Page 25 of Things We Need to Say (Second Chance Love Stories #2)

As soon as Emma left the hotel, she called Jay to see if he had any plans for the evening.

‘Just a quiet night in,’ he replied. ‘I was thinking of ordering a takeaway. I don’t feel like cooking tonight.’

‘How about we eat out instead?’

‘Sounds wonderful, if you’re not too tired.’

‘Definitely not. I’ve got the whole weekend and I’m in the mood to celebrate.’

‘Wonderful!’ Jay said. Emma was relieved that he seemed keen and hadn’t made excuses to stay in. ‘Is it just the time off you’re celebrating?’

‘Nope, much more than that.’

‘What, then?’

She chuckled. ‘I’ll tell you later. I’ll be home soon, have a quick change of clothes and we can go somewhere to eat.’

‘Sounds perfect. Do you want me to book Luigi’s?’

‘Yes, let’s, and then afterwards why don’t we go to Winston’s and dance the night away.’

‘Winston’s? We haven’t been there for ages. You are in the mood to celebrate.’

‘Oh, I certainly am.’

* * *

When they were seated at a corner table in their favourite restaurant, Jay asked, ‘So come on then, tell me what we’re celebrating?’

She told him and Jay immediately raised his glass to clink with hers.

‘Oh, Em, I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that.

I know what you’ve been going through and at last that Heather woman is going to get what she deserves.

But more than that, I’m glad that now, finally, you have the chance to prove to everyone just how good you are. ’

‘Let’s just hope I can do it.’

‘Oh, you can. I know that for a fact.’

‘I must admit, it does feel like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Which is why I feel like dancing.’

‘Then dance we will. Till the early hours. And I’ve got nothing on tomorrow, so we can have a lie-in and a lazy Saturday together.’

‘Sounds wonderful. It’s been ages since we’ve had the time to do that.’

‘And we’re going to make the most of it,’ he said, leaning across the table to kiss her.

* * *

Winston’s was crowded when Emma and Jay arrived.

They ordered drinks and were lucky enough to find a spare table as a couple got up to leave.

The music was loud yet mellow, and they drank and danced and laughed for the next few hours.

Emma couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so carefree.

She vowed that she would make the time so that Jay and she could do this more often.

She was so happy she didn’t notice Susie walk into the bar until she was standing over their table.

‘Hello, Jay,’ Susie said, smiling, then turned to Emma. ‘Hello... Um, sorry, I can’t remember your name.’

‘Emma,’ she replied through gritted teeth. She hoped that Jay wouldn’t let Susie spoil their evening.

‘Oh, yes, Emma.’ She turned back to Jay. ‘Haven’t seen you in here for a while, Jay, darling. Thought you’d got too serious to party.’

‘Never too serious to party,’ Jay replied. ‘But life has moved on for me. As I told you at the christening.’

‘The christening, yes. So you haven’t had a change of heart after our conversation?’ She smiled at him in what Emma suspected she thought was a seductive pout, but Jay didn’t react.

‘No, Susie, I haven’t. Emma and I are very much together, but I wouldn’t want to be with you even if I was single.’ As the music slowed, he turned to Emma. ‘Fancy a dance, Em? The air around this table has gone suddenly toxic.’

He pulled her into his arms on the dancefloor and she snuggled into him, her heart pounding. Jay sending Susie away like that was the perfect end to what had been an amazing day.

* * *

Emma didn’t feel quite so amazing when she woke up the next day, with the sun streaming through the bedroom window, dazzling her.

‘Oh no.’ She groaned and quickly shut her eyes. ‘It’s far too bright.’

Jay smiled. ‘That’s what happens when you refuse to drink water before you go to bed after a night on the booze.’

‘Okay, you’re right, I should have listened to you. But if you’re feeling fine, could you get me a glass of water and some paracetamol?’

Jay chuckled. ‘I’d be happy to. And after that, you can go back to sleep for a while and I’ll put together a picnic.’

‘A picnic? What for?’

‘I think we need some fresh air in our lungs. So I prescribe a walk on Hampstead Heath, and after our lunch we can come back here and, if you’re still feeling rough, we can snuggle on the sofa and binge-watch a box set.’

‘Sounds just about perfect,’ she said. ‘As long as you hurry up with the water and painkillers.’

* * *

Although the journey on the Tube made her feel queasy, Emma felt herself returning to something resembling a human being once they were walking across the heath.

As they sat down on a bench on Parliament Hill, Jay opened the bag he had been carrying and spread out the picnic on the seat between them.

Emma immediately picked up one of the homemade sausage rolls he’d prepared while she had been sleeping off her hangover and bit into it ravenously.

‘Oh, Jay, this is divine. If only we could spend more time together like this.’

‘I know. We really do need to make more of an effort. And I need to stop being so focused on what I want to achieve and make more time for you.’

‘I’m not asking you to do that. I know how ambitious you are and that’s part of who you are, so I wouldn’t ask you to change. All I want to feel is included.’

‘Yes, I get that. You know, you said something the other day about your childhood and how your parents pushed you away. We’ve been together a while now, but we don’t really speak to each other about the important stuff.’

‘It’s not something I like to talk about.’

‘I’m guilty of that too,’ Jay said. ‘But maybe these are the things we do need to talk about.’

Emma sighed. ‘Okay. What do you want to know?’

‘I want to know everything about you,’ he said.

‘There’s not a great deal to know. I’m an only child and both my parents were only children too.

They had me later in life and there was no other family.

They were very academic and career-orientated, and, growing up, I wondered why they had bothered to have me at all.

They certainly didn’t seem that interested in me.

And there was very little in the way of hugs or love. ’

‘Oh, Em, I’m so sorry.’

‘The other day, when I saw the relationship you have with your nan, I realised that’s what I’ve always been missing.’

‘My own family situation hasn’t been that great, as you well know.’

‘Yes, I understand that, but maybe that can be good again if you work on it.’

He nodded. ‘Maybe.’

‘But what you have with your nan is so easy.’

He grinned. ’It is. She’s always been my idol.’

‘I always felt as though I had to fight for Mum and Dad’s approval, and, no matter how hard I worked, I never quite lived up to their expectations.’

‘That’s really sad.’

‘It is. You should have seen them when I said I was going into the hospitality industry. It was as if I’d told them that I’d murdered someone.

At first they tried to get me to change my mind, but I think they both knew I wasn’t cut out for what they wanted me to do.

After that it felt as though they gave up on me.

I went to uni and they moved to Portugal.

And they’ve held me at arm’s length ever since.

So, that’s the reason I hate it when I feel like you’re pushing me away. ’

Jay leaned over the remains of the picnic and pulled her towards him. ‘I’m so sorry, Em. I shouldn’t have made you feel that way. At least now I understand.’

‘I’m so glad we’ve had the opportunity to talk. Just know that I’ll support you in whatever you want to do, but don’t shut me out.’

‘I won’t.’