‘Yes?’
‘I’ve thought about all my options very carefully, and decided that it’s...not appropriate. I’m sorry to mess you around but I won’t be taking the job.’
Not appropriate. How many times had he used that term himself to soften things, to imply that there was no blame on anyone’s part. The hypocrisy of it came back and slapped Jaye in the face.
‘May I ask why?’ Shock blocked all the things he really wanted to say and kept him still in his seat.
‘I... I’m very sure about this decision. Please just accept that.’
He wanted to spring from his seat, take her by the shoulders and shake her. That was unlikely to go down terribly well, particularly since he’d just expressed the wish to stay on good terms with her, but he wouldn’t let her go without putting up some kind of fight.
‘Do you have another job?’
She shook her head. ‘No.’
‘You won’t consider staying until you get something else?’ At least that would give him some time to try and change her mind.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ She attempted a smile. ‘I won’t be unemployed for long. If the worst comes to the worst, then I can always take Harry up on his offer.’
‘No!’ The word exploded through Jaye’s reserve. ‘I meant... Please tell me you’re not serious about that.’
Tears welled in her eyes, and one dribbled down her cheek before she could catch it and brush it away. ‘No, I’m not serious. You showed me how to stop compromising where Harry’s concerned.’
And she wasn’t going to compromise about this either. Jaye made one last-ditch attempt to hang onto something that he knew was already gone.
‘Well, I guess... You’re flying back to London in three days. Why not speak with John Ferris? I understand if you don’t want to work with me. I can talk to John and we’ll facilitate that.’
‘Please, Jaye. Just let me go. It’s the one thing you can do for me.’ She turned her gaze onto his face and he felt a shimmer of warmth. Jaye knew that he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her any more.
‘Then... I respect your decision. If there’s ever anything I can do...’
‘Thank you. I’d be grateful if you could organise a reference for me.’
‘Yes, of course.’ He’d write a reference that would get her any job she wanted. And get John to write one too. ‘I’ll see you again before you go?’
‘Maybe. We’ll take that as it comes, shall we?’
Suddenly he didn’t want to see her again. The sooner she left, the sooner he could beat himself up over taking the best thing that had ever happened to him and destroying it. Megan got to her feet, and he automatically rose, opening the door of the office for her.
As soon as she was gone he started to pace, measuring the length of the room with his strides. The worst thing about all of this was that Megan was right. Ending something that was never going to work was the right thing to do, and Megan had been braver than he was. She’d given up the job of her dreams to do it, and the least he could do was support her in that.
* * *
Jaye had driven down to Colombo, and wasn’t expected back for four days. Ranjini had given Megan the news gently, her quiet eyes seeming to understand that something was up.
The relief of knowing that Jaye was gone finally allowed her to sleep a little that night. Ranjini had insisted that she take the next few days off so she could pack and get ready to leave, and Megan spent them in a blur of numb misery.
Finally, it was time to go. Megan was up at five in the morning and ready to leave a half hour later. Ranjini was there to wave her off, dropping a beautifully wrapped package into her lap when she got into the car and telling her not to open it until she got back home to London. Dinesh delivered her smoothly to the airport, carrying her bag for her to the queue at the check-in desk. Megan bade him a warm goodbye, insisting that he didn’t wait to see her through.
The first day of the rest of her life. It hurt, but Megan knew it was the right thing to do. She could get over this, starting now, and live her life the way that her mother had never had the courage to live hers.
The queue moved slowly and finally she rea
ched the desk. The gates were ahead of her, and when she got through she’d be able to breathe again.
‘Megan.’
She felt a light touch on her arm, and shrank away from it. No.