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before Jake could answer Dominic chimed in.
'Me and Mummy are going to make a picture with the
shells,' he announced, slurping the last dregs of his cola. 'And
then maybe tomorrow we'll make another one. Would you like
one, Daddy? To hang in your room.'
Although she was loath to do so, Abby couldn't help looking
at Jake then. They both knew she was leaving tomorrow, but
Dominic didn't, and this was not the way Abby wanted to tell
him.
Jake, however, seemed unperturbed as he answered his son.
'If there's one going spare, I'd be delighted to have it,' he replied,
nodding his head towards Dominic's plate. 'Are you going to eat
any more of those strawberries? Or have you had enough? If so,
I suggest you go and find Sara, and have her put you down for
your nap. I want to talk to Mummy.'
Dominic's jaw dropped. 'But you haven't seen the shells,' he
protested.
'You can show me later.' Jake smiled as he helped him slide
down from his chair. 'Go on, be a good boy. I promise I won't let
Mummy beat you to it.'
There was a moment's silence after Dominic had departed. Abby
had refused the strawberries, and was presently sipping her
second cup of coffee, while Jake, who had started later, was
picking at the salad on his plate. For a pregnant spell the only
sounds were those of the birds and insects, and the distant
thunder of the ocean on the reef.
'You haven't told him you're leaving,' Jake remarked at last, and
Abby moved her head in a negative gesture.
'No.'
'Why not?'
'Why do you think?' Abby was defensive. 'I'm not looking
forward to leaving him. He's going to think I'm abandoning him,
and I'm not.'
Jake pushed his plate aside. 'Don't go, then,' he declared flatly.
Abby caught her breath. 'What did you say?'
Jake looked at her. 'You heard what I said, Abby,' he retorted
drily. 'But I'll say it again. Don't go. Stay. At least for another
week.'
Abby returned his stare. 'You're asking me to stay?'
'How many more times? Yes. I'm asking you to stay.'
'But why?'
'For God's sake!' Jake pushed back his chair abruptly, and got to
his feet. 'I thought you wanted to stay. I thought you just said
you didn't want to abandon Dominic.'
'Well, I don't, of course '
'There you are, then.'
'But it's not that simple.' She shook her head bewil- deredly.
'Jake, I have a job, a career. I can't just abandon my
commitments '
'Oh, no, of course not.' Jake moved to the edge of the veranda,
supporting his shoulders against the column that supported the
balcony above. 'I'd forgotten, nothing must be allowed to
interfere with your ambition. Not loyalty, or integrity; not even
the needs of your own son!'
'That's not true!'
'It is true.' Jake's expression was cold as he looked at her now.
'My God, I bet Cervantes didn't even have to cajole you into his
bed! You probably jumped at the chance to prove how versatile
you were!'
'Don't say that!' Abby jumped up from the table, and faced him
on legs that were not quite steady. 'You know it's not true. If I
had been as ambitious as you say I am, why am I not still
working for Max? Why did I stop working altogether, even after
Dominic was born?'
'I don't know, do I?' Jake moved his shoulders in a dismissing
gesture. 'I guess Cervantes killed your contract.'
'No.' Abby shook her head. 'No, Max still wanted me to work for
the agency, but I wouldn't.'
'Because he'd let your little secret out?'
'No, because he'd blackmailed me into remaining with the
agency, long after we got together.'
'What do you mean?' Jake frowned.
'You asked me to marry you, remember?' Abby drew a
steadying breath. 'Why do you really think I refused?'
'Because you wanted to go on with your career '
'No.' Abby couldn't let him go on thinking that. 'I did it because
it was the only way I could keep Max from ruining our lives.
But ultimately, he succeeded, didn't he? Albeit with a little help
from me.'
Jake stared at her through narrowed eyes. 'You really expect me
to believe this?'
'It's the truth.'
'Abby, you were going to abort my child - '
'No!' Abby was adamant. 'You know, you can be so stupid
sometimes. If I had wanted to have an abortion, why didn't I
have one? I could have, couldn't I? I certainly had the
opportunity.'
'You didn't do it because somehow you found out that Cervantes
had told me what you planned to do,' retorted Jake harshly. 'And
as you didn't know exactly what he had told me, you came hot-
footing back to Sandbar in the hope of saving the day.'
Abby's shoulders sagged. 'All right.'
'What do you mean all right?'
'I mean, if that's what you want to believe, I can't stop you.'
'No, you can't.' But Jake's face was pale now, and the familiar
flecks of perspiration were appearing on his forehead.
'So all right.' Abby heaved a sigh. 'But you can't deny that I
did leave Max's agency, right at the time when I might have
needed him most.'
Jake shrugged. 'So why did you?'
Abby gasped. 'After what he did?'
'As I see it, he only told the truth. Something something you
could have done, any time any time in the two years we were
together.'
'And have you kick me out that much sooner?' she protested
scornfully, knowing she shouldn't be arguing with him in his
present condition, but unable to prevent the automatic need to
defend herself. 'My God, you demand high standards, Jake!
Haven't you ever made a mistake?'
'My mistake was getting involved involved with you,'
muttered Jake unevenly. 'As soon as soon as I saw who you
were with I should have backed off right then.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]