ‘I thought it would be different, I thought they’d be different—’

They? She stared at him in confusion, but there was no time to ask what he meant. His grandfather would be returning to the empty box at any moment.

‘Maybe you can’t. Butwecan.’ She found his hand. ‘Where you go, I go, so if you want to leave I’ll come with you, but I think we should stay and finish this. And then we can go home.’

He was staring at her as if he was trying to read her face, see beneath the surface.

‘Okay,’ he said finally. ‘We’ll stay.’

The second match was equally thrilling but Ondine got the feeling that Jack wasn’t even watching. That his eyes weren’t tracking the spirited ponies as they dashed up and down the pitch, but scanning the crowd. But at least he was there, she thought, as the captain of the winning team stepped forward to receive their prize.

‘Here. I want you to do it.’ Ondine blinked. Jack was holding out the shining trophy. ‘That’s okay, isn’t it, Grandpa?’

‘It’s better than okay, it’s perfect.’

As the team celebrated their victory, John Walcott took hold of Ondine’s hands and squeezed them. He was smiling but his eyes were bright with tears. ‘My wife always used to present the trophy. She would be so pleased, so thank you—’

‘No, thank you for inviting me today. But would it be all right if Jack took me home?’ She glanced over to where he was shaking hands with the losing team. ‘I just suddenly feel so tired.’

‘Of course...of course.’

‘I don’t suppose I could email you something, could I?’ She hesitated. ‘It’s something Jack’s been working on. I know he wants you to read it, but—’

‘I’ll take a look. I promise.’

After the noise and heat of the day, the plane’s interior was blissfully quiet and cool.

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