Star opened her emails and tried hard to put his call out of her mind. After half an hour, she gave up. Picking up her mobile, she motioned to her team that she would be in one of the meeting rooms. For the conversation she was about to have, she needed privacy.
“Toby, it’s Star,”
“Hey, how was your weekend with Damian?” he asked slyly.
“We had a great weekend, thank you,” Star said, but she knew her voice held more weight than she hoped to convey.
“What can I do for you Star? You never ring me at work.”
“Christian left a voice message on my phone this morning,” Star said flatly.
“Are you OK?” Toby’s voice softened.
“Not really, I have had horrible thoughts rushing round my head all night and now—”
“Take a deep breath. Before you panic, as I explained yesterday, your adoption of Skylar was all legal and above board. He signed away any rights to her years ago. The law doesn’t allow for him to change his mind and come back for her. If he wants a daughter, then he’ll have to have one with his wife.” Toby practically spat the last words out. After the way the Dupree family had treated Lily and Skylar, Star knew he had no time for them.
“But they’re so wealthy. He is the UK CEO of the biggest drinks company in the world. What can I offer that he can’t automatically give her?”
“Stop right now. No one is going to take Skylar from you. What exactly did he say? I can get a restraining order placed on him if you want?”
“Oh gosh, no!” Star said in a panic. “Hunt and Hunt are trying to win their business. I don’t know what I want, but I just needed to be able to talk to someone, especially after his message.”
“I’m listening. What did he say to you, Star?”
“He simply asked me to call him. What do I do, Toby? I don’t want to jeopardise the contract with the company, but I can’t risk Skylar.”
“Have you spoken to Damian?”
“No, I haven’t told him about this morning’s call. I tried to do some work, but I just couldn’t concentrate. I think I needed to hear you say that the adoption was okay, that he can’t just decide he wants her back.” Star tried to take a deep breath.
“Are you going to talk to Damian?” Toby asked.
“I honestly don’t know. I need to think about it. I don’t even know what he wants …” Star gave a hollow laugh. “Why does life have to get so complicated just as I thought it was coming together.”
“Don’t rush into calling Christian back. You hold all the cards here, Star. Talk to Damian.”
“I can’t! If I speak to him, he’s likely to call Christian and ask him what his game is. This is huge business, Toby. You saw how horrified Damian was over the whole thing. I can’t involve him.”
“Okay, okay, but remember, Laura and I are always here for you and Skylar – you know that. I think you should let Damian be, too, but it’s not my call. You shut him out once before and you’ve been unhappy ever since. But, Star, I’m glad you called me.”
Star sighed, feeling better now she’d managed to get someone else’s perspective.
But she didn’t feel right pulling Damian into her family dramas. He’d only just come back into her life, and she did not want to burden him with her problems or split his loyalties. She wanted their relationship to be perfect, at least for the time they had left together. He had enough issues with helping get his dad back on his feet, landing this client, and keeping the Board happy. He didn’t need to jeopardise anything for her; she wouldn’t let him.
∞∞∞
Star got through the rest of the day in a daze. Damian questioned her in the car on the way home, but she simply told him she was tired. He had smiled knowingly and accepted her excuse. When he dropped her off at home, he promised to pick her up in the morning, telling her tomorrow he’d be driving himself as his mum and dad needed Marcus for check-ups.
Still on a high from Damian’s kiss, Star stumbled inside the house.
“So, did you tell him about Christian?” Star spun on her friend, before shushing Laura and looking around for Skylar. “Don’t fret, she’s upstairs doing her homework.”
“I see Toby updated you! No, I didn’t tell him. I don’t even know what Christian wants. I’m not risking the company and a huge deal for my private life. Where would that leave us?”
Laura shook her head. “If Damian is your partner, then it’s called sharing your problems. It’s not burdening him. Damian is not stupid – he’s not going to do anything that will jeopardise the company. He will, however, be able to support you through this.”
“I don’t want his advice – this is my decision,” Star snapped.