Page 24 of Broken Beyond Repair

“I know I look hideous — pink and red. We’re going to have to rework my whole summer wardrobe.”

‘Hideous’ was not the word Sydney would have used.

“It’s a shame. Red suits you.”

“I assume the coffee is for me?”

“Oh, sorry.” Sydney shook her mind away from the thought of Beatrice’s press photograph and placed the cup down on the table in front of her.

“Very good.” Beatrice leaned over and picked it up, giving Sydney a full view of her ample cleavage.

Stop.

She turned away. A wave of heat flushed over every inch of her skin as the pulsing of her heart quickened.

No, no, no, this is not happening.

She made for the curtains, pulling them back and flinging open the balcony doors. She needed air. She couldn’t keep thinking of her boss in that red, silky dress with her long legs and br… Sydney gulped the thought away and returned her attention to the laundry pile.

“Fetch me something to wear from the wardrobe.” Beatrice pointed behind her, her eyes glued to the morning news. “A light maxi dress or something. The weather report says it’s going to be hot again.”

There was no wardrobe in the room.

As if Beatrice had sensed Sydney’s confusion, an exasperated voice directed her: “The door to the left of the bed.”

The other must be the ensuite.

The wardrobe, as Beatrice called it, was another room entirely, a dressing room with floor-to-ceiling fitted cupboards.

After opening the third cupboard door, Sydney found a rail full of summery maxi dresses. She naturally reached for a red one but stopped, giving the assortment of other dresses full consideration. Beatrice was tall and slender, yet womanly. Her figure would look stunning in any of them. Hesitating, Sydney finally decided on a blue one to match her eyes.

“Did you get lost?” Beatrice said through a yawn as Sydney re-entered the room. “Damn jet lag.”

“Why don’t you go back to bed?”

“I don’t do staying in bed. I’ve spent the last few days on my back with my leg in the air. I have a lot of work to do. We’ll set up in the kitchen; it’s cooler in there. I assume you’ve found the laptops and my previous assistant’s phone?”

“Yes.”

In one of the hundreds of suitcases.

Sydney approached her with the dress. “This okay?”

“Very good. The grey laptop is mine. If you look in the top drawer of the desk in my study, you’ll find my black book and everything else you need. The credit card PIN number is the gate code backwards. In the black book, you’ll find the passwords for the phone and laptop. Emails from Monday this week will need attending to. Get set up and return for me in five.” Beatrice reached for her crutches and struggled to pull herself up. “Make that ten.”

Sydney left Beatrice to dress and busied herself with their laptops. She placed her own on the kitchen table and Beatrice’s on a corner of the sofa, where she plumped the cushions so she could stretch out comfortably. On the table beside it, she popped a cold bottle of water and a box of painkillers.

Once Beatrice was settled onto the sofa with her leg elevated, Sydney occupied herself with emails until a clicking sound drew her attention. Was Beatrice seriously trying to get her attention by clicking her fingers? Oh God, she was.

“When you take the dry cleaning in,” Beatrice said authoritatively, “I’ll need you to pick up some more painkillers from the chemist and go to the delivery office and pick up my mail. You’ll need the authority card.”

Sydney waved the card at her that she’d found in the black book and picked up her mug.

“And pop into the florist and ask them to deliver my usual order tomorrow. Let them in and leave them to it; they know how I like things. Also, let the gardeners know I’m home for the summer.” Her eyebrows jumped together. “What are you drinking?”

“Tea.”

“I didn’t even know we had any.”