Fates Tied, page 10
“I didn’t realise I was wrong,” Edward said, “I didn’t realise how stupid I was and I didn’t realise what I had until it was gone and when it was gone I couldn’t get it back. I’m sorry, I should have been more open with you, more honest. About everything. Seeing you tonight, getting your message, it was more than I could ever have hoped for.
I’ve missed you so much and when I got your text I knew that you needed my help. I just wanted to come and get you and sweep you away to look after you and keep you safe.”
“Look after me?” Suzanne said in disbelief, “You mean lock me away in the bedroom to use each and every night?”
“No!” Edward said, “God, I can’t believe that I did that to you. That I treated you like that.”
“You made me feel cheap,” Suzanne said, her anger growing. “You made me feel cheap and used and worthless.”
“You are not worthless,” Edward said fiercely, cupping her face in his hands, “And you are not cheap and you are not someone to be used and thrown away. You are someone to be treasured and loved and worshipped.”
“You really have changed,” Suzanne said, staring at Edward in awe. She cupped his face in one of her hands, “You actually did change.”
“Probably a little too late though,” Edward said with a smile, “I just thought I should tell you is all. If I could I’d take it back, you know that. I just see us together, taking walks, decorating the house, playing with my son, having children of our own, cuddling up by the fire. All that romantic stuff you see in films, all the happily ever after crap - I wish I could have that with you.”
“I don’t know Edward,” Suzanne said, hesitant. “You hurt me, really badly. I don’t know if I can trust you again.”
“I understand,” Edward said, his hands dropping away. “I treated you terribly, in a way that no man should ever treat the person he loves. I’d like to see you again, I really would. But it needs to be on your terms, when and where you want to go. Just…”
Edward faltered for a moment, looking at Suzanne before he continued.
“Just call me,” Edward said. “Call me when you’re ready to talk to me, even if it’s just as friends.”
“Ok…” Suzanne said quietly. “Ok, I think I can do that.”
Suzanne stayed sitting on Edward’s lap, just letting herself feel safe and realising that he really had changed and he really would change the world for her.
CHAPTER 8
A few days later Suzanne got a message from Edward. It wasn’t that unusual, since the awards evening where he rushed to her rescue he had been calling her and texting her almost non-stop. It was a wonder that they had managed to get any work done. This message though was much different to the usual ones.
For one thing it came in the form of a written invitation. For another it was delivered by post to the office where Suzanne worked. The envelope was thick, soft paper and Suzanne’s name was typed on it with nothing else. She glanced at it as she was sorting through her mail and decided almost immediately that it was simply junk, some sort of advertisement circular being sent out to a lot of women all at once. She cast it aside, completely unopened and left it to Tiffany to sort through.
Tiffany sauntered into the office just after lunch to take care of all the trash mail. As usual she perched on the edge of Suzanne’s desk, opening each letter and providing a running commentary.
“Flyer for 50% off at a furniture sale,” she muttered. “Flyer for 25% off at a new store, I think I’ll keep that one. Invitation to a grand opening of that new pizza place around the corner. Why they’re doing that now I don’t know, it’s been open for like… three weeks already.”
“Tiffany,” Suzanne said sharply as the commentary continued, “must you do that?!”
“Well yeah,” Tiffany said sarcastically. “The last time I didn’t I ended up throwing away a payment cheque remember. Besides, you enjoy it.”
Suzanne glared at her friend for a moment before eventually shrugging and turning back to her computer to fill in a spreadsheet.
“Ooh this one’s interesting,” Tiffany said after a few more pieces of junk mail had been read out. “Are you sure this is junk? It looks fancy even if I can’t understand it.”
“What’s it say?” Suzanne said, still focused on her computer screen.
“Dear Miss Jones,” Tiffany read out. “You are cordially invited to a team building corporate retreat. Ooh the date’s for next weekend, ‘It is our aim to truly get the best we can from our employees and you are one of our most prized colleagues and friends. Please put the following post code into your sat-nav and follow the directions given.’ It sounds like it’s for a place out of town, completely different post code.”
“Sounds like a weird post code treasure hunt,” Suzanne said, turning to Tiffany at last. “Who’s it from?”
“Doesn’t say,” Tiffany said, flipping the invitation over and examining it. “It looks hand written though. Oh! There’s a letter here, just at the bottom. ‘We look forward to your attendance, E.’ You should probably have this to be honest.”
Suzanne took the invite from Tiffany and turned it over in her hands. The younger woman was right. It was hand written and on very expensive looking card. The handwriting was crisp and clear although she spotted a bit of shakiness in the first few words. Whoever had written it had clearly been nervous when they began writing it. She looked closer and began to realise that she recognised the script. She was sure that it was from Edward when she spotted the watermark embossed on the paper. It was from Genesis Research. Their logo was embossed on the paper, showing up only when it was held at a certain angle. The clicking of keyboard keys drew her attention back to what was going on in her office.
“What are you doing?” she asked Tiffany.
Tiffany didn’t reply, just continued to type something in to the computer, leaning over the desk and peering at the screen.
“Oh my god!” She eventually said, “The postcode is for some fancy country hotel like two hours away. It’s right by the sea! Look at this place.”
The two women leaned towards the screen and looked at the website for the hotel, taking in all the pictures and the complete lack of prices for the various packages that they offered.
“It’s from Edward,” Suzanne eventually said.
“Oh my god!” Tiffany cried, “That’s so romantic. First he comes and saves you like some white knight and then he books you a fancy weekend away and gives you just a few clues. I wish Dale would do something like that for me.”
Tiffany sighed and looked at the computer again, gazing at the pictures dreamily. Suzanne looked from the site back to the invite and then back again.
“This can’t be real,” she said. “He’s not asked me or anything. Maybe he sent it to the wrong person.”
“He’s giving you a surprise!” Tiffany cried, “You said he was trying to be a better man, trying to turn himself into a good boyfriend, right?”
“Yes…” Suzanne said slowly.
“Well in my book this is definitely good boyfriend behaviour,” Tiffany said, trying to sound wise but her excitement was overwhelming her. “Hell, this is amazing boyfriend behaviour!”
Suzanne just hummed her agreement but she wasn’t really paying any attention to her colleague and friend. She was just staring at the invitation as though willing it to speak to her. Tiffany eventually shrugged and walked back to her desk, deciding to do some of her own work for a change. Suzanne watched her leave before she scrambled in her bag for her mobile.
‘Is this invite for real? S x’ she sent the text to Edward.
‘Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be? xx’ Edward replied.
‘It’s just a bit out of the blue is all xx’
‘Well you said you were feeling stressed and I thought you could do with a break to get away from everything and relax. Xx’ Edward text back.
‘You didn’t even ask if I was free though or if I wanted to go. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a weekend away together but it’s a little surprising, especially after what you’ve said before Xx’
She sat, staring at her phone as she waited for the reply. She kept looking at the clock and as time passed she began to get worried that she’d said the wrong thing. She waited for an hour for a reply, eventually returning to work and twitching every time her phone beeped. Usually it was Tiffany asking about the weekend or an email from another colleague or client. Her head began to ache as one hour turned into three.
Eventually though, just as she had begun to give up hope of getting a reply and reached for her phone to call Edward and tell him it didn’t matter, her phone vibrated, showing Edward’s name clearly on screen.
‘Yeah… I sort of peeked in your diary when we were having lunch a few days ago. I saw that weekend was free and wanted to do something nice for you. I’m sorry if I overstepped and if this weekend is bad timing I’ll rearrange it, just let me know when xx’ he text.
Suzanne smiled as she read the words. Then her phone beeped again.
‘Sorry for the delay in replying by the way. I was about to send it but something happened in one of the labs and I had to go clear it up before being dragged into a meeting. Please don’t be mad at me xxx’ he text.
‘I’m not mad,’ her text said in reply, ‘I was worried I’d said the wrong thing. I’d love to have a weekend away with you and this one is completely fine. The hotel looks gorgeous and I’m really looking forward to it. The invite was lovely too xxx’
Suzanne smiled and returned to work, the minutes seeming to fly by now that her worry was gone.
‘I just can’t believe that you’re actually doing this for me xxxx’ she text again a few minutes later.
‘For you Suzanne, I’d do anything xxx<3’ Edward text back.
Suzanne spent the rest of the day practically floating as she went about her work, a big smile on her face.
“Go ahead, don’t listen to me!” Claire cried, “It’s not like I’ve been happily married for 15 years or anything. Oh wait I have!”
“I’m sorry but I just don’t get why we’re going into every single shop,” Suzanne whined. “Or why I have to get myself waxed. I hate getting waxed. It hurts!”
“But it’s a better finish,” Claire said. “Besides, this place is fancy and you deserve to feel fancy. And he’ll like it too. Consider it a reward to him for saving you.”
Suzanne sighed and followed her friend through the department store, carrying the many bags that they’d managed to accumulate in just a few hours. When Suzanne had told Claire about the invitation to a weekend away Claire had squealed down the phone, hurting Suzanne’s ear a little, before going on to make a list of what they had to get done. Suzanne had zoned out while her best friend had talked but now she wished that she had paid attention.
“Look, I know it’s slightly boring,” Claire said, turning to Suzanne and taking some of the bags from her. “But think about it. This is a proper weekend away for the two of you.
Even when you were with Dickhead you didn’t get these sorts of things. The hotel is super fancy, you really like Edward and from what you’ve said it sounds like he’s really trying to change. You want to show him how much you appreciate that don’t you?”
“Of course!” Suzanne said, “But I just feel like we’re going a little overboard.”
“Overboard, shmoverboard,” Claire said dismissively. “If you show him you’re happy by making yourself look gorgeous for him it’ll let him know he’s doing good. You look pretty and happy and he’ll realise he’s on the right path. It’s like training a dog.”
“True,” Suzanne said as Claire began to hold up different bras to her chest. “If a little simple.”
“Men are simple creatures babe,” Claire said. “They enjoy simple things and think simply. They don’t get all stuck in their heads like we do. If you’re smiling he’s doing good. Hell, Duncan said as much to me last night when I was talking to him about it.”
“You’ve been talking to Dunc about my love life?!” Suzanne cried, “How’d he take that one?”
“He was happy actually,” Claire said, smiling smugly. “And he gave me some pointers from the perspective of a male. And I think it gave him an idea for our anniversary.”
“Ooh.” Suzanne said with a giggle, “Maybe I should give Edward a thank you from you and Dunc then.”
“As long as it’s not a blow job I don’t care how you thank him,” Claire said, waltzing off through the clothes. “In fact don’t thank him for us with anything sexual, that’s just heading into Freakytown. Buy him a bottle of wine or something for us.”
“Will do,” Suzanne said laughing before Claire bundled her into a changing room.
A little while later, laden down with more bags, the two women headed off to the hair salon to get their hair done.
“Now I really feel like we’re going overboard,” Suzanne said. “He really isn’t going to notice my hair that much.”
“Maybe not,” Claire said, shrugging as the hairdresser washed her hair. “But he’ll see that there’s something different and if we do this right he’ll like it.”
“But I...” Suzanne started to say.
“But nothing,” Claire snapped. “You are going to look and feel fabulous and you are going to have a romantic weekend away with the man most of us can only dream of having now that you’ve cured him of his stunted emotional growth. Besides, when was the last time you really pampered yourself like this?”
“I… I can’t remember,” Suzanne said after a moment of thinking. “Oh wow, I can’t even remember the last time I did this.”
“There you go,” Claire said, smiling. “It’s not just for him, it’s for you. This is well overdue, don’t you think?”
The hairdressers working on the two women nodded enthusiastically and the conversation turned away from Suzanne’s weekend with Edward and onto the importance of looking after oneself.
It was dark by the time that Suzanne finally left the city behind and started heading towards the country hotel that Edward had booked for her.
Her bags were in the back seat and the invitation was on the passenger seat beside her. She kept glancing at it as she drove, unable to believe that she was actually on her way to a romantic weekend with a completely changed Edward. Claire had come to help her pack the night before and there had been much wine drunk and many laughs had.
Tiffany had also turned up and Suzanne had ended up putting on a fashion show with all of her new clothes. Some had had to be left behind though, practicality making Claire realise that there would have been nowhere near enough time that weekend to wear everything. Suzanne had headed into work that morning a little tired and a little hungover but really happy and looking forward to seeing Edward again.
She had been held up though when she tried to leave earlier in the day. Client after client had rung her with urgent problems that needed to be fixed yesterday. Suzanne had almost despaired of ever leaving and Edward had clearly started to think that she had changed her mind because of the number of times that she was forced to text him that she would be late. Eventually Suzanne had grown fed up of having to tell him time and again and had ended up keeping Tiffany with her at the office just to reply to the texts and the single phone call that Edward had made when Suzanne had insisted that she wasn’t changing her mind and wanted to prove it.
Tiffany had ended up speaking to Edward on the phone for an hour while Suzanne did a few more things.
She had begun to think that there was some sort of conspiracy going on though. Whenever she had finished something for one client and begun to get ready to go to meet Edward another client had rung with another problem that needed to be fixed.
It felt to her like they were watching her and deliberately timing their problems just to stop her going. Tiffany ended up saying as much when she got off the phone from Edward and when Suzanne’s phone had rung yet again with another task the younger woman had grabbed the handset and insisted that the client either call back on Monday or let her take care of it. Suzanne didn’t dare argue with the other woman as Tiffany dressed her in her coat and shoved her car keys in to her hand. She was a little surprised when her boss appeared and practically frogmarched her to her car and forced her into the driver’s seat. The two women were smiling though as Suzanne finally managed to drive away.
But it was dark now and the roads were narrow and winding. Suzanne thanked whichever gods were listening that the route was clear and was mostly composed of back roads. If she was on the main roads it was more than likely that she would only be halfway there by now, as it was she was only a few miles away.
She did wish that she could have seen the area in daylight though, the few glimpses that she was managing to get made it all seem beautiful and she wanted to see it properly.
As she pulled up in front of the hotel and got out of the car she looked up at the grand country house and cursed her clients for the twenty third time. She really wished that she could have seen the beautiful building in full light.
It was imposing in the darkness, lit with bright floodlights that threw strange shadows across the front facade. Eventually she grew cold and decided to head inside. The lights were bright inside, warm and welcoming and as soon as she stepped through the door Edward sprung to his feet from where he had been sitting and hurried over to her, a wide smile on his face.
“I was worried that you weren’t coming,” he said as he took her bags from her hands.
“I was worried I wouldn’t make it,” Suzanne said with a smile. “It was like it was one thing after another at work. Everyone wanted something doing as soon as possible.”
“I’m glad Tiffany took my advice,” Edward said.
They were walking down a narrow corridor, appointed in rich, elegant furnishings.
“What advice?” Suzanne asked.
“I kind of ordered her to get you here,” Edward admitted sheepishly. “I said if the calls kept coming she was to make sure you ignored them and came to me.”
