Crossing the Line (14 page)

I walk up the path in a daze; refusing to
look back I love him. Shit. The hum of his engine is still behind me, and I
know he’s watching me. My heart is screaming at me to go back to him, but my
head tells me to carry on and go inside. I need the distance. I need to think.

Slamming the door closed behind me, I lean
against it and close my eyes. This is not good. Well it is. It feels
incredible, like I’m flying, but it’s too soon. With a big sigh, I open my eyes
again and almost have a heart attack as my eyes land on Mum. She’s standing
right in front of me, hands on hips. Does she not even make noise when she
walks now?

“Amelie, welcome back,” she says, and her
smile is warm, genuine. Is she drunk? Something in her eyes give her away,
though; they’re still a little tight. She’s annoyed about something. I’ve
been back a grand total of three seconds; if I’ve done anything it’s a new
record.

“Hi, Mum.”

“How was your trip?”

“It was good.”

The corner of her mouth turns up in an evil
smirk/grimace. “I’m sure it was.” Oh, what the hell? “Would you like to join me
in the drawing room, we need to have a conversation.” Right like that was a
question and I get a choice.

“Love to,” I mutter and she shakes her
head. Well her warm moment is over – in less than five seconds – so
normal order has been resumed.

She ignores me and orders the maid –
who is not our usual one – to make us some tea. “Who’s that?” I ask,
pointing to the strange woman in my house.

“Gretchen. She’s replacing Anna-Maria while
she’s home visiting family. I would have gotten Cordelia to step in, but she’s
helping Harriet organise Harmony’s wardrobe.” Anna-Maria is visiting family or
running for her life? And Harmony is one; she shouldn’t have enough
clothes for it to take two people to organise, she dribbles all over her
outfits, so I don’t know why Harriet spends so much on them.

“Sit,” Mum orders sharply. Bitch.

I sit as far away from her as I can which
isn’t far considering we’re on the two-seater sofa. I don’t like that she’s
beside me and not across the room. “What did you want to talk about?”

Mum places her hands on her knees and turns
to me. “Your inappropriate relationship with your boss.”

My eyes bulge. Oh bloody hell.

Chapter Fourteen

I blink a few times, my mind on overdrive
trying to think what to say. “My what?”

“Oh don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m
talking about, Amelie.”

She is a witch.

I know I should own up and explain, but
something is stopping me – fear maybe. Aden wants to wait before we go
public. “Mum, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” And now I’ll find
out if I’m a good liar. I get away with those little white lies like ‘you look
great in that’ and ‘yes, Oliver, Thomas and Joshua are little angels’ but I
don’t know how this one is going to go down.

She sighs sharply. “I saw him kiss your
cheek in the car, Amelie.” Oh not so much of a witch then… in the magical sense
anyway. “Do you have any idea how this looks? Having an affair with your boss
is completely inappropriate and-”

“Mum,” I snap. “We’re not having an affair!
He kissed me on the cheek. The cheek. Your snooty friends do that all the
time.” Her already sour face hardens when snooty leaves my mouth. “It does not
mean that were screwing every chance we get. Unless a kiss on the cheek is a
promise in your world?”

“That’s enough,” she shouts. Whoa. Her face
is red, and it looks like she’s going explode any second. “How dare you
suggest…I can’t even…” She stands up and blows out a big puff of air. “I don’t
even know you anymore.” She knew me before? “I’ll forget how rude and
inappropriate your comments were, and we’ll concentrate on the issue at hand.” Taking
a deep breath, she sits back down, composed. “What is going on between you and
Aden?”

“Nothing. He kissed me on the cheek.”

“You’re aware that Isabel has shown
interest in him? They seem to get along well.” I almost laugh. Who isn’t aware
that’s she showing interest in him?

“Yes I’m aware,” I reply through gritted
teeth. Isabel can back off. Aden is mine. Jesus I sound so territorial. I don’t
like that I’m so jealous, but I really feel like pulling Isabel’s hair out.

“Good because I’m going to invite him,
Richard and Collette over for dinner at the weekend.” I get to watch my sister
flirt with my sort of boyfriend. Fabulous. “Please try not to ruin this for
your sister.”

I frown, hurt. “Why do you think I’d want
to ruin anything for Isabel?” I mean I do when it comes to Aden, but she
doesn’t know I’m crazy about him. Does she really think that little of me? She
shakes her head and looks up to the ceiling. “No, go on, Mum, I really want to
hear this.”

“It’s just the way you are, Amelie. You’ve
made it clear you don’t want this lifestyle. You want something else, despite
what your father and I have strived for. There’s nothing wrong with how we
live. I don’t understand why you don’t want it or why you make fun of those who
do.” Okay, that doesn’t answer my question. “All I want is to know you’ll be
looked after.”

I’m taken aback at the honesty in her voice
and worry in her eyes. “I can look after myself,” I whisper. “I don’t need a
man to do that.” Why is that such a bad thing? I want Aden, but I don’t need him
to do anything for me.

Mum half smiles. “Maybe you’ll understand
when you have a daughter of your own.”

“You’d honestly prefer me to meet a man and
be looked after?” Who would want that for their child? Surely you want them to
have a great career and be able to support themselves?

“Yes, I would.”

Wow. I don’t really know what to say now.
She’s never going to change her mind and neither am I. Her life isn’t for me,
and nothing is going to change that. “Mum, can you please just trust that I
know what I’m doing?”

“I believe that you think you’re doing the
best thing, but it’s hard watching your child do something you believe is a
terrible mistake. Your father and I want the best for you. We want you to have
everything.”

“I can get everything I want for myself.”
 
Well I’d need a significantly large pay
rise, but it isn’t impossible. The thing is, though, I don’t want everything. I
just want the freedom to make my own decisions.

Mum half smiles again. “I’m proud that you
have your independence, but I wish you wasn’t so determined to do everything
yourself. You’re too much like your father, you know?” Am I? “Right, I need to
telephone Aden and then his parents.” She pats my hand awkwardly and stands up.
Did I just dream that? We almost had a normal conversation. I’m left feeling
confused and, although we’ll never agree, sort of happy.

I make my way to my room to sort out my
suitcase and dial Aden’s number on the way. “Missing me already?” he asks,
missing out the hello.

“Just wanted to tell you that my mum almost
caught us. Oh and you’re being invited to dinner at the weekend to get to know
Isabel more.”

“What?” he replies flatly. “How?”

“She saw you kiss my cheek. I told her it
was innocent”

“Okay good. Just give me a month, yeah?” I
grit my teeth and nod even though I know he can’t see me. “Wait, dinner?”

Ha, bastard, you’ve got to survive dinner.
“Yes, at the weekend. Saturday probably but I’m not sure. My mum seems to think
that you and Isabel are getting along so well. I think she’s planning your
wedding for next year.”

He groans. “She stalks me on lunch
meetings, and now I’ve got to sit there at dinner? Millie, you know I don’t
want anything from Isabel, don’t you?”

My heart flutters. “You’ve mentioned that.”

“Good.”

“What would you do if Isabel made a pass at
you?”

“I’d push her away and tell her I’m not
interested.” Hmm, that could be amusing. Perhaps I should tell her to go for
it? He deserves to be a little uncomfortable for all the letting go of my hand
and pretending we were just friends incidents we’ve had.

The week passes quickly. Work is back to
normal and tiring. I’ve also realised there are more complications when
starting something with your boss other than how it looks. Taking orders from
someone you’re sleeping with makes you want to staple their face. I know he’s
my boss, but it’s not easy; I just have to find a way of separating the
can’t take our hands off each other us from the professional at work us.

Tonight I don’t have to worry about work
stuff, though. Tonight I have to worry about my sister making a move on the man
I’m very quickly falling for.

“You’re on time Amelie,” Mum says, making
no attempt to hide her shock as I walk down the marble staircase.

“Oh, sorry. Should I go back upstairs?”

“Don’t be so facetious, Amelie.” She turns
and walks off.

The doorbell rings so I rush to answer it,
even though I’m not the maid. What would Mum think? “Hello,” I say to Aden,
Richard and Collette. Aden’s mum is beautiful woman with shoulder length blonde
hair that fans her heart shape face. Aden has his hair colour and striking blue
eyes from his Mum but everything else from his dad.

“Good evening, Amelie,” Collette says
politely, giving me a genuine smile. Her eyes don’t light up – the way
Aden’s do – but her response to me is still warmer than my own mums.

“Please come in.” I step back, opening the
door and I’m immediately met by Mum and Dad’s scowl. Right, shouldn’t answer
the door to dinner guests. Fuck knows why, they all know we have staff!

After fifteen boring minutes of small talk,
we’re told dinner is ready and go through to the dining room. I walk behind
Aden, trying not to stare at him. I hate why he’s here and that I can’t do
anything about it.

“You look beautiful,” Aden whispers in my
ear as he sits beside me. He’s between me and my sister. Awkward doesn’t even
begin to cover it. It doesn’t help that Isabel is wearing a tight, but
fortunately tasteful, blue dress. Let’s just say it leaves sod all to the
imagination. Mother really allowed that? Is she really that desperate to get
Isabel married?

“So, Aden,” Isabel says for the six
millionth time since Aden’s arrived. “How is work going?”

I can’t see his face because he turns to
look at her. Bastard. Okay can I get angry with him for looking at the person
talking to him? Yes, why not, I’m mad and jealous. “It’s going well, thank you,
Isabel.” Ooh thank you, Isabel, I say in my head, imitating his voice. I want
to drown myself in the cheese sauce.

“That’s good. You must be pleased the
meetings in Dublin went well?” No, he’s fucking devastated. I roll my eyes and
take a swig of the freshly poured white wine. Tonight is going to be long.

It’s times like these that I wish Aden will
grow a pair and tell everyone about us now. Actually it’s times like these that
I wish I was anyone else. For twenty-one years, I’ve lived in this house, minus
the two for University and I never once felt comfortable. This isn’t a home to
me. I feel like I’m imposing.

“I am. It means that I can now take the
company where I want it. We’ve had to turn down too many artists because we
couldn’t accommodate them.” We have? “That’s all in the past now, though. Now
the business can grow and develop at a rate I want it to. I’ve already set up
meetings with two bands and an incredible young solo artist.” He speaks so
passionately about work it makes my heart melt, and I almost forget I want to
kick him.

Why has he never told me that? I knew the
meetings were important, but I had no idea of all that other stuff he’s just
said. I lean against the high-back chair and pout like a child. He should have
told me all that.

Everyone is deep in conversation while I
pick at my food, wondering if I should just leave home now. No one involves me,
not even Aden. Does he feel that he can’t talk to me about everything too?

I pick up my asparagus and remember having
it at a dinner party when I was five. Oliver was sitting beside me – for
the last time – and we had a sword fight with it. To say Mum didn’t find
it amusing would be a massive, humungous understatement.

“What are you thinking about?” Aden asks
quietly. I look up and see that I have his attention for the first time since
he told me I was beautiful.

“Stabbing you with my asparagus sword,” I
reply, smirking.

Aden’s eyebrows pull together and looks as
if he’s trying hard to figure something out. Figure me out maybe. Well good
luck with that one, buddy, Mum’s been trying to do that and she’s had a
twenty-one year head start. “Can I ask why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Look at them.” He does
and then looks back at me with raised eyebrows. “Never mind.” Does Aden think
he can’t talk to me too? Is that why he didn’t tell me – his fucking PA
for Christ sake – all the stuff about work?

Aden turns back to the conversation,
leaving me to my own thoughts. My thoughts right now being whether or not I
should let my inner serial killer out. With Isabel’s shrill giggle piercing
through me, I’m leaning towards yes.

This night – officially named the
night I’d like to burn – is never going to end. I feel like I’m in my own
personal hell of the never-ending dinner party.

Topics covered so far have been: Aden’s
work, Isabel’s future dreams, Aden’s genes – yes he had to have a brace
when he was thirteen, the Ford’s new landscaping of their massive garden, which
I know will have Mum on the phone planning her own tomorrow, and now we’re up
to holidays.

I sit silently as they go on and on and on.
Can you die of boredom? Aden doesn’t even seem to want to chop his arm off just
to get out of here. Probably because it’s mostly about him, how amazing he is
and how much initiative he has. His ego is going to be impossible to deal with.

Just as I’m about to fall asleep in my
chair, everyone stands. I look up hopeful. It is over? I look around a little
dazed. “Are you alright, Amelie?” Colette asks. That’s a good question.

I nod. “Fine, thank you.” She half smiles
in return and turns back to Isabel. I wonder what she’ll think about me and
Aden being together. It’s clear that she prefers Isabel – and Oliver and
Harriet too – but is that just because she doesn’t know I’m interested in
him? Who the hell am I kidding? I’m not sure I’m what women like my mum wants
for their son.

“Let’s go through to the drawing room,” Dad
says and picks up two bottles of wine on the way through. What! Oh God this
night really isn’t going to end, is it?

“Do I have to?” I whisper to Mum.

“Yes,” she hisses. Why the hell do I have
to be there when I just sit in silence anyway? Aden subtly touches the small of
my back as he waits at the door for me and Mum to go first. Warmth spreads
through me at his touch. “Thank you, Aden.”

“Meet me in your room in ten,” Aden says. I
smile to myself and immediately turn left to go up to my room. Screw sitting
around and pretending to be interested their dull conversations.

I make my way to my room and sit down on
the bed, chewing my lip as I consider talking to Aden about what’s going on
rather than ripping his clothes off.

“Hey,” he says with a cheeky smile that
shows the dimple.

“Hi,” I reply. Sex. Is that all he wants me
for? No,
 
he’s not like that. I know
he wants more I just don’t understand why he holds things back that he has no
problem telling my big sister.