Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
‘Totally doable,’ the engineer says, simple as that. ‘I’ll have the recalculations done and get them to you before close of play tomorrow.’
‘You are a saint.’ I give him praying hands. ‘Thank you.’
He smiles and gets his pad out, starting to make notes. As I pass the existing double doors that lead into the garden, I spot Richard pointing up at some branches of the horse chestnut tree. He spots me and waves me out.
‘Annie, this is Wes. He’s gonna get rid of these branches.’
‘Hi.’ I shake Wes’s hand when he offers it.
‘Which ones am I lopping off?’ he asks, looking up.
‘Lopping off?’ I laugh.
‘I’m all about technical language.’
‘Right.’ I catch Richard’s laughing eyes too, as I point the branches out. ‘That one and that one.’
‘And that one,’ Jack says, appearing across the garden. I cringe on the inside, quickly looking away before I have the chance to admire how good he looks in his suit.
‘I don’t think that’s necessary,’ I reply formally. ‘Just the two will suffice.’
Wes and Richard look between the two of us. ‘I disagree.’ Jack reaches us and points to the lowest branch. ‘If you remove that one, it’ll dislodge the one behind and the problem will still exist.’
I press my lips together, breathing some patience into myself. He’s pissed off. I can tell by the bulge in his neck and his clipped tone. And I know why. I only peeked at each of the five e-mails he sent me, and deleted them swiftly the moment I gathered they weren’t work-related. Therefore I haven’t responded to any, and when he rang, I rejected every single call. ‘And if we remove that branch, you’ll be exposing the garden to the buildings beyond,’ I point out.
‘Well.’ His lips twist in annoyance. ‘I did e-mail you numerous times today regarding this, but you haven’t bothered to reply.’
I shoot him a shocked glare and open my mouth to fire a few choice words at him, but quickly force my gob shut when I remember we have company. He did not e-mail me about trees or anything work-related, and he knows it. ‘I’ve been busy,’ I reply shortly. ‘But we’re clear now.’ I walk away, leaving Wes and Richard with wary eyes, and Jack with a fuming face. ‘The branch stays,’ I call.
Jack’s caught up with me before I make it inside. ‘Why have you ignored my e-mails?’ he hisses in my ear, following close behind. ‘And my calls.’
‘Because they were about us.’ I swing around, infuriated. ‘And that back there was your way of punishing me for not answering you. By making me look incompetent in front of colleagues, just because I didn’t reply? Just because your ego is bruised?’
‘You think this has anything to do with my ego?’
‘Yes,’ I hiss.
‘You’re bloody deluded. The branch needs to go!’ he barks childishly.
‘It’s staying!’
He growls, advancing towards me, forcing my steps backwards until I’m pushed into a corner. No. Oh, no, no, no!
‘It’s easy to ignore me when I’m on the end of a message, isn’t it?’ he says, his voice low and dangerous. ‘What now, Annie?’ He grabs my hand and slams it over the crotch of his trousers. ‘What am I supposed to do with this?’
He’s solid. He’s angry and he’s fucking solid. I gulp, anxiety gripping me. He’s wrong. It’s not easy when he’s on the end of an e-mail. It’s not as hard as this, but it’s still a battle that I’m losing. Or have I already lost?
‘And this?’ He moves my hand to his chest. His heartbeat is crazily fast. Just like mine. ‘What do I do with this?’
‘Why don’t you ask your wife?’ I inwardly wince at my quiet retort, but Jack physically winces, dropping my hand and standing back, a look of pure disgust on his face.
He breathes in, slowly raising a finger and pointing it at me. ‘You don’t get to say that. Not after last night.’
‘You forget.’ My jaw could crack under the pressure of the bite on my back teeth. ‘I can say what I fucking like, because no one owns me. And definitely not you.’
His features twist, his disgust doubling, and he slowly places his hand on my hip. I jolt under his touch, and he smiles victoriously. ‘Really, Annie? Keep telling yourself that.’
‘Um . . . Jack?’ Richard interrupts us, definite awkwardness in his tone, and I quickly dip away from Jack, moving on shaky legs to the drawings.
‘What?’ Jack yells, pulling my shocked stare up.
Richard doesn’t even flinch. ‘I think you need to come out front, mate.’ Richard’s face is full of apologies, and Jack’s is suddenly full of dread. Then I hear it: a woman yelling.
I look towards the front of the house, wondering what on earth is going on. ‘Jack!’ a woman screams. ‘Jack!’
Jack’s hands go to his head and yank viciously, and he shouts, a carnal sound full of frustration. He glares at me, his eyes raging with fire. I turn to dust on the spot, cowering away. Then he strides off.