Convenience

Part 50

Beatrice chewed on a small portion of the pizza. The pizza was loaded, with seafood, and seasoned to perfection. She could understand why he came here, given the pizza was excellent. She looked up, ready to tell him that her pizza was great, when she found him watching her. She quirked a brow and he smiled.

"You are one hell of a woman." David murmured and forked up a segment of pizza.

Beatrice had to keep reminding herself to keep her guard up. "Thank you." She replied and couldn't help the fact her lips twitched with suppressed amusement. He had genuinely sounded impressed and baffled about the fact he was impressed! That was something in itself. Obviously the man had women falling at his feet, and finding one without that urge, was taking a bit of getting used to. Beatrice continued to eat.

David looked at her, and not for the first time hoped she would give them a chance to make a go of their marriage. "Why didn't you come to me?"

"For money?" She asked. She stated the obvious, "My grandfather gave you money because you needed it!"

"It was your inheritance." David said bluntly.

"Not for you to pass it onto me!" She nearly chuckled. "He knew you needed it." She shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't know about my business plans."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"I didn't have plans, then!" She wondered whether he would continue to be honest with her. She kept being frank with him. "I didn't have business plans when I agreed to this," She shrugged and mumble, "whatever it was!"

"Why?" David frowned. His lips quirked at the corner and his eyes caught and held hers. "I would say, given what I have recently learnt about you, you wouldn't agree to this. Marrying me. Give up your inheritance. Agree to a new relationship with someone you barely knew. Put your welfare and trust in a person you barely knew."

She sighed. She shrugged. "I told you. I researched you! So I agreed. You got the money and I had you."

"That wouldn't be enough." He knew that. He tipped his head back and gazed at her, "That isn't the real reason." He said firmly, eyebrows rose as he looked across at Beatrice. Not that it had much of an effect on Beatrice. So he pushed again, "Why did you accept your grandfather's plan?" Clearing out all the baggage in their relationship, that they had carried in five years, was important. Something about the way she kept hedging suggested there was something she wasn't telling him. His brain started working through the possibilities.

He looked suddenly rather alert. There was a brief flash of anxiety in her eyes. It was interesting how he had come to be able to read her better.

Beatrice sighed again. "His health wasn't good." She said softly. "He did not need to worry about me." She could spare him that concern. "I trusted him. You trusted my grandfather, and he trusted you."

"Which is why I owe you! Not just my apology, I owe you, your inheritance!"

She shook her head, "No! We are even!"

He shook his head. "You're wrong!" He corrected.

Her composure once again back in place. "I sold grandfather's house," She grinned at him, "and I didn't give you any of that!" Her smile grew. And his heart nearly jumped.

"If it wasn't for your grandfather's injection of cash, it would be down the gurgler!" David said. "You know, that my firm was heading for liquidation."

She kept grinning at him. "I used to read the newspaper, in particular the financial section." His brows arched. "You could have squandered grandfather's money. You made it work."

This wasn't what he had expected. Compliments? He studied her eyes. Honest. Candid. Sincere. Taken aback, for a few seconds, David just gazed at her. Disconcerted.

She tipped her head, and faced David as she said with quiet poise that shook his composure, "You were looking after a huge company, when you were just twenty-five, twenty-six." She looked at him for confirmation. She carried on, "I started my business when I was twenty-two, and I had only me to worry about. You were just a few years ahead of me, and you had to worry about lots of people, their jobs, if the company was about to go belly-up, what would happen?" His eyes grew contemplative. She continued matter of fact, "A twenty-six year old took the helm. And did really well." Beatrice had followed his progress from a distance. "People were in jobs. No redundancy." She pointed out, "Your company, like my company," She smiled, "in five years, they are booming! Flourishing, growing, expanding. In my case, probably not the same scale!" She lowered her shoulders and put her fork and knife down. "And, as you know, grandfather died peacefully in his sleep. If he had to worry about me..." She petered away.

David saw her pain before she lowered her eyes. He was noticing things that he hadn't noticed five years ago. He put his fork down and reached for her hand that she had placed on the table. But Beatrice moved her hand, and reached for her napkin and lifted her napkin to her lips.