Breaking Point (Drew Ashley 1) (9 page)

Alix liked to try to get up my nose, but he never succeeded. I just found him amusing. I gave him a sideways smile. "What are you going to do when I leave? You'll have no one to annoy."

"Didn't you hear? I'm leaving too."

"Where are you going?"

"Back home to Birmingham for a month. Then I'm coming back to start work. I got a job at some biochemical company."

"Good for you."

"Candy's annoyed that I'm leaving for a month, but a month is only four weeks."

I chuckled. "That's a pretty silly thing to say, Alix."

"I happen to think it's quite witty."

"You might as well say 'a week is only seven days,'" I said, mimicking him.

Alix grinned. "Or, 'a day is only twenty-four—'"

"Enough, Alix."

Alix laughed. "You're gonna miss me, Drew."

I wasn't sure about that. We sat on a bench outside the shop to eat our sandwiches and engaged in some idle chit chat until our break was over.

When we got back to the gym, Kale was waiting in the reception area. I knew my grin was wide, but I couldn't help it. It was so good to see him. And the smile he gave me in return warmed me from head to toe.

"Hello Kale. To what do I owe this honour?" I asked.

"I just got a call about a job interview. I need your help with buying a suit."

"You want me to go shopping with you?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," I said lightly, although I felt the pressure. What if he didn't get the job? I would forever wonder whether it was because of the clothes I had chosen for him.

"Great," Kale said. "What time do you finish here today?"

"Four."

"See you at four, then."

"You want to go today?"

"Yeah, why not? Are you available?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, I'll pick you up."

Alix sighed when he left. "I didn't know you had it in you, Drew."

I spun around. "Had what in me?"

"Is he your new boyfriend?"

"No, he's just a friend."

Alix's expression was annoying me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing."

I rolled my eyes and went to resume my duties. The afternoon seemed to really drag, but of course, that was always the case when you were looking forward to something. On the contrary, things that you weren't looking forward to—like deadlines——sneaked up on you before you knew it!

Four p.m. finally came. I went for a quick, cold water shower. I couldn't believe I was going shopping in my Gym21 uniform. Would Kale think I was really vain if I asked him to stop over at Destiny's so that I could get changed? Alas! There wasn't enough time. If we were going shopping in London, Kale would have to break every speed limit and highway code to get us there before the shops closed.

Kale was standing outside when I emerged from the gym. I was impressed. Travis had never been where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there, especially when it came to meeting me or picking me up from somewhere. I was glad to see that Kale was the punctual type.

"Are we going to London?" I asked him.

"We won't make it in time. I was thinking Oxford City Centre."

"Okay."

"I need something really smart, but not in a stuffy way," Kale said, steering me towards the gym car park.

I decided not to ask about stopping over. Who was going to see me in Oxford City Centre anyway? "I hope you're not one of those guys who get all irritable and start whining after two hours of shopping."

"We're gonna shop for two hours?" Kale asked in alarm.

"We're gonna shop for as long as it takes to find the right suit."

"Okay, I'll do my best to be patient," Kale promised.

***

Kale looked good in everything he tried on, so it was a really hard decision. He tried on a navy suit that looked awesome on his lean frame, and really brought out his eyes. If there was a woman on the interview panel, it would definitely score some points with her.

"I'm trying to get a job," Kale laughed when I explained this to him, "not a date."

"Kale, it's whatever it takes. If they hire you because you're hot, who cares? The main thing is that they hire you."

"Hot?" Kale asked with a smirk.

True! Since when did I use the word hot in that way? I was speaking American. "Are you getting the navy one, or do you prefer the grey one?"

"I'll go with your advice," Kale said.

"Definitely the navy one."

He bought the navy suit, and the shirt and tie that I picked to go with it, then suggested that we grab dinner. "It's a thank you to you for doing this on such short notice," he said.

I looked at my watch. We still had an hour before the shops closed. "Well, since you're sorted, I might pick up some clothes for work myself."

"Go 'head," Kale said, draping his arm around my shoulders.

"Then we'll have dinner."

"Okay."

I led him to Reiss, where I acquired a dozen dresses for work. The next stop was Karen Millen.

Kale's eyebrows shot up whenever we got to the till and the cashiers rang up my bill. Apart from that, he was a pretty good shopping companion.

"Right. Where's dinner at?" I asked, as Kale relieved me of all my shopping bags.

"Follow me," he said.

This time it was a little Italian restaurant. Not the posh kind. The student budget kind. We sat at a window seat and ordered just main courses.

A man a few tables away from us was reading a newspaper with Travis' face on the cover. I immediately looked away. I wasn't interested in anything to do with him.

"He's been getting death threats," Kale told me, noting my glance at the paper.

"Who has?" I asked pretending ignorance.

"Travis Haywood."

"Really?" It probably wasn't true. The papers had fabricated so many stories about me and Travis over the years that I just didn't believe a thing they wrote. Their stories weren't worth the paper they were printed on.

"Yes. Apparently, it's your fans."

"My fans? That's ridiculous! I don't have fans." I'd always done my best to stay out of the spotlight. While other footballers' girlfriends were signing perfume deals, and contracts with High Street stores, I kept a low profile. Apart from a few ventures into women-related voluntary work, I focused solely on my studies.

We needed to change the subject. I was about to drill Kale about interview etiquette like he'd done to me last week, when the bell above the restaurant door rang.

I looked over at the door and was shocked to see Harvey. He was with a tall woman with big, glamorous hair. She flashed a pretty smile at Harvey as they walked in.

Kale followed my gaze. "There's that American guy."

Harvey's hand was on the small of Miss Beauty Queen's back, as he ushered her to a table and pulled out a chair for her to sit. He was treating her with a protectiveness that was tying my stomach up in knots and making me feel queasy.

I reminded myself that I barely knew him. Kale was not just handsome; he was saved, too. I picked up my menu. "What are you having, Kale?"

"Pasta."

"Which one?"

He shrugged and looked at his menu. "Any."

My eyes drifted back to Harvey. His woman friend was hanging on to his every word. I wondered what he was saying that could be so riveting.

Harvey's presence in the same restaurant as Kale and I made dinner seem really long. In reality, it was only about forty minutes. Kale dropped me off at Destiny's after, and I settled down in front of the TV.

"I finished my dissertation," Destiny said, coming into the living room from the kitchen.

"Great. Well done."

"Will you help me proofread?"

"Okay," I said reluctantly. There could be nothing more boring than proofreading an IT paper, but of course I couldn't turn her down. "Email it to me."

Destiny did a little jig. "Thanks. What's up with you?"

"Nothing."

"Where've you been? I thought you finished work at four."

I gave her a brief summary of the evening's events and she tutted. "What's the big deal? I thought you liked Kale? And from what I can see, he likes you. Does it matter who Harvey takes to dinner?"

"No, I was just saying. You asked about my evening and I was telling you what happened." I went to my room and tried to focus my mind on Kale. But Harvey Lawrence's bad boy smile was all I saw.

Chapter 6

I liked to paint. Not all the time, but once in a while I got the urge to escape with a sketch pad and some paint brushes. It was Saturday morning and the weather was glorious, so I threw on some shorts and a t-shirt, and grabbed an A4 sketch pad, some water colours, and paintbrushes. On my way out, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

Destiny eyed my sketch pad as I passed her in the hallway where she was replacing her potpourri. The sketch pad told her all she needed to know. "Off to The Parks?" she asked.

I nodded. Potpourri was so grandma-ish, but it was Destiny's house. Whatever floated her boat!

"Cool," she said, pouring a vanilla fragrance oil over the dried leaves and flowers. "I wish I could paint, too."

I left the house and headed for The Parks. A wheat-coloured butterfly fluttered before me when I reached the entrance, dancing ahead of me into the park. The air carried the scent of beech trees and Corsican pines, nature's cologne. I found the good weather intoxicating.

I made my way to what had been my favourite painting spot for the last six years beside the River Cherwell. I was going to miss this place now that I was finished with uni and would be moving to London soon to work at News24. Colourful flowers dotted the grass and soft blossoms decorated trees like jewels.

I kicked off my flip flops as I opened my pad. The sun pricked my skin as I dipped my paint brush into my bottle of water, and then brushed it around in some sky blue paint. Today was not a day for deciding what to paint before painting. Today was a day for going with the flow. I let my imagination lead, content to let the rest of me follow.

The sounds of summer washed over me: whistling woodland birds, the gurgle of the brook. I wondered if I could paint the view before me.

I hadn't made three strokes with my brush when my phone interrupted. It was Travis. I hoped it wasn't about money again. "Hello?"

"Hi, Drew." Travis sounded uncertain again, like our last phone conversation.

I prepared myself for the worst. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?" I mixed some blue paint with some yellow to create a healthy, leafy green.

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine."

"That's good."

"By the way, is it true that you've been getting death threats?"

"Yeah," Travis said casually, like it was just one of those things. "I haven't actually read any of them, though. Rich has been intercepting them." Rich was his agent.

I thought about the vision I'd had two weeks ago. None of my visions had ever come true so there was nothing to worry. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Drew," Travis said on a sigh. "I want to see you. I need to speak to you about something."

I slowed down my brush strokes, as my curiosity roused. "What is it?"

"It's about us. I…miss you."

My hand was still now.

"Are you still there?" Travis asked.

"Aren't you getting married in September?"

"I want you, Drew. You're the only girl I've ever wanted," he said, skirting the issue of the September wedding.

"Travis, we'll have to talk about this later. I'm not at home so I can't really talk right now."

"Call me as soon as you get home," Travis said. "Please, Drew. I really miss you. We can't just throw away six years."

"I'll call you when I get home," I said firmly. I hung up, and closed my eyes momentarily. What on earth was that about?

I continued with my painting. I didn't want Travis back. Not unless he made some radical changes. I was moving forward with my life, and I wasn't sure if he could fit in anymore. I had changed a lot in the two months that we'd been apart.

Someone dropped to the ground beside me. My head snapped up. It was Harvey Lawrence. My paintbrush clattered into the watercolour tray. I picked it up, berating myself for reacting like this to a man I barely knew.

Today he was dressed down in jeans and a grey t-shirt. And he was wearing sunglasses. Simple. But when a grey t-shirt was filled with the kind of shoulders that Harvey had, not so simple.

Harvey looked at my painting. "That's really good."

All I'd painted so far was half of a sky and a third of a bush. "Thanks."