Chapter Ten: No safe harbour

NADIA'S POV

I got back home in time to rustle up dinner before Marlowe and Fabian's arrival.

Cooking gave me time to think carefully about my situation and how I was going to tackle it.

But even as I mixed the dough for the lemon flavoured cake I was preparing, I knew that my mind had refused to come up with anything tangible as a solution.

When it came to him, the ability to think clearly suddenly became impossible.

“Mum, I'm having difficulty with my homework. Can you help?”

I rolled my eyes, making sure my back was turned so my daughter, who had asked the question, couldn't see my facial expression.

“I'll wrap up cooking in an hour, my baby. I promise to help you before I tuck you into bed. Have you tried asking Anderson?”

I heard Nancy scoff behind me, her voice getting even louder as she came up to me.

“He's been on his laptop since he came back from school.”

I shook my head disappointedly, knowing that it had been a bad idea for Marlowe to gift him the gaming laptop, the controllers and the game he had always desired as a birthday gift. Pulling him away from that laptop was like initiating another world war.

“I'll help you, baby.” I sighed in exhaustion, “I'll be done cooking before you know it.”

By the time I rounded up my cooking, the sun had sunk beneath the clouds. I stared at the beautiful sunset, and for a moment, all I could think about was how amazing it would be as a picture if Fabian had captured it.

The vivid image of his beautiful hands holding the camera before tilting my chin towards his lips that afternoon haunted me, showcasing just how much time I now devoted to thinking about him.

Disgusted with my train of thought, I left the window like a plague, looking at the kitchen one last time before heading out.

My fists clenched in anger, I headed for Anderson's room, fuming as I heard the sounds of gunshots coming from the bedroom.

He raised an eyebrow when I opened the door, but continued gaming, his hands on the controller. My anger now justified, I marched directly to the switch and unplugged the laptop.

“Mum, I was on a winning streak!”

“Make yourself useful, Anderson. Set the dining table for dinner.”

I watched him frown as he dropped the controller on the bed in frustration.

I waited until he left the room before leaving as well. That was the only way to ensure he didn't go back to his gaming.

As I headed towards the bathroom to get out of the clothes I had worn to the cafe, I came to the appalling realization that I still didn't know how I was going to get rid of Fabian Davenport.

___________

“So Fabian and I spoke during our tour. He wants to move down here.”

I glared at Marlowe in disbelief.

“He's moving to Connecticut? Why?”

Marlowe chuckled.

“You sound as if you disapprove.”

I shrugged as I tried to appear nonchalant, despite the fact that my heart was now pounding violently in my chest.

“I mean, who wants to live in a big city like California and come down here? The change in environment is bound to depress him to some point.”

Marlowe shook his head in disagreement.

“Oh, not Fabian. Definitely not Fabian. That man has seen the world. This new project he's trying to get me to fund, if it all comes around, he's planning to settle down and give his daughter the life she truly deserves.”

I stopped folding the clothes, wondering if I had heard correctly.

“A daughter? He's married?”

“Something like that,” my husband chimed, “He's been having issues with his girlfriend for a few years now. They've been on and off, but I believe he plans to marry her in the end. I mean, they've been in touch since college…”

The rest of my husband's words seemed to fade into oblivion.

In that instant, I felt like the most foolish person on earth.

All this while, I had been completely infatuated with a married man? Why in God's good name did I not make efforts to try to know him better?

I stopped folding the clothes totally now, walking to the bed because I knew I needed support.

“So, he wants to settle here. We…we need to help him until he finds his feet, my love.”

My initial shock was wearing off and slowly transforming into hot, red, rage.

“Finds his feet? The man owns a technical maintenance services company, for crying out loud. We can't continue feeding him and keeping a roof over his head at the same time…”

Marlowe raised an eyebrow as he inched towards me, his hands grabbing mine and squeezing them.

“Easy, Nadia, easy. This is my close friend we're talking about. We shared a room in school. We've not seen each other in ages but still kept in touch. Tell me why I should let him down when he needs me? As soon as this project kicks off, he'll get a place of his own, you know…”

Alarm bells rang in my head following his statement.

I could barely condone Fabian's advances for one week. How was I going to be able to bear his presence until “he found his feet?”

“I know it's all too sudden, my love. You can think about it. Sleep over it, alright?”

I watched my husband kiss my cheeks as he curled into a ball on the bed, then stretched a hand to switch off the bedside lamp.

If only he knew the damage his suggestion of helping Fabian had just caused, he wouldn't be sleeping.

I joined him on the bed, rolling, waiting for a worried filled sleep that I knew wasn't coming anytime soon.

And just when my eyelids began to close, my phone on the bedside drawer vibrated.

Can't sleep. Can we talk? I'm in the kitchen.

I stared at the text, my mouth becoming dry instantly. Even though I didn't recognize the number, I knew who the text was from.

If I remembered clearly, I didn't even have a chance to give him my number that afternoon because one thing led to another and the next thing, we were kissing.

How then did Fabian Davenport get my number?