Karla waited for him to close the kitchen door, and then, ‘I didn’t know he was coming,’ she said quickly.

‘Yeah, right.’ Emitting a scornful laugh, Jason shook his head.

‘Jason, I didn’t.’ Karla’s voice bordered on desperate.

‘Right, so’ – Jason glanced back at her, unconvinced – ‘he just dropped by for a cosy chat and a cup of tea with his daughter? In which case, I can go up and take a shower and leave you two to it, can I?’

Sighing, Karla lowered her gaze and pressed her fingers hard to her forehead. ‘He was hoping to have a word with you, but—’

‘No, Karla,’ Jason stated categorically. He wasn’t about to go through it all again – the reasons he would never consider accepting any proposition her father had to offer. He’d already said it, time and time again. Even in the wildest scenario – that the man wouldn’t try to control their lives – Jason needed to be the one to provide for his family. If his reasons weren’t good enough for Karla, then… He didn’t know what then, but he’d had enough of this.

‘Jason, stop,’ Karla said, as he turned back to the door. ‘Talk to me, please.’

‘About what?’ Jason faced her, his temper rising, despite his best efforts not to let it. ‘What do you want me to say that hasn’t already been said, especially with him sitting on the other side of that wall?’ He nodded angrily towards the lounge. ‘The answer is no, Karla. I can’t do it. Could you please just accept that and ask him to—’

‘Right. Fine,’ Karla cut across him. ‘Don’t then.’ She held her hands up, as if in resignation. ‘I understand. You don’t think I do, but I do. We’ll manage on my wage if we have to.’

That hit home. There was no way they would manage for long on Karla’s income alone, not now they’d taken out a mortgage on the house. Glancing down, Jason drew in a long breath. ‘It won’t come to that, Karla,’ he said, his gut tightening as he reminded himself he would not only be jobless if his company went under, but also up to his eyes in debt. Karla had a trust fund, due to her when she was forty – Fenton had made sure she wouldn’t see a penny before then – but how could Jason ever justify forcing her to use that money to pay their way because of his pride?

‘It might well,’ Karla reminded him soberly. ‘And I’ll stand by you, you know I will. I always have. But on one condition, Jason.’

Wondering where this might be leading, Jason looked curiously back at her.

‘You have to stop this ludicrous battle of wills with my father,’ Karla announced.

‘I have to?’ Jason laughed, amazed.