Page 88 of Endgame

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Page 88 of Endgame

‘That’s wonderful. Please send me your bill.’

‘You’re my friend, Dom. I’m not doing this because you’re my boss. There is no bill.’

‘I really want to believe that we are still friends, Aari. You seem so much farther away than you used to be.’

He’s right. I am. I’ve needed to create distance to discourage any ‘more than friendly feelings’ evolving. Right now, he looks so sad, I just feel like I’ve abandoned him after all the times he was there for me. I reach out for his hand and cover it with mine.

‘Maybe we can work on closing the gap?’ I suggest.

‘I’d like that very much.’

When he embraces me this time, he does so carefully and respectfully, putting me at ease.

TWENTY

CALEB

Aari looks tired when she walks in. These few weeks have taken a toll on us, but especially her. She has lost her appetite, is struggling to get up to do her yoga flows in the morning and seems to be surviving on toast and tea.

With that in mind, I plan a little celebration tonight to break the worry and stress we have been under the last couple of weeks.

With MsPat’s help, I manage to pull off the good old Sunday roast. So what if it’s a Monday evening?

She walks straight into my arms when she gets home and the feeling as she presses her head against my chest, knowing that we are safe for now, is overwhelming.

‘I cooked,’ I say into her hair as I hold her tight.

‘Mmmm, cheese on toast. Yes please.’

‘No, I cooked properly. I’m no Dahlia but I had a bash at a Sunday roast. MsPat is responsible for the house still standing. And making sure the beef was sealed. And the potatoes staying crisp. And rescuing the veg. I made the gravy though. Actually, come to think of it?—’

Ariella is on her tiptoes kissing me before I can finish.

‘Thank you, Caleb.’

We eat, holding hands, as she fills me in on the day and what Dominic has been up to. I can’t help picturing both CFOs strapped to a chair somewhere dark, wet and underground, having their testicles zapped every six hours to remind them to throw Melissa under the bus. I wouldn’t put it past him.

Dominic Miller may be making super-shady moves but he actually hasn’t done anything incriminating that I know about – yet. I didn’t tell Ariella what went down at the airfield because she still trusts him and, while I plan on eviscerating him from her life, I’m going to wait until I’ve gathered indisputable evidence before I burn him to a crisp.

Right now, he’s respecting my boundaries and?—

‘Dom asked me for a favour today,’ she says cautiously.

‘Oh yeah?’ I check my tone and volume because I’m still trying to behave like a grown-up.

‘He has a dinner party in a couple of weeks and wondered if I could produce some authentic American dishes for it.’

‘What would you like to do?’

‘It’s for twenty people and it could be a fun challenge. I haven’t spoken to the caterers yet, but I imagine I’ll be cooking in their kitchens and they’ll take it, finish it off there and serve it.’

Good. She’s not going to his home.

‘It sounds like an opportunity to learn something new.’

‘It is, and I’m a little flattered that he asked me.’ She smiles that sweet smile.

‘My money is on Lydia, Lara or Akiko having told him you’re good with food. They must have been very convincing for him to ask without trying it first.’


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