Chapters (60)
- Cover
- Books by Sheryl Browne
- Dedication
- KARLA
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Epilogue
- The Affair
- Hear more from Sheryl
- Books by Sheryl Browne
- A Letter from Sheryl
- The Babysitter
- The Second Wife
- Acknowledgements
Relief on some level sweeps through me, while I scramble frantically for what to do next. Of course – his car will be there. Why didn’t I think of that before? If he is in the office, his car will be in the car park. Already, I am reaching for the address book for the security guard’s direct line. Mercifully, he answers the call and I gabble out that Jason doesn’t have his mobile with him, that his office phone seems to be permanently engaged – a small lie – and ask him to check the car park.
The wait is interminable while he does. ‘Yep, it’s there,’ he says, coming back on the line. ‘Sorry, I must have been doing my rounds when he arrived. I can give him a message, if you—’
‘No, no. Thanks,’ I say over him. ‘I just wanted to drop his mobile off. I’ll drive over now.’
Headlights sweep the hall walls as I hang up. Mum has arrived. Knowing I would never ask her to babysit so late and at such short notice unless it was urgent, she agreed to come immediately when I spoke to her.
‘Anything?’ she asks, her expression worried as I pull the front door open.
‘He’s at the office.’ Tears of frustration and fear prick my eyes as I grab up my car keys. ‘Holly and Josh are in bed. They—’
‘Go,’ Mum says, stepping in and urging me past her to the door. ‘Ring me,’ she calls, as I race down the drive and climb into my car.
Acknowledging her with a nod, I reverse haphazardly off the drive, now feeling truly desperate. I have no idea what happened at Jason’s meeting with my father, other than that the offer of financial backing wasn’t forthcoming. I don’t know whether the two of them argued. I do know that Jason went straight from that meeting into his own office, only to end up having to defend himself to his wife, the one person he should be able to depend on. He’d been crushed by the awful things I’d said to him. I swear I could feel his heart breaking as he walked away from me. I have to find him. Talk to him. Convince him that I love him and that I am there for him. That even if his damn business does go under, it won’t be the end of the world. I will always be there for him, no matter what.
Nearing his car, my stomach tightens. It’s parked askew. Not just clumsily, but carelessly, diagonally straddling two bays. The front wheels are wrenched hard right, it’s as if he’s driven at speed, pulled up and simply abandoned it. This is not Jason. He’s a careful driver. Becoming a father made him a better driver, he says.