Page 26 of I Dreamt Of You

“I was just thinking of an old friend, we lost touch a few years ago, we were great friends once upon a time, I’m not sure what happened.”

“Then reach out again, no time like the present. If you were good friends once, it would be like nothing had happened,” she says softly.

“That’s a good idea, a toast to new beginnings, and old friends.” I hold up my glass.

“And new friends,” she says with an eager smile.

We toast and sip our wine and talk like we have been friends for years, I had no reason to worry. Before you know it, we are a few more glasses of wine in. I know all about Emma, how she and Dan got together behind Jack’s back in secret for a whole year before they told him. They had been friends before that, a true love story, sneaking around, fun and sexy, and how he made her feel so loved. She knew for years, even before they got together, that one day she would end up with him. What did I do so wrong for Glen to treat me like he did?

“Tell me about your wedding, I want to know all the details, it’s soon isn’t it?” I ask to stop my trail of thoughts.

“Oh yes, my favourite subject,” she says with a laugh. “It’s eight weeks and two days away, most of it is all planned, it’s going to be at the Manor Hotel actually, under the huge rose arch in the garden. We have gone simple and elegant, with white, hints of green, black and gold. As much as I want the big wedding, all I really want is to marry Dan, soppy or what?”

“It’s not soppy, it’s beautiful you have found your one!” I almost yelled at her, “I thought I had mine a few years ago, but things changed, or rather he changed.” I sigh, I’m trying not to think about him at all but it’s so hard. He’s affected so much of my life and none of it in a good way.

You can see the concern on her face almost instantly. I shouldn’t have said anything.

“Is that why you are here? Because of a man?” Curiosity lacing her voice, she reaches over and squeezes my hand. It’s a small gesture but it means a lot.

“Yes and no, I needed a fresh start, and this is it! Oh that reminds me, I need your advice, but I was hoping you wouldn’t tell Jack?” A quick change of subject. I hope it’s not too obvious.

“Sure, I love knowing more than he does, it will wind him up something rotten! What do you need?” Em laughs.

This is it, a massive step for me; as soon as the words come out of my mouth, I can’t take them back; I have to do this.

“I have a house in London, and I need to sell it, but there is still someone living in it. Do you know how I can do it without…um, being there?” leaning forward a little towards me, she asks.

“Oh my god, is this the man you need a fresh start from? Is he still living there?”

“Um…yeah,” my palms are sweating so much. I feel like I want to back out already, but I know I can’t. He is going to be so pissed when he finds out, I’m not sure what he will do. That chillsme to the bone. He was unpredictable at best of times, short-tempered; you never knew what would set him off. But I’m sure this will send him to boiling point. Not that I’ll tell Em any of this.

“Tricky, is the house in both names?” You can literally see her switch to business mode, even the way she sits is different, almost straighter.

“No, my parents left it to me after they passed away a few years ago, so it’s mine.”

“Okay, the best way would be to get him out, change the locks so he can’t get back in and sell from there. You would need to get a solicitor, and speak to a local estate agent to get images and sort the evaluation out. I know a good estate agent. I’ll get in touch and ask him to contact you. Would that be okay? I’m sure we can get this done between us.” She reaches out for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “But why don’t you want to tell Jack? He would be more than happy to help you.”

“It’s just he’s done so much for me already, and I’m not even sure why. We only met once six years ago and… well, he has more than enough on his plate, with taking over this place. I don’t want to trouble him anymore than I have to.” My hands are fumbling with my glass, as soon as I said about meeting him six years ago, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, and now I’m having trouble looking her in the eyes.

“You really have no idea why he is helping you? I can tell you now, I have never seen him like this with anyone... tell me how you met?” Her eyes go wide with mischief, like she knows but wants to hear it from me, so I tell her about the man that tried to attack me, and how Jack came to my rescue.

“He stepped in and knocked him out cold? Really?” Her expression is a little shocked, but also proud of what her brother did for me.

“Yes, really, he took me to the office but before I could even say thank you, my friend Charlie stormed in and shouted at him and took me back to the hotel,” laughing at the memory, and remembering the look on his face as she pulled me away.

“That’s awesome, she sounds like a good friend, is that the one you lost touch with?”

“Yeah, she is, she was pretty awesome. Always looked out for me, anyway I went back to the club the next day, to say thank you and...” I can feel my cheeks getting hotter by the second, at the thought of what we did together, the memory, the dreams, “Well, one thing led to another, we spent the afternoon together, I knew I was only a one-day stand for him, so I left when he fell asleep, flew home that day.”

“Wow, I’m a little grossed out as it’s my brother, but WOW!” she says, sitting back in her chair.

“What do you mean.. wow? There is nothing unusual about it, just a standard one-day stand” I’m a little confused by the comment.

“Well, let me explain something to you. Dan has told me a few stories about Jack over the years, but there was one that always sticks in my mind. And it’s how he tried to find a girl he slept with and looked for an entire day around the Island. He knew everyone so it was easy to ask questions and find someone if you needed to, that was about six years ago…he told Dan that she had been different to all the others.”

“All the others?”

“That’s what you take from what I have just said?” she said with a chuckle, “Not that he tried to find you, said you were different to all the other girls he has slept with.”

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