‘Hey...’ He rounded his desk, dragged one of the heavy armchairs over towards hers and sat down opposite her, leaning forward until his hands almost touched hers. ‘It’s okay, Charlotte. I just want to help.’
All she wanted right now was to feel his arms around her. If Edward was on her side she could do anything, be all kinds of strong. She met those blue eyes again. They gave her courage for the thing that damned her the most.
‘The phone bill dates back to when Peter and I were living together. He must have taken the contract out in my name and...’ She shrugged. ‘I didn’t know about that phone—it was his second one. He had someone else.’
His face became cold, as if she’d just slapped him. ‘You mean he’s expecting you to pay for the calls he made to his mistress? While you were living with him?’ Edward shook his head angrily. ‘Oh, no...you’re not doing that.’
She reached for him, but he wasn’t there. He was too angry now even to see her, and he sprang to his feet and started to pace the office like a caged tiger.
‘Edward. Please, don’t... Peter probably didn’t think of it like that. He doesn’t think anything through. The phone was registered at my old address and it’s up to me to prove it isn’t mine...’
‘Don’t make excuses for him, Charlotte.’
Her own anger flared in response to his. ‘I’m not. I’m just trying to work out what happened...’
‘And if you keep on taking his side you’ll always be a victim.’
‘Oh, so that’s what you think, is it?’ She was on her feet, catching his arm, forcing him to face her. ‘I am not a victim. I’ve stood on my own two feet since Peter left me, provided for Isaac...’ She took a deep breath. Shouting wasn’t going to do any good, and if there was anyone still in the building they’d be sure to hear them.
‘I know.’ Edward’s rage turned abruptly cold. ‘But this is not your responsibility.’
‘No, it isn’t. But there’s another child, too—a little girl. She’s not my responsibility either, but I still can’t help thinking that somewhere out there that child’s mother is going to be facing the same thing that I did. I might not like her very much, but I can feel for her.’
‘There’s a baby?’
‘Not a baby—a child. She’ll be three years old now.’
He didn’t need to be a genius to be able to do that particular calculation. Peter hadn’t just had someone else while he was living with her, he’d had a child as well.
‘You’ve told my father this?’
‘Yes. I said that he could do whatever it took as far as Peter was concerned, but that I wouldn’t go out of my way to implicate his partner if there’s been any fraud. That’s my decision, Edward, whether you like it or not.’
Warmth bloomed in his face. ‘Most people wouldn’t be so forgiving.’
‘I’m not either. I don’t forgive her, but I won’t hurt her daughter. She’s no more responsible for any of this than Isaac is.’
‘Maybe the best thing you can do for this woman is to show her exactly what she’s got herself into...’
‘That’s what your father said.’
‘Must be right, then.’ A ghost of a grin shimmered on his mouth.
‘I suppose so. But all I really want to do is to be free of Peter. Your father’s agreed to review my divorce papers, to see if there’s anything I’ve missed, and to do all he can to push it through without any hitches. That’s a big weight off my mind.’
He nodded. ‘My dad’s not going to let you down. Once he gets his teeth into something he’s like a dog with a bone, and he won’t let up until he’s got everything sorted out.’
She could smile now. His impassioned rage had shown that Edward didn’t just pity her. He hadn’t shrunk from demanding answers from her, asking the really hard questions.
‘That’s something you both have in common. I appreciate it more than I can say.’
He gave the customary small nod, which said he’d heard. A smile which said he’d understood.
‘I should go now. I need to pick Isaac up soon.’
He shook his head. ‘One more minute.’ His back was against the door and he was leaning on it, his arms folded. ‘I’m afraid it’s no more Mr Nice Guy, Charlotte.’
She swallowed. Edward was getting darker and more dangerous again. She had to admit that she rather liked it.
‘Really?’ She took a step forward, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. If he wanted another confrontation he could have it.
‘Yeah. You can put up a fight if you like, but you and Isaac are staying on with me until this is all sorted out. However long it takes.’
‘We’ve had this conversation before...’
‘And we can have it again if you want. You’ll tell me that you don’t want to impose, I’ll say that you and Isaac are no trouble and that I like having you both around, and then you’ll give me that look...’ He grinned. ‘The one that you’re giving me right now...’
‘And...?’
‘And you’ll say that you and Isaac have managed on your own up till now, that you don’t need anyone.’
‘That’s not quite true...’
‘No, it’s not. You’ll say it anyway, though, just to put me in my place.’
That smile of his didn’t have a place. Neither did Edward.
‘You’re reading my mind now, are you?’ Just as long as he couldn’t access the part of her imagination that was engaged in stripping his shirt from his shoulders. Running its hungry fingers over his skin and allowing him to back her against the desk...
He narrowed his eyes and she shivered. There was something tender about the curve of his lips, something raw about the look in his eyes. ‘I should warn you that I have a Joker up my sleeve.’
She nodded. ‘Isaac. You’ll say he’s happy where he is and it would be wrong to put him through any more upset. That I might be able to see the debt collectors off, but I can’t protect him from the stress.’
John North had said as much, advising her that if she had somewhere else to stay she should do so.
Edward nodded. His gaze flipped quickly to the sofa, which was relegated to the one corner of his office that wasn’t lined with bookshelves, and then back again to her face. Maybe he really was reading her mind. The sofa would be admittedly more comfortable than the desk.
‘And I’d be right?’
‘Yes. You’d be right.’
The smile that made his eyes seem impossibly blue, the one that he had no trouble in sharing with Isaac, was all for her this time. ‘Are we done, then?’
Not by any stretch of the imagination. ‘I suppose so.’
‘And your answer...?’
‘Thank you. Isaac and I would like to stay.’
At least he had the grace to nod, as if the outcome of this particular skirmish hadn’t been a foregone conclusion.
He stepped away from the door, hooking up his jacket and slinging his sports bag over his shoulder. ‘Let’s get out of here. What’s for dinner?’
* * *
She’d tried to palm him off with peppered steak, but Edward had rather liked the idea of eating early and sharing pizza with Charlotte and Isaac. He liked the execution even better.